“Mr. LoCicero’s interest in his characters’ motivations, as in the other two books in this trilogy, vaults him into the upper ranks of writers working in this genre…in a few carefully composed declarative sentences, Mr. LoCicero provides backstories to his often exquisitely venal characters.”
—Mark Feltskog

“Wild, Crazy and Simply Fantastic. This Mystery/Suspense novel by T. V. LoCicero had me on the edge of my seat wondering what could possibly happen next…a masterful job of describing vivid scenes in short movie-like bursts that kept me captivated throughout.”
—Susanne Strong

“From the first page to the last, it’s a great, hard-boiled romp through the mean streets of Detroit, circa 1991…my biggest surprise was that I ended up caring about the characters, none of whom are idealized or in any way made unrealistic. The dialogue rings true. The characters are flawed. The action is genuine. I literally can’t wait to start the next book in the trilogy”
—James Rugino

“…a fast-paced thriller which keeps you riveted until the very last page… I can actually picture this story as a movie as LoCicero’s descriptions are so vivid. The ending is a real surprise and does a great job of resolving all the loose ends…would highly recommend this book to those who like Elmore Leonard’s writing.”
—Eadie Burke

“No writer would want to be compared with the late and very much lamented Elmore Leonard; it would be the kiss of death because he’s incomparable. Having said that, there are many aspects of The Car Bomb which recall the great man’s style and preoccupations…It has interesting characters, clear settings, great dialogue, page-turning pace and teases at the reader’s own attitudes to morality.”
—Bill Kirton

“… reminded me of Jens Lapidus’ Stockholm Noir Trilogy…The author has a great ear for dialogue, and I couldn’t read fast enough. Five enthusiastic stars!”
—Elisa Rambacher

“This book explodes into your mind with the car bomb in the very first chapter, and does not let you go until the end. I tried – and failed – to get back to the reading I was supposed to be doing, and my study, but this book kept demanding to be read.”
—Rosemary Standeven

“He’s a guy you could love and hate at the same time. He has a loving family and a hot girlfriend on the side, drinks too much, thinks too much of himself. But this book had me hooked from the beginning. If you like fast-paced crime thrillers, this book is for you. I can’t wait to read the rest of the books in this series.
—Andrea Knott

“I have never met this author, have not given birth to him or any of his children. This is a solid and true fangirl review of a truly fabulous work.”
—Tammy Dewhirst

“…riveting and spellbinding and the pages will turn so quickly you will be sorry that it ended. Glad that this is only book two and knowing that this author has others that you can read.”
—Dee Gott

“Wow, another great story about crime in Detroit! The three books of ‘The Detroit I’m Dying Trilogy’ are must reads for any true crime readers out there…Exciting plot, excellent characters and an ending that pulls it all together. I definitely need to read more from T.V.LoCicero!!”
—Kathi Defranc

“The characters find themselves making life and death decisions with moral, economic, and personal ramifications…lots of twists and turns to the plot that you just won’t expect and a book you won’t want to put down.”
—Linda Higgins

“Another gritty story involving the denizens of the Motor City; people who live in the same geoaphic area, but are worlds apart. Dialogue is as pithy as you’d expect it to be, and the descriptions, for one who has spent a lot of time in Detroit, are spot on. This is noir fiction at its best.”
—Charles Ray

“I tried and tried to put this book down and get on with some work, but to no avail…The pace is relentless – and the outcome is not certain until right at the end. This is a thrilling, compulsive story, so don’t start it when you have important, time-sensitive tasks to complete. But when you are free, pick this book up and become mesmerized.”
—Rosemary Standeven

“John is flawed but he is trying to do the right thing. He really, truly cares. Which makes him one of the saddest, most likable characters whose adventures I’ve followed. The ticking-clock climax at the end nearly gave me a heart attack. But, as usual with this series, the most important part is the humans – good and bad – at the heart of the novel.”
—Elisa Rambacher

“…one man trying to make a difference in the lives of the kids of his city, a city besieged by drugs and organized crime. As with the first book in this series, The Car Bomb, all the characters were very well written to the point where you really care what happens to each of them.”
—Gary Hicks

