1 out of 4 stars
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After two years on the force, Steve Jobz receives a dishonorable discharge after shooting a seventeen-year-old black youth during a convenience store robbery. To earn a living, he signs up for a government job at the Insurance Fraud Investigations Agency, a job that he comes to hate and find suffocating. So when detective Miller enlists his help with the investigation of the Mortician Murders, Steve quickly accepts, as he is desperate to escape the mundane tasks inside his four-by-four cubicle. In the meantime, The Embalmer already has his eyes set on his next victim. Will Steve and the detective uncover who’s behind the disturbing killings before he claims any more lives?
The Embalmer: A Steve Jobz Thriller by Vincent Zandri is an investigative crime novel that gives readers a front-row seat to the life of a twisted, brutal murderer and the police investigations that follow. This is the first novel to be published in the A Steve Jobz Thriller book series.
What I liked most was the shock value that came from reading the graphic descriptions of the sadistic crimes committed by The Embalmer and his sheer depravity. His character and reasoning had me sick to my stomach. After all, I did choose to read this novel after I saw a comment on how weird the content was for the commenter. I wasn’t disappointed in that regard. The crime was different from any other crime I had read, and it was certainly weird. I also appreciated the author’s vivid description and detailing of specific places the characters frequented in Albany County.
All that being said, I was disappointed that I was able to easily identify who the murderer was early on. This was due to how sloppy the murderer had been and continued to be; it’s almost as though he was begging to be caught. After the mystery element went south, I kept reading to find out if the one I’d singled out was the actual perpetrator, and the anticipation for the other characters’ reactions and what the ending may hold kept me turning pages.
On the other hand, Steve, who is also the first-person narrator, isn’t an easily likable character in my opinion. He comes across as a racist, sexist individual who’s just itching to take out his bottled-up rage on someone. He not only seems to have a passive-aggressive issue with his boss being female but also makes a comment to a woman about her being smart for her gender. Since we get to see this make-shift world through his lens, I couldn’t help but notice that every black male he saw appeared to be on the verge of committing a crime and that he had described all black males as “looking like thugs,” including those who were hired to help him. Also, according to Steve, most black kids in their late teens or twenties have no idea who their father is. They also dress in baggy, blue jeans that hang off their rear ends as they roam the streets probably looking for ways to commit a crime.
The author’s writing style could have made for a relatively quick and easy read. However, this was marred by a few things. For example, the “white cop shoots black kid” aspect of the story was done in poor taste and was not even necessary to the main plot. The former cop, Steve, could have been fired for any other reason, and the story would have moved along just fine. I only mentioned it in my summary because I wanted to discuss it. As I read the book, I got the impression that the author was indirectly making a comment about some of the “current” issues in America, specifically the police killings of black men, and the rules and regulations that ‘limit’ cops from doing their job efficiently.
I understand this is a work of fiction, but I also think the indirect/subliminal socio-political commentary could have been done responsibly and without prejudice. The heavy generalizations and negative stereotypes of black people are harmful in many ways. While some people may recognize on the conscious level that these stereotypes are not representative of every black person, this often results in unwarranted attitude and reactions towards black people on the subconscious level.
The author also fails in capturing the essence of his female characters. Through Zandri’s descriptions, we are made to know that Steve’s boss, Henrietta, has thick, luscious lips, a gigantic chest, and an equally massive posterior. We’re also made aware of other female characters by their luscious lips and heart-shaped bottoms. To make things worse, Henrietta reads like a caricature of a black woman: she’s loud, abrasive, unprofessional, and insecure. Apparently, she fakes all these traits, including an accent to hide that she’s actually a smart Conservative Republican (who we don’t get to know), so that she can continue her ruse as a socialist. These character traits made her less likable, and that she put up this act to represent a socialist black woman didn’t help either.
Another issue I had was that the story ended with a number of loose ends. First, the murderer’s past, which may have driven him over the edge, was hinted at but never fully explored. Second, characters would say they were going to do one thing, only for them to end up doing something completely different with no explanation. Third, bringing a dead character back to life with no explanation; a character who I had accepted as being dead because other characters had discussed the said character’s death more than once is said to be alive by the same characters who had claimed the character had been killed. Again, no reason was given for the conflicting statements. I was left thinking that this was a failed attempt at creating a plot-twist, or perhaps the author was going for a semi-happy ending but did not care enough to revise the plot.
I also noticed a number of errors that included missing words, using “we” instead of “he,” “now” instead of “not,” and so on. This book could benefit from the hands of a skillful editor. I would also suggest additional revision to better the reader’s experience by elevating the mystery, enhancing flow (including the clarity of the story), character depth and growth. This novel contains detailed descriptions of violence and mature scenes suitable for adults. I can’t honestly recommend the book in its current state, which is why I rate it 1 out of 4 stars.
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The Embalmer
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