The Man Who Liked Slow Tomatoes

So compared to "The Friends of Eddie Coyle" (see other post) this book was more enjoyable to read, but it was not one of my favorite books and I probably won't read it again. Now the author K.C. Constantine is from a town around Pittsburgh so the professor basically told us that one of the major reasons he had us read the book was to give money to the author. At least he was honest.

Mario Balzic is the chief of police in Rockburg and is trying to keep his sanity as the city is going through negotiations about the new police contract. That is really the back story and the only reason that Balzic works on the case of the missing Jimmy Romanelli. Jimmy's wife, Mary Francis, is worried that Jimmy has been gone for a few days and knows that something bad has happened to him, but Mario is not so sure. Mario had learned from a local bartender that Jimmy had been in there a few hours before selling tomatoes early in the season. Mario goes back to talk to Francis again when no other then Jimmy walks in the door and throws Mario out. Mario suspects that Jimmy, who is abusive to his wife, is messed up in drugs and heads to a Spaghetti restaurant where drug trade is said to be located. Jimmy goes missing once again and Frances is a wreck. After shaking up a few people in the parking lot Mario runs into problems with the drug department who threaten to get him fired. The case is broken when a crazy neighbor says that she saw Jimmy get killed by Francis's father Mike in her dream. Mario goes digging in Mike's tomato patch and finds Jimmy's body. Mike says it is because Jimmy hit his daughter that he killed him, but Mario thinks it might be because Jimmy won the beat between them to see who could grow their tomatoes the fastest. The book ends with Frances killing herself because of her husbands death, her father not being convicted and dying a year after his daughter, the contract is resolved in favor of the police, and Mario goes on being police chief. 

Overall the novel was alright, but it wasn't something I would read again. Mario was a likable character and you got to see him with his family. You understand that he has a drinking problem as well as not being close to his family, but you find that as part of his charm. The plot was slightly boring because the missing person really wasn't missing until the very end. Also the story is more about Jimmy getting over his respect and fear of Mike then the actual crime.