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William Landay
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The Strangler Audio CD – Abridged, January 30, 2007

by William Landay (Author), Stephen Hoye (Reader)
4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 1,157 ratings
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Boston, 1963. A city on edge. On street corners, newsboys hawk the shocking headline: KENNEDY IS DEAD. In the city’s underworld, a mob war rages. But what terrifies Bostonians most is the mysterious killer who has already claimed a dozen victims, a murderer whose name is indelibly linked to their city: the Boston Strangler. This is the electrifying backdrop of William Landay’s magnificent new novel, a story of one Irish-American family, a city under siege, and the long shadow cast by the most infamous killer of his day . . .

For the three Daley brothers, sons of a Boston cop, crime is the family business. They are simply on different sides of it. Joe is the eldest, a tough-talking cop whose gambling habits—fast women, slow horses—drag him down into the city’s gangland. Michael is the middle son; a Harvard-educated lawyer working for an ambitious attorney general, he finds himself assigned to the embattled Strangler task force. And Ricky, the devil-may-care youngest son, floats above the fray as an expert burglar—until the Strangler strikes too close to home.

As Joe’s mob debts close in around him . . . and Michael becomes snarled in a murder investigation gone very wrong . . . and Ricky is hunted by both sides of the law, the three brothers—and the women who love them—are forced to take sides. Now each must look deeper into a killer’s murderous rage, into their family’s own lethal secrets, and into the one death that has changed them forever. As William Landay’s complex, compassionate, and terrifying novel builds to a climax, two mysteries will collide—and a shattering truth will be revealed.


From the Hardcover edition.
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  1. Language
    English
  2. Publisher
    Random House Audio
  3. Publication date
    January 30, 2007
  4. Dimensions
    5.62 x 1.05 x 6.32 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    0739307940
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0739307946
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Troubled cops, revenge-hungry mob bosses, dead women--these are the things that make life interesting.... [The Strangler has] plenty of violence, suspense and family intrigue.”—Esquire.com

“Landay movingly explores the bonds of family and basic questions of honesty and loyalty.... The emphasis remains on such themes as crime and punishment, love and honor, truth and justice.”—Publishers Weekly

“Complex.... This character-driven novel ...[unfolds] against the backdrop of the oppressive atmosphere of 1963 Boston. People are reeling from the assassination of JFK and the still-on-the-loose Boston Strangler.”—USA Today

“Landay has a marvelous ear for dialogue and for relationship complexities, smartly emphasizing the impact of crime instead of on the crimes in particular.”—Baltimore Sun

“Mr. Landay combines a fictional investigation of the Strangler's killings with a chronicle of three brothers.... The result is a gripping, atmospheric saga in which the official version of many matters (both criminal and civil) bears little resemblance to the truth.”–Wall Street Journal


From the Hardcover edition.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Random House Audio; Abridged edition (January 30, 2007)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0739307940
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0739307946
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 5.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.62 x 1.05 x 6.32 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 1,157 ratings

About the author

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William Landay

William Landay

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William Landay is the author of "All That Is Mine I Carry With Me" and three previous novels: "Defending Jacob," which won the Strand Critics Award for best mystery novel; "The Strangler," listed as a best crime novel of the year by the L.A. Times, Daily Telegraph and others; and "Mission Flats," winner of the Dagger Award for best first crime novel. A former assistant district attorney, he lives in Boston.

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
4 out of 5
1,157 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Jerry
5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding
Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2014
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THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE AUDIOBOOK

I started with Landay's newest novel (Defending Jacob), which was a great listen. It wasn't a book that engrossed me right upfront, but by the time I was just past the middle point, I didn't want to stop listening. As impressed as I was with Defending Jacob, I was more so with The Strangler.

Landay has it down. He writes excellent, intriguing, fully fleshed characters. There's real drama here (as opposed to the melodrama you often find in sub-par mystery/crime novels). He's got a great ear for the way people speak (which shows with his character's dialogue). The story is excellent - there's never an instance of characters bending to plot; everything is organic, realistic, natural.

Not only is the writing really good, but so is the narration. Stephen Hoye was perfect for this book. He did such a great job that I actually browsed other books he'd narrated in hopes I'd find something that interested me (I haven't yet, despite the extensive catalog). There's quite a large cast of main characters here, as well as an abundance of minor players, and Hoye was able to lend nuance to each voice so that, almost always, you knew who was speaking even if the context didn't clue you in.

One evening, after driving home from work, I actually sat in my driveway, listening for an extra five minutes to a tense scene. I couldn't not know how that scene wrapped up before I tuned out for the day. And I couldn't wait to get back at it the next day.

I've got several hundred books in my audible library, and there are perhaps only half a dozen or so I've gone back to for a second listen (to name a few: Hearts In Atlantis, A Widow for One Year, Terror's Echo: Novellas from Transgressions, American Gods). Even knowing how this one ends, I'll be going back for a second listen. I even bought a used paperback edition to loan out to friends, that's how much I liked this book.

