In the short novel, Facets of the Past: No Dark Deed Goes Unpunished, Monique Gliozzi introduces an intriguing protagonist and a well-developed conflict. Hank Gild is excited about his new job. In fact, it is his dream job, and as a tour guide, he finds it fascinating to walk visitors through the imperial castle on Lake Starnberg. He shares interesting stories about the Bavarian emperor and his mysterious death in 1886. But he quickly finds himself enmeshed in an ignoble game of greed and deception and his life threatened. Every step he takes can be followed by dire consequences because there are powerful forces that will stop at nothing in polluting the place and they are ruthless. Can he get things right before it is too late? Not sure of who to trust, he must tread the treacherous path before him carefully.
Facets of the Past: No Dark Deed Goes Unpunished is a stunningly plotted novel with realistic characters. The setting is well imagined and the old castle is depicted as a character in the story in its own right. The pacing is fast and the narrative is infused with a rare sense of mystery; the suspense is persistent and as the reader follows the characters they are unaware of what happens next. Monique Gliozzi has the gift of grabbing and sustaining the attention of readers with the lively characters, the dark intrigue, and the unexpected twists. The characters are elaborately developed, genuinely flawed, and sophisticated. The superb world-building leaves any reader with a strong sense of place so vividly portrayed it becomes alive in the reader’s imagination. Monique Gliozzi will surely gain the respect of readers as a masterful storyteller who delivers sheer entertainment, drama, and superior storytelling. This is one of the stories you will finish in one sitting, so hauntingly beautiful.
REVIEWED BY JANE RILEY