cover image Angel Face

Angel Face

Stephen Solomita. Severn, $27.95 (192p) ISBN 978-0-7278-8076-5

In this bleak stand-alone from Solomita (Mercy Killing), hit man Leonard Carter unexpectedly meets beautiful call girl Angela “Angel” Tamanaka after Carter fatally shoots one of her clients, mobster Enrico Benedetti (aka Ricky Ditto), at Ricky’s house in the upscale Riverdale section of the Bronx. Carter, a former Delta Force spook who’s killed 23 men in the past two-plus years without being caught, opts to spare Angel, despite the risk of leaving a witness alive. Ricky’s brother, Bobby Ditto, who’s all but certain his brother had a date with a hooker the night of the killing, seeks revenge. After Carter saves Angel from Bobby’s henchmen, Angel points the way to a possible trove of Benedetti cash hidden in a Bronx safe house. The two soon become more than just business partners. Solomita breaks no new ground in this killer for hire tale, but it’s taut and smooth enough to please genre fans. (Dec.)