“…you’re set right into the middle of the fray with the first heart-stopping chapter. With a subject that is so prevalent in today’s world and a writing style reminiscent of James Patterson, this one was a winner. The characters and scenes were so vivid that I felt like I could’ve been sitting right there. From the very beginning, this story was heart-wrenching and gripping. I couldn’t put it down.”
—Becky Baldridge

“This book is fantastic! All of the characters are well-written and full of life, each one felt real. The plot is amazing! The details he worked out are fantastic! I will definitely be looking up more of his books!”
—Kerry Gamble

“A Fabulous End to a great Trilogy!…first-rate, well written and stellar, to boot. In short, these books are compelling and gutsy. I would recommend these books to anyone who is looking for a completely absorbing mystery/suspense.”
—Susanne Strong

“…the story was so enossing that I felt like I was there, with the characters. And what characters! Ella is so strong and compassionate that it’s impossible not to like her. But it was Camie who stole my heart….I don’t understand how such a dark novel can be so uplifting, but it is. I give it five stars as bright as Camie’s eyes.”
—Elisa Rambacher

“…a very well written and plotted novel. You are literally there living on the street with a young girl who is gritty and smart beyond her years. The suspense builds slowly and continues throughout the book …this would make a great movie!”
—Joyce Fox

“…a deeply disturbing tale. The whole idea of a 14-year-old prostitute just makes my mind scream, ‘NO!’…LoCicero pulls the reader into this dark world and doesn’t let go…It’s gripping, gritty, and dark, with characters and dialogue that draw a reader in.”—Becky Baldridge

“The characters are the richest of the trilogy…I am left wondering where the author gets his material, how much may have been drawn from actual personal experiences. I am sure the daily news in Detroit is filled with many characters as well. Carl Hiaasen draws his characters and their numerous misadventures from the daily news of Miami. Detroit is surely a rich trove as well.”
—Peter Sidel

“T.V. LoCicero uses Detroit, in its decay, as a metaphor for the social decay that inevitably follows in the wake of deindustrialization and the withdrawal of economic opportunity…I read this in one compulsive gulp, as I do the best crime novels. Mr. LoCicero is a compellingly natural stylist in this genre. Highly recommended.” —Mark Feltskog

“The ingenuity of this girl will fascinate you, it was so down to earth and you can just picture what she is going to do next or not because she kept surprising me. There was all this action, killing, shockers and then he threw in a little romance. Loved it!”
—Dee Gott

“Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a large set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great who-dun-it murder mystery movie, or better yet a mini TV series. Well this book was really different, not what I expected. There is no doubt in my mind this is a very easy rating of 5 stars.”
—Tony Parsons

“Really just at a loss for words on this book! This is one book that really makes you sit and ponder on it. The plot of it, the realistic nature of it…Emotional charged. Well written. You will not walk away from this book easily. An amazingly talented author!”
—Peggy Salkill

“…this is excellent urban noir written perfectly. It is so rarely found in the US that I had to keep checking the locale – nope, definitely not a Nordic setting. If you like crime writing at its finest and Noir of any type then this is a book for you!”
—Mackey Lee

“Gone Girl has had a huge impact on the book world since it came out…The Obsession by T. V. LoCicero will be unknown to most people…But both are pacy, gripping narratives about love grown monstrous and out of control…fascinating portraits of gender rancour, or the amazing ability men and women have to love and loathe each other with intensity.”
—Victoria Best

“…very exciting. I was hooked by the time I finished the first chapter. It is very well written, fast moving and suspenseful. A stalker who is truly deranged, a beautiful professor, lovers, and friends, what more could you ask for? Looking forward to reading the next book.”
—Barbara Juhl

“…a taut thriller allowing the reader to experience the feelings and behaviors of stalkers and those stalked…An added bonus is the beauty of Italy. What an excellent, unputdownable read!”
—Fran Hoffman

