Rachel, an 18-year-old Columbia University student, descends into the netherworld of runaways and predators to find her sister, Olivia, who has suddenly disappeared.

After getting a job in a strip joint where Olivia worked, then doing private shows in the homes of rich clients, Rachel discovers that Olivia has been abducted by a killer who auctions the deaths of young girls in an eBay of agony.

When she finds Olivia, Rachel becomes the killer’s next target.

One of the platitudes of fiction writing is “write what you know.” Really? Do sci-fi writers know anything about Martians or the fourth dimension? Do thriller writers have personal experience in thwarting international terrorists? I say “write what you want.” If you don’t know something, it has never been easier to research it and in a matter of two hours, sound like an authority on a subject. Stephen Crane never fought in the Civil War, but he wrote The Red Badge of Courage.

The important thing is to write what compels you to write. First of all, write what you like to read. If you have never read a romance novel, don’t presume to write one. Read extensively in the genre you wish to write. Know what is overdone and hackneyed, something you can only find out by reading scores of books in that area. That passion will fuel you to dig into your subject and fill in the holes in your knowledge.

The Hunt for Red October was written by an insurance salesman, not a submariner. So thorough was his research, that Pentagon officials were stunned at the accuracy. With that book, Tom Clancy invented the techno-thriller. What if he wrote what he knew? What would the titles sound like? The Whole Life Caper. Mask of the Actuary. Copayment. How would you like to curl up with those gems?

The Schwarzschild Radius by Gustavo Florentin is a tightly wound thriller that packs a lot of twists and turns. The story gripped me from page 1 and didn’t let go until the end. The author has created a world of depravity that is all too realistic. Rachel’s sixteen-year-old adopted sister is missing, and she’ll do anything to find her. She follows her trail into the dark world of underage sex. She has no idea how dark that world really is. She puts herself in this dangerous world, going further and further for more clues to find her sister.

Rachel isn’t street-smart, but she is intelligent and tries to use this to her advantage in gathering information. She places herself in the same settings she discovered Olivia had been in, and it is truly awful. Many of the men she finds herself with are wealthy, influential, and pillars of society. You would not expect that once their true natures are exposed.

Even farther beyond the realm of where you think people can go comes even more wicked behavior. There is a killer, kidnapping young girls and torturing and killing them for the highest bidder. Anything goes in this twisted, torturous online auction. Detective McKenna is running against the clock trying to find Olivia and save her and any other missing girls in the same situation. He has a teenage daughter and takes the case to heart.

The Schwarzschild Radius by Gustavo Florentin has a lot of moving parts. There are lots of characters and viable suspects – or at least those you suspect know more than they let on. The book has a staccato feeling, as there are several short chapters that alternate points of view and pack a powerful punch. These short chapters helped add a sense of urgency to the story and really kept me on the edge of my seat, turning pages long into the night. Florentin has written a dark world that you can’t help but delve into – then find yourself clawing your way out. The Schwarzschild Radius is a well-written and suspenseful thriller that exposes the darkness that exists in a startling amount of people. I was enthralled with the story and it stayed with me even after finishing. This is a top-notch thriller, but be warned – it is not for the weak-hearted.

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About Gustavo Florentin

Gustavo Florentin was born in Queens, New York and received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the Polytechnic University of New York. He spent a decade in the defense industry working on the F-14 fighter jet and classified electronics projects. After the fall of the Soviet Union, many thought America wouldn’t need weapons anymore, so while others waited for the peace dividend, he moved on to the financial sector in New York where he is currently a network engineer. His passions include violin, travel to exotic places and exploring worldwide conspiracies. He lives in New Jersey where he is working on his third novel. His thriller, In the Talons of the Condor, won the following awards:

WUACADEMIA–Prix d’Or Best Novel
The Verb First Chapter Contest–First Prize
Mount Arrowsmith Best Novel 4th place
The Writing Show–Second Prize best first chapter of a novel.
Second Prize–16th Annual International Latino Book Awards

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