Having been awaked almost nightly by Mya’s 3:00 am phone calls, Henry is ready to erupt in a diatribe when the phone rings again in the wee hours. Henry’s boss at the Gazette, Wallace Langston wants him to cover a breaking story. Athena Paradis, a well known socialite, model, and would-be actress has been shot by a sniper as she exited the Kitten Club, an upscale place where the rich and famous met. Henry is able to determine that the sniper had used an unusual weapon and was an accurate marksman. Angela was skillfully murdered.

The headlines have barely receded to normal type when Mayor Dennis Perez calls for a news conference. He is joined by the father of the murdered young woman, Costas Paradis. The subject of the session is increased police vigilance and a quick apprehension of the mysterious assassin. The conference is well attended by the police, including Detective Lieutenant Joe Mauser. Mauser is on the podium with the speakers when he notices a glint of light from a building across the street. He flings himself in front of the mayor and Paradis, taking a gunshot probably designated for the one of the men.

Langston wants Henry to cover the story but not in muckraking fashion as the Gazette’s rival, the Dispatch seems to be doing. The Dispatch’s journalist on the spot is Paulina Cole who revels in the lurid details, and is especially bent on seeing Henry’s fledgling career go up in flames. How she manages to tie Henry personally into the murders takes some ingenuity but Paulina is well up to the task and attacks it with abandon. Thus though Henry’s main interest in the gunman rests on his choice of weapon, a Winchester rifle used in the late 1900’s, he is simultaneously trying to fend off Paulina’s attempts to besmirch  his name and credibility.

 <>The Guilty is the second in a series of thrillers featuring Henry Parker, a young journalist trying to break into the big time in New York City. It follows The Mark the book in which Henry is introduced, meets Amanda, and lives to tell about it thanks to Amanda’s quick thinking. While Mr. Pinter does give a cursory explanation of previous events readers would do well to read The Mark first as it establishes relationships and personalities of the main protagonists in The Guilty.

The story proceeds at a pace worthy of a thriller, yet the author manages to bring in the background of the legend of Billy the Kid without sounding too didactic, or destroying the tense mood of the situation as conditions worsen. The intertwining of the legend and the present day plot adds depth to the novel, giving it some distinction among the myriad of thrillers now on the market. In addition, as Henry researches the weapon used in the murders we learn a little about the local New York academic institutions of higher learning.

The climax of the novel while being truly nail biting, tends to stretch one’s willing suspension of disbelief to the straining point. It is dramatic, suggestive of movie special effects but degrades the quality of the book.

The author does develop his characters somewhat more fully than the usual thriller. Henry is clearly conflicted between his desire to be a serious journalist and his desire for a personal life. His mentor at the Gazette, Jack, assures him that the two desires are not compatible and he will have to choose between the two, opening the door for more torment for the hero in future novels.

--Andy Plonka