“This novel is ‘packed’ with everything from international news…mystery twists, love and complication, death, a stalker, and my favorite…visuals and enjoyment reading about places in Italy. As for the ending.. nope…. I didn’t figure it out!”
—Elyse Walters

“This academic, psychological thriller is a page-turner. There is a touch of romance. The characters are fleshed-out, especially the heroine. The plot is suspenseful. The twist and turns of the plot and subplots keep the reader guessing what will happen next.”
—Candace Peterson

“…keeps the reader guessing on multiple accounts for most of the narrative. This book is much closer to the works of Patricia Highsmith, especially the Ripley novels. It is fascinating to see how the obsession is carried out and how the evil actions in the book are conceived. It was definitely a fun, stimulating and intellectually captivating tale.”
—Robert Blumenthal

“This tale with its subtle turns and twists stayed with me for some time after I read it. Maybe not comfortable reading for everyone, I for one recommend it happily to everyone who likes a bit of dark. Fans of Hitchcock can probably see it in their mind’s eyes.”
—Christoph Fischer

“Alfred Hitchcock would have enjoyed directing this thriller about stalker Stan’s psychopathy and victim Lina’s plunge into fear, depression, and guilt. This is a novel that you either stay up all night to read or, like me, you’ll have to walk away as the anxiety escalates, only to be called back by the need to know.”
—Irene Balassis

“…this book takes many of its cues from books like Kingsley Amis’ Lucky Jim, Mary McCarthy’s The Groves of Academe, and even Max Beerbohm’s Zuleika Dobson…the petty scholarly battles for which academia is justly famous, and which are thoughtfully represented in this book, pale in comparison to the acts of the novel’s principal characters.”
—Mark Feltskog

“…very entertaining. I also enjoyed the little nuggets of information about literature, history and especially the part set in Italy, that takes the reader from Bologna to Sicily. The Obsession is a smart book that is also easy to read.”
—Elisa Rambacher

“The characters in this story are brilliantly and believably drawn (some you will hope never to meet) and the story so vividly written, that although I was trying to ration myself to only read a chapter at a time, everything tiny part of this intense cat and mouse “game” stayed crystal clear in my mind…The is one of those rare books that can be read in sections, or devoured in a single sitting. Whatever your approach, it will be a book that will stay in your mind for a long, long time.”
—Rosemary Standeven

“A book full of intrigue with a surprise ending. T.V. LoCicero has outdone himself in the first of The Truth Beauty Trilogy. Great characters…A great mystery with surprising turns. Loved it!”
—Cathy Morgan

“Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a huge set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great romantic mystery movie, or better yet a mini TV series.”
—Tony Parsons

“This one has it all! Love, murder, horror, and travelogue all wrapped up into one…had me so entrapped that when I started reading it around 11:00 at night before going to sleep, I found that I did not stop till long after the sun came up the next morning. It will suck you in right quick and you won’t be able to put it down.”
—Maggie Julia

“The setting was beautiful. The historical details fascinating. And the plot…a mystery/thriller of sorts, but it’s more than just your average mystery due to skillful writing and exquisite detail.”
—Valencia Redd

“Mad Men meet Where The Heart Is in this delicious romantic comedy, when a hard-hearted advertising exec falls for the woman of his dreams and the small town of his nightmares. Charming, tender and wonderfully written.”
—Victoria Best

“This is a feel-good story without sharp edges. The characters are endearing around a romantic tale that leaves the question of whether Tony’s love will remain unrequited right to the end.”
—Charles J. Harwood

“I read this book in one sitting. It completely drew me in. I could see the town, hear the people, it was so well written. It was not a book to be rushed though. It demanded you to savour every word, to enjoy it. And I really enjoyed it.”
—Betty Jamieson

“It’s sweet, endearing and thoughtful…a delightful read.”
—Nicole Kuhn

“Great story and I love it!…one of those rare times where it seems real and I actually felt I belong in it. And the twist on the love story of Tony and Laurel kept me wondering and looking forward to the end…”
—Kate Harkness

