Review: Avenue of Regrets

Avenue of Regrets by R.J. Piñeiro
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This domestic suspense/thriller is Piñeiro’s first foray into the genre, and whilst there’s much done right here, there are also a few areas in need of a bit more attention.

When the book opens, David Wallace is bellied up to a bar, drowning his sorrows, guilt and regret over the loss of his job, his wife and his son—the seventh anniversary of which is upon him. The root of his guilt, as well as what happened to his family, is ambiguous, but the weight of his responsibility is clear. He meets a woman at the bar, an intriguing stranger, who receives a cell phone call and leaves as quickly as she appeared—though not before presenting David with a note that tells him nothing is as it appeared seven years ago when he experienced his losses. When he tries to follow her, he happens upon her being assaulted, tries to intervene and is knocked unconscious. When he comes to, she is gone, another woman has been murdered and the race begins to unravel the mystery behind David’s past and what exactly happened all those years ago.

The main plot is definitely alluring, and Piñeiro goes a great job keeping the pages turning and the suspense high. The history of David’s past is slowly revealed, as the present crashes in and adds layer after layer to the story. Here is where I felt things go south a bit, as overlapping subplots became overwhelming and confusing. At only the 75% mark, it appears that the book is winding down and heading towards its resolution. It then takes the final 25% for the author to tell, rather than show, what happened seven years ago, what’s happened since and how the subplots presented actually relate. Characters offer convoluted dialogue that attempt to explicate events, but it was difficult to follow and required more work than a relatively short novel should.

The second problem I encountered was one of the relationships portrayed. David is at once vulnerable and unlikeable, his past transgressions overshadowing his future—a character complex and well developed. I just didn’t feel invested in his relationships—not in those he lost nor in the one burgeoning with his assistant. There was just no spark to court my engagement.

Overall, Piñeiro has shown himself to be a contender in the domestic suspense genre. The writing itself is superb, full of believable dialogue that moves the story forward. He is also a pro at creating tone and mood through that dialogue, as well as through the setting. Definitely an author to watch moving forward.

*Note: When reading, I was assaulted by ads in the Kindle version at the end of several of the chapters. The ads were for a giveaway of a signed copy of the book. I was so hacked off at the interruptions in the reading that I penned a message to the author. He responded quickly, and politely, explaining that this was a mistake in the e-copy that was in the process of being corrected.

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