Both of Landay's other novels are good too, but this one was my favorite. I only wish he published more frequently.
14 people found this helpful
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Doug Cornelius
4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Crime Novel set in Boston on 1963
Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2010
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In his second crime novel, William Landay weaves together the story of three brothers, the death of their policeman father, Boston's urban renewal projects, and the Boston Strangler. It's Boston in 1963. Kennedy has just been assassinated. Real estate developers are bulldozing Boston's West End to put up shiny new towers. A mob war is being waged. The Boston Strangler is terrifying the city.

I thought it was great book. You see see the flow of violence and changes to the city of Boston through the eyes of the three brothers: Ricky, the burglar; Michael, the lawyer; and Joe, the cop. The story gets complicated as all you jump around through the eyes of the brothers and the backdrop of criminal activity.

The crime is not just in the background. Joe, the cop, is a bad gambler who gets behind on his debts and starts working for the bad guys. In the first chapter, Ricky steals some jewelry from a hotel room at the Copley Plaza Hotel.

The Boston underworld in the book is a brutal place. It may be too violent for some readers. Just as violent is the destruction of the physical city as 46 acres of homes and small businesses in the West End are bulldozed to make way for a handful of residential high rises.

I need to let you know that Bill (yeah, I know him as Bill) is a friend. Our sons went to the same preschool. We have been to each others' homes and countless kids' birthday parties.
6 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer Carol E
3.0 out of 5 stars 2.5 rating
Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2023
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I really liked "Defending Jacob", but couldn't get into this book. The plot lacked substance; and while the characters were well-defined, none of them was particularly likeable or invoked empathy. What saved the book somewhat was the look at Bostonian culture. For awhile there, I thought I was reading Joseph Wambaugh.
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J. B. Perkins
5.0 out of 5 stars LANDAY IS A GIFTED AUTHOR
Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2012
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I had already read his other two books, so I knew I liked William Landay. Having Read "Defending Jacob" first, I expected to be a little disappointed, but I was not. I found "The Strangler" to be a complex and interesting story and, as is Landay's style, the character development was excellently done. It takes place in Boston in 1963 and the town is dealing with it's fear of the strangler. The story centers around three brothers who are involved, one way or another, with the strangler. Joe is a cop, big and prone to violence. His character devolves throughout the book in a disturbing yet predictable ways. Ricky, a talented burgler, evolves throughout the story. His character is so likable that your heart breaks for him when tragedy strikes the woman he loves, but it is fascinating to follow his actions through the remainder of the story. Michael is perhaps the most transformed of the three brothers. He starts out as a somewhat underwhelming underachiever working as assistant to the attorney general. He is not as aggressive as either of his brothers, but is the smartest of the three. As tracking the strangler hits closer and closer to home personally and professionally, his behavior rises to the occasion in surprising ways. Landay does not seem to go for the everyone lives happily ever after endings, not an ending so tragic that it leaves you feeling terrible. His stories and characters are much more complex than that and his writing is always excellent. I loved this book and look forward to more from William Landay.
4 people found this helpful
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Brianne
4.0 out of 5 stars Landay does a nice job developing the personalities of the three brothers created ...
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2017
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After reading Landay's Defending Jacob and loving it, I was excited to read another one of his books. I have found that in many crime fiction books that I have read in my career, the plot is a little slower to develop, and the same was the case for The Strangler. Landay does a nice job developing the personalities of the three brothers created in the story, all with different flaws that seem to come back to haunt them later on. Though the plot was a little slower to start, I was hooked by the end and engaged by the twists at the end of the novel when long-pondered secrets were unraveling and figured out by the brothers. By the end, I felt that there was closure both for the characters and myself as a reader. I did like Defending Jacob a lot more, but this is still a novel worth reading by Landay.
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Top reviews from other countries

Cliente Kindle
5.0 out of 5 stars Evaluation
Reviewed in Brazil on August 10, 2020
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Great novel and easy to deal with in the Kindle
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Prashant
3.0 out of 5 stars An average read
Reviewed in India on September 4, 2017
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I think the story has been stretched too far. Took me days to finish. Its like a typical bollywood movie from the 90s. Villains rule all, then they kill the hero's father, brother. A thousand pages later, hero takes revenge.
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Janick
3.0 out of 5 stars and this was my least favorite. I just can't seem to stop comparing to ...
Reviewed in Canada on November 12, 2016
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I've read all 3 of Landay's novels, and this was my least favorite. I just can't seem to stop comparing to Defending Jacob, which was absolutely delightful! I still enjoyed this more classic police procedural, and I'm sure Bostonians would really enjoy the details of the city and it's history, since Landay's research seemed extensive!
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David Jackson
5.0 out of 5 stars Misleading title - excellent novel!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 25, 2008
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William Landay's first novel was a quality genre contribution, and I have looked forward to his second. The title and theme (another serial killer, and a 60s period setting at that) nearly put me off - and how wrong I would have been. The background is Boston; the texture a particular period and set of killings; but the focus is the Daley family and the complex set of relationships and challenges they experience. The novel is as a much a moral journey as it is a crime procedural. It is crafted beautifully, written impeccably and easily transcends its ostensible subject matter. I recommend it very highly. In the league of Scott Turow for writing above the genre.
2 people found this helpful
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LB
3.0 out of 5 stars OK
Reviewed in Canada on March 19, 2019
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I felt like there were too many storylines and it took a long time to really like any of the characters. It was entertaining but not nearly as good as Defending Jacob.
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