“It’s nice to read a good book that is out of my norm. Makes it so much easier to step out of what I normally do read. And this book was it! It will take you for a ride to say the least! Great plot and characters!”
—Peggy Salkill

“…a delightful surprise…The author had me yearning for such a place and time. He painted a vibrant picture of small town life and what really is important in life…Although this is not my typical genre of romance, it was refreshing and extremely enjoyable.”
—Patricia Slovinsky

“…this is an author who can write across genres with ease…Mr. LoCicero is a master of exposition, and that is certainly true of When A Pretty Woman Smiles…the characters are expertly drawn and credible…the story unfolds more like romantic affairs actually do, rather than the way most people would prefer they do.”
—Mark Feltskog

“…powerful….beautifully written….a wonderful read.”
—Jessica Garber

“A very interesting read for its Grosse Pointe history, culture, discrimination and lifestyle…it reads like an autobiography rather than fiction and that did make me think there was more to this than pure fiction, quite intriguing from that point of view.”
—Robin Houghton

“At this point, I have read the bulk (all but one novel, I think) of T.V. LoCicero’s oeuvre, and I can tell you that even after all those books, he is for me an author who is full of surprises. The range of his voice and talent continues to surprise me, and the fact that I enjoyed this book—and in the end, I really did—surprises me as well. This is an author who can write hard-boiled crime fiction a la Elmore Leonard, compelling expository prose, and romance novels.

“Sicilian Quilt is a family saga written in the voice of Valerie Bradlaw, the story’s protagonist and the rebellious daughter of a couple who live in what is, metaphorically at least, one of the most bourgeois suburbs in the United States, Grosse Pointe, Michigan. If Mr. LoCicero has a standout strength as a writer, as I’ve observed in reviews of his other books, it is his keen eye for the detail of his characters’ lives, and his ability to place it in elegant exposition in order to advance his narratives. So we see Valerie reading On the Road, calling her parents by their given names, and dating young men of contemporaneously (it’s 1959) forbidden ethnicities and cultures.

“So, it is in Valerie’s first-person voice that the story unfolds, and what the reader of this novel receives is a bittersweet account of a smart and adventurous young woman just coming into her own in a rapidly changing world. Indeed, the year 1959-1960 serves as the allegorical center of this novel; President Eisenhower, Vice-President Nixon, and a young legislator named John F. Kennedy all serve as metaphors for a United States that is about to change in ways that Valerie and her family will clearly struggle to comprehend.

“Why Mr. LoCicero self-publishes remains a bit of an enigma to me, since his are most certainly commercially viable novels. Moreover, as I have mentioned, I think the right commissioning editor, jacket designer, and marketing team could take Mr. LoCicero’s novels into bestseller territory. On the other hand, self-publishing appears to be the direction in which that business is going. If so, T.V. LoCicero is well positioned to continue to get his voice and his compelling characters into the literary marketplace.”
—Mark Feltskog

“The data in this book have been collected with such meticulous care and are presented in such an undogmatic way that the book has enduring value. It is not enough to recommend this book; I should express the hope that it will be widely read, understood and heeded.”
—Fredric Wertham, M.D., American Journal of Psychotherapy

“…a fascinating double-portrait of the Rabbi and his killer that holds the reader spellbound from beginning to end.”
—Rabbi Jack Riemer, Here & Now Journal

“(a) beautiful book…I think you have helped many people work through a little better the terrible tragedy that occurred five years ago. Perhaps too, it will help people realize how complicated crime is.”
—Karl Menninger, M.D., Author: The Vital Balance

“I was absolutely enthralled by it. It’s one of those non-fiction novels that one simply cannot put down. And you did just the right job, maintained just the right tone. I mean you do justice to the ambiguity of things, and to the mystery of the human mind.”
—Robert Coles, M.D., Author: Erik H. Erikson

“It is clearly one of the most thorough ‘Psychological Autopsies’ that now exists. It is by every measure and from every point of view a terribly sad story and you have handled it well and in a most sensitive manner.”
—Edwin S. Shneidman, Ph.D., Editor: Clues to Suicide and The Cry for Help

