Killing Maria by Hal Taxel

Maria, a very pretty young mother, married to an older man, a poor girl from Puerto Rico. Now she’s dead. And the question is – did her husband kill her? Or was it her landlord? Maybe it was the landlord’s son, or maybe his younger brother. They all had reason to kill her. Or did they? Was it an accident? If it were an accident, why is her husband running back to the islands with the children? Why is the landlord feeling so guilty? What compelled the older boy to join the Marines? And what of young David? What is his story? These are some of the questions Detective Tony Russo, a personal friend of the landlord’s family, must ask as he figures out the mess that remains of the pretty girl in the red dress lying dead on the street. Hal Taxel captures the essence of life in New York in his novel, Killing Maria. From life on the street, to intricate relationships between old cultures and new within a neighborhood, Taxel expertly tells the story of Maria and all who live around her. Taxel weaves an intricate tale of love and love lost, youth and old age, dashed hopes and new dreams in this riveting story of relationships and hope set against the backdrop of a multi-cultural neighborhood in the city .