Book Review: Ashes in Venice: A Vengeance Thriller

Ashes in Venice: A Vengeance Thriller. Gojan Nikolich, Black Rose Writing, March 2, 2022, eBook and Paperback, 293 pages.

Reviewed by Bob King.

Ashes in Venice: A Vengeance Thriller focuses on a career-weary detective preparing to retire to take care of his wife, who has early-onset Alzheimer’s. However, he’s convinced to postpone his retirement to help in the investigation of one last case: The murder of a murderer he had helped convict but who was released from prison early on a legal technicality. That investigation becomes intertwined with yet more murders of more bad guys, each murder more gruesome and violent than the next. But this is not your typical “whodunnit” crime mystery.

The author introduces us to the murderer in the first chapter. We ultimately come to know that he is a Shakespeare-quoting former FBI forensic doctor. The remainder of the book delves into the life and motivations of the detective and the killer, illuminating the reason behind these brutal vengeance killings, and the chance factor that draws these characters together.

The title suggests that Venice is the main setting of the story, but, in fact, the story primarily unfolds in and around Las Vegas, including the Venetian Resort. Although, toward the end of the book, there is some exciting action in Venice, Italy. 

The author does a good job weaving the plot to create a connection between the detective, the killer, and the murder victims, but the real strength of the book is in its character development. The author uses vivid word pictures to paint the two main characters in various environs as the suspense lifts, and the story unfolds. These characters are complex, neither all good nor all bad, but fraught with freak circumstances that cause each to follow very different paths.  

A word of caution is in order: the descriptions of the murders are vivid, brutal, and disturbing. There are some readers who may find them repulsive. I must admit that I almost stopped reading at various points when the descriptions of the various murders were occurring. But the writing was good enough and the plot intriguing enough that I was able to continue. And for some, the creativity of these executions, while very dark, may be of interest.   

So while Ashes in Venice may not be for the squeamish, it’s an interesting, well-written book that incorporates both literary fiction and the elements of a good crime novel.