“I read it in two long and bitter bouts, but with deep admiration throughout. From first to last you display a rare writer’s gift for achieving empathy with people you did previously know and for recreating a milieu many of whose elements must have been alien to your own experience.”
—Bernard Rosenberg, Editor: Mass Culture and The Real Tinsel

“I think it might well become a standard in personality psycho¬logy case study…”
—Leo P. McNamara, Professor of English, University of Michigan

“The True Crime of this story is that I did not hear about it nor get to read this book until 47 years after it was published. On a five-star scale it deserves SIX stars…LoCicero was able to handle the arcane issues and subtleties of Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and Hasidic Judaism with near-Talmudic (perhaps Jesuitical) precision. Likewise, his clear-minded discussions of psychiatric issues, written in 1970, ring true today…I read that the author’s advance on this book was 70% MORE than Mario Puzo got for The Godfather that same year. If so, it was LoCicero who was seriously underpaid.”
—Alan Felsen, M.D.

“I finished Murder in the Synagogue several days ago, and I’m still at a bit of a loss at how to review it. It is fascinating, intimidating, heartbreaking, and frustrating all at the same time.”
—Terresa Collins

“LoCicero has the ability to write about very disturbing situations and people in a detailed, dispassionate, and engrossing manner…[He] ends his fascinating factual presentation with an epilogue in which he speculates over the causes of the young man’s depression and anger, including why he directed his anger against the rabbi who was trying to help him…well-written, factual, and interesting.”
—Israel Drazin

“…a multilevel, fascinating study of the 1966 notorious murder of prominent suburban Detroit rabbi Morris Adler… Although a heart wrenching read, the book is thought provoking, written in a strong narrative prose.”
—Rabbi Shlomo

“In part, Murder in the Synagogue is a tribute to Rabbi Adler, one of the best known and most beloved religious leaders of his era. But mainly it is a richly detailed and sympathetic case study of one man’s descent into mental illness…[T]he book is not at all sensationalistic or exploitative. Rather, it shows great sensitivity toward everyone involved.”
—D.E. Ward

“This was such a fascinating non-fiction book—(it almost read like fiction…I only wish it were). T.V. LoCicero does a tremendous job…An outstanding accomplishment…”
—Elyse Jody

“The author never lost me and never put me to sleep despite all the discussions of philosophers like Aristotle, Nietsche and others I never got around to reading. By the end LoCicero makes it possible for you to see the situation from so many perspectives, and you understand where the killer was coming from even as you mourn his victim. Well worth the read.”
—Eileen McHenry

“…a meticulously researched work of non-fiction about an act of terror/violence in a synagogue in 1966…LoCicero tells with descriptive accuracy and astonishing objectivity the life of the perpetrator Richard Wishnetsky…I was impressed.

…there is nary a wasted word in this narrative…The superb epilogue to Murder in the Synagogue is…very much of its time—the malaise that afflicted a not entirely blameless American culture and society in the 1960s and 1970s and found its expression in the life and acts of Richard Wishnetsky.”
—Mark Feltskog

“I sat down and read Squelched immediately. It was so absorbing that I could do nothing else until I finished it.”
—Rabbi Jack Riemer

“Although non-fiction, this detailed book reads with the speed of a best-selling fiction novel.”
—Israel Drazin

“[A] grab-you-by-the-collar and a well-written story of business corrupt attitudes and moral values. The book tells how a top Detroiter and prominent Jewish figure and Republican fund-raiser was able to use his power to pressure the author’s publisher Prentice-Hall, Inc., into withdrawing its support for LoCicero’s Murder in the Synagogue…”
—Elliot B. Halberg

“That people of Power felt a need to suppress a story that actually reflected WELL on the Detroit community is, in the modern tweeting parlance, “sad.” That it could have destroyed a young writer’s career is something to consider. That it did not do so is fortunate. I am glad that the author decided, after four decades (!!) to pick up his last manuscript from his professor and finally publish this always interesting tale of deceit and detection.”
—Alan Felsen, M.D.

