cover image The Last Confession

The Last Confession

Solomon Jones, Minotaur, $24.99 (304p) ISBN 978-0-312-58020-9

Dreams of the angel of death haunt crusty, nearly retired Philadelphia homicide detective Michael Coletti in this so-so serial killer mystery. When a gunman calling himself "the angel of death" kills three people in a church, Fr. Thomas O'Reilly winds up convicted of the murders. Despite solid evidence against the priest, Coletti has his doubts as O'Reilly's execution nears 10 years later. Suddenly, the killer is back committing similar crimes, appearing and disappearing as if by magic. Coletti, new partner Charles Mann, and state police profiler Mary Smithson race against O'Reilly's execution date and still more killings in a desperate effort to catch the culprit. Clues dropped by the angel of death pointing to a personal connection with Coletti and some of his previous cases add to the detective's guilt. Jones (Payback) nails his Philadelphia setting and the hard role of cops, but his unlikely plot resolution may leave readers feeling cheated. (Nov.)