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From this cornucopia of characters emerges a frenetic, high-energy, and action-packed storyline that places the motives of countless characters on an inevitable, yet spectacular collision course. Flateland's main character, Dr. Joshtine Cordelia-Hastings—better known simply as Cordy—is the heartbeat of the work. However, the author has a unique knack for peering deep into each character and bringing out what makes them most human, even when that may be a deep-seated thirst for "sweet revenge."
Set amid the backdrop of her FBI agent father's murder, Cordy's call-to-action occurs when the ruthless mafia man, Vinny Corenelli, is released from prison after serving inside for nearly a quarter century. A seething Vinny has a long hit list, but at the top, the names plastered include both Cordy—as the living heir to the man responsible for putting him in prison—and Fritz von Schlegen (alias Lars Konig), her father's partner. What makes this story intriguing is that the angle of revenge is not one-sided. Multiple characters on the protagonist/antagonist side are fueled by revenge.
For Vinny, revenge is doused in self-preservation; returning to the pen is simply not an option, and for someone who has little regard for human life, he has no reservations in extracting and eradicating those who don't fit into his plan. While Vinny is the definition of sinister, his brother Jules is the antithesis. Orphaned and raised in the church, Jules is on his way to becoming a priest when Vinny re-enters his life and brings a heavy dose of mayhem and crime. From the onset, Jules attempts to be the voice of reason—albeit Vinny's other brothers are cut from the same cloth of buffoonery and thuggery—yet this effort pales in comparison to Vinny's desire to teach Jules the "family business."
At the root of this game of revenge is a riveting cat-and-mouse chase, where Vinny is determined to pull out from hiding those he deems to have wronged him (primarily Cordy and Fritz) by going after anyone associated with them. A harrowing scene of Fritz's sister, Risa, and husband, Jim, being shot at and kidnapped in their own home sets the tone early on. Vinny will stop at nothing and no one to reach Fritz and execute his master plan. The dynamic nature of character building thoroughly fleshes out each character and establishes that even among the heroes, no one is immune to deep pain and loss.
Flateland pulls out all the stops to bring the tension to its denouement. From disguises and plastic surgery to solving anagram puzzles to prevent detonations, the high-leverage, life-or-death situations the characters find themselves in are seemingly never-ending. Digging deeper, the author brings her narrative to life by showcasing what goes on in the mind of an unhinged murderer and instilling complete transparency into the fear that one may feel when at odds with someone whose humanness has long evaded him. It is abundantly clear that an impeccable amount of research has gone into understanding not only the inner workings of the FBI but also the way a mobster's mind operates, and to present each character's life story with utmost authenticity. Thus, when the paths of the characters intersect, a natural, explosive plotline unfolds, with never a dull moment as the story shifts between Cordy, Vinny, Fritz, Braun, and the other major players. Above all else, Flateland's work is the ideal fusion of intriguing characters with everything to lose, with it being do-or-die, quite literally, for most.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review