“…LoCicero was contacted by a young Jewish housewife with an amazing story…Thanks to the courage and integrity of this young woman, LoCicero was able to assemble substantial evidence that his book had indeed been suppressed. Only a few thousand copies were ever sold. This is especially sad given the high quality of the book and its sympathetic and positive portrayal of Detroit’s Jewish community. Those who arranged to squelch the book actually had nothing to fear from it.”
—D. E. Ward

“In this finale, the reader is privy to an older man speaking to his younger self, chiding him for the folly of his pride in pursuing his investigation into the suppression of Murder in the Synagogue, but also congratulating him for his willingness to fight a good fight (and there are few better fights than opposing censorship), and for preventing his book from simply falling prey to the whims of the wealthy and powerful.”
—Mark Feltskog

“Misconduct by a major publishing house? A chain of lies and dodgy maneuvers keep the author’s first nonfiction work from ever getting off the ground, despite being well-received by almost everyone who (against the odds) manages to read it? And there is nothing unlikely, bizarre or farfetched about any of it. This conspiracy is as pedestrian as pork and beans, and that in itself makes the story utterly believable.”
—Eileen McHenry

“T.V. LoCicero’s prose, for me, is like the lure a fish knows isn’t real, but hits anyway. Artifice, of course, is the basis of fiction, and the best fiction—like that found in this brief but potent collection—takes a reader places he or she wouldn’t otherwise go. As the old saw goes, there are no boring subjects, only boring writers. So here, at last, is a collection of Mr. LoCicero’s short fiction and journalism, and much of this is first-rate stuff. Indeed, the first story, “Fixed” combines gambling compulsion with fatherhood in a way that sounds like it could have come from the pen of Bruce Jay Friedman; it really is that mordantly ironic and funny. The third story, “Shrunk,” I found surprisingly absorbing given its romantic elements, something I usually avoid like the plague. These are the high spots of the seven short stories contained in this volume. I generally avoid short fiction, mostly because I prefer novels (Mr. LoCicero’s are quite good, incidentally), so I’m a bit out of my depth writing about these stories. I simply don’t read enough short fiction to comment perceptively on it.

“The non-fiction pieces in this book are the standouts. As I’ve written elsewhere about Mr. LoCicero’s prose, his exposition is his strength. Unsurprisingly, then, when writing expository prose he is at his best. The first essay on the non-fiction side of this book is a simple act of self-historical documentation, “Why I’m Here.” This is an elegant piece of writing whose brevity complements its prose. “The Lessons of Sport,” about Detroit sports teams in general, and basketball legend Dave DeBusschere in particular, also serves as a notable example of the greatest strengths of Mr. LoCicero’s writing. I am a longtime agnostic where sports are concerned; I don’t know much about sports, and other than watching an occasional baseball game, I don’t care to. But I couldn’t put this piece of writing aside, which says a great deal about the interest in a subject Mr. LoCicero can generate for the otherwise uninterested.

“Just on the strength of the pieces I’ve mentioned above, this book merits the price of admission. However, if you do need to justify the price to yourself, consider the fact that the non-fiction side of the book contains a roughly nine-thousand-word interview with the late, Detroit-based master of crime fiction, Elmore Leonard—one of the last he gave before his death in August of 2013. His influence on the genre is estimable, yet in his interview, Mr. Leonard is humble, voluble, and gives credit where credit is due—to wit, to Hemingway and Graham Greene, but also to the little known but highly esteemed American writer Richard Bissell. If you are an Elmore Leonard fan, don’t miss this piece.

“Post Scriptum: After posting this review yesterday, I realized I neglected to mention another standout in this collection, “Selling the Bison.” The Bison, for the uninitiated, is (or was; I assume that Mr. LoCicero is using a pseudonym for this product—in any case I can find no mention of it on the Internet) a “Home Maintenance System.” I too have a story about interviewing for a job selling vacuum cleaners, at a time, like Mr. LoCicero, when my career prospects were dim. Unfortunately for me, I could never tell that story with the kind of wry good humor that this story projects.”
—Mark Feltskog