Shattered Triangle
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Shattered Triangle Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 1,115 ratings
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Three friends, inseparable as children, take very different paths toward adulthood. In spite of the distances that emerge among them, they are thrust together by the tragedy of death. Each affected in different ways.

Giuseppe Lozano, candidate for US Senate, returns home one night to find his wife and three children mysteriously murdered. There seems to be no motive, and little evidence is left at the scene. How will this affect him and his run for office?

Giovanni Lozano, a Catholic priest, is forced to look beyond the violence to find the presence of God. As a brother and uncle, he feels anger and a desire for revenge. As a priest he is torn by the call of a God who loves all people - good and bad. Can he forgive?

Tom Moran, a detective with the Los Angeles Police Department, is charged with finding the murderer and building a case for justice. He feels no call to forgive. Nor is he driven by ambition. This case is personal. But can he deliver?

Three lives. Three friends. Will the bonds of friendship survive?

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  1. Listening Length
    11 hours and 42 minutes
  2. Author
    William P. Messenger
  3. Narrator
    Robert Keesecker
  4. Audible release date
    January 25, 2019
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Beacon Audiobooks
  7. ASIN
    B07N32N274
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 11 hours and 42 minutes
Author William P. Messenger
Narrator Robert Keesecker
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date January 25, 2019
Publisher Beacon Audiobooks
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B07N32N274
Best Sellers Rank #455,868 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#4,950 in Historical Mysteries (Audible Books & Originals)
#8,328 in Crime Thrillers (Audible Books & Originals)
#20,160 in Historical Thrillers (Books)

Customer reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars
3.8 out of 5
1,115 global ratings
Five Stars
5 Stars
Five Stars
Starts off a bit slow, lots of character development but at about half way it becomes a page turner. I was about 1/2 was and thought to myself ...OK I'll finish this in 2-3 more sittings...nope I could not put the book (iPad) down and finished 1/2 the book in one sitting. Highly recommend!!! I bought the paperback from Amazon to get the authors signature at a book signing.
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Top reviews from the United States

Rick L
5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible story and characters
Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2019
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This is a remarkably detailed story involving 3 primary characters that the majority of the book denotes to developing them. The point of the story is revealed large in the book and is artfully described. The ending is unsatisfying but somehow consistent with the whole story. Very well done.
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Christian D. Orr
4.0 out of 5 stars A fine first novel by my former college priest.
Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2015
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My former college priest at the University of Southern California (USC), Fr. Bill Messenger (retired from the priesthood for the past 5 years now), has written a doozy of a first novel, a first-rate detective novel and murder mystery.

As a disclaimer, I will admit that I don’t agree with the author’s political views expressed in the novel, just like I disagreed with the political viewpoints he espoused in his homilies at the USC Catholic Center back in the day. But that aside, just as there was certainly never a dull moment during Fr. Bill’s homilies, there’s nary a dull moment in “Shattered Triangle,” and the politics does nothing to detract from the entertainment value of the book. The novel’s plotline and characters and engaging, thought-provoking, and engrossing from start to finish. And it has some excellent insights into L.A. life and culture than anybody who grew up in SoCal during the latter half of the 20th century can appreciate.

The three main characters are three old childhood friends who grew up together in Southern California: Tom Moran, who eventually becomes an LAPD detective and Lieutenant, Giovanni “Gio” Lozano, who grows up to be a Catholic priest, and Gio’s brother Giuseppe “Sep” Lozano, who ends up as an extremely wealthy entrepreneur cum U.S. Senate candidate. It’s interesting to see that the author, his real-life ministerial background notwithstanding, decided to Tom the cop, a lapsed Catholic and agnostic no less(!) as the first-person protagonist rather than Gio the priest. However, if you know the author personally like I do, you will still see that there is a quite a bit of Fr. Bill’s real-life personality traits built into Fr. Gio (such as his belief in universal salvation, disbelief in the existence of Hellfire and the Devil, and his eschewing of much of the formality of the priesthood).

The old childhood friends are reunited, in a manner of speaking, by a horrific tragedy, the mysterious and shocking murder of Giuseppe’s wife and three children (the “Consequential Murder” referenced in the subtitle of the novel). Tom Moran ends up leading the investigation, struggling with keeping his personal feelings and sense of loss from interfering with his professional duty. And is if the murder weren’t disturbing enough in and of itself, it takes an even more disturbing and sinister turn….and (at the risk of a bit of a spoiler here), it ended leaving me with a bit of an eerie feeling on unfinished business—but as the saying goes, “Them’s the breaks,” as unlike in Hollywood, not every murder case is always solved in such a cut-and-dried manner.

Speaking myself as a former criminal investigator (albeit at the Federal level as opposed to a local/municipal level of law enforcement), the author did a pretty accurate job of describing investigative procedures—of course, it helped having a real-life LAPD resource, my old buddy and former fellow USC Catholic Center parishioner Adolfo Batres (noted in the book’s Acknowledgements section) as a resource. And from my personal experience, I can empathize with the protagonist’s desire to avoid the FBI’s seemingly insatiable desire to meddle in, and take over, the high-profile case; it’s not just local L.E. agencies that are leery of FBI involvement, other Federal agencies aren’t too keen on the Fat Boys Institute. Back when I was a student at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC), my instructors poked at the FBI whenever and wherever I could; indeed, I had one instructor who *was* a former FBI agent, and, true to stereotype, he was the most arrogant, condescending, and sense of humour-challenged of all the instructors I met at the schoolhouse.

And my aforementioned political differences with the author and the protagonist alike notwithstanding, it looks like Fr. Bill, Lt. Moran, and I concur on disdain and distrust for the mainstream media; my single favorite line in the book is on p. 184 wherein he refers to those vultures as “a bunch of f*cking *$$holes.” Spot-on!
I just have a few technical nitpicks from the standpoint of a lifelong firearms enthusiast who has been studying ballistics for 25 years:
(1) “With the suppressor attached, the only audible sound was the slide of the chamber clip ejecting the bullet casing.” The slide is indeed the name of the part of an autopistol that cycles back and forth atop the frame (receiver), but it is the ejector that spits the empty casing out of the ejection port; “chamber clip” is not a correct piece of firearms nomenclature.
(2) Two of the victims are shot in the head, while two are shot in the heart. On page 175, the author/protagonist says that “these were not messy or gory murders” and that the deaths were “painless and instantaneous.” Actually, as a close personal friend of mine who’s a recently retired LAFD Paramedic (25 years on the job, and among other things received the Medal of Valor from the Department for saving the life of a young boy victimized by the shooting at a North Valley Jewish Center back in 1999) pointed out to be, head wounds tend to bleed profusely. Moreover, head shots do not necessarily kill instantly, until the bullet strikes the medulla oblongata (brain stem). And last but not least, heart shots are no guarantor of instant death either; it’s a medically proven fact that, provided there is a sufficient amount of oxygenated blood in the brain, a person shot in the heart can move and fight for up to 14 seconds.

Those nitpicks aside, an excellent first effort by William P. Messenger, highly recommended, and I hope to see more novel from him in the future. God bless and Fight On, Fr. Bill!
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Kindle Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars Actually 3 1/2 ***
Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2019
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The story line was interesting about the relationship of 2 brothers & a childhood friend (all brought up Catholic) as they find their way in life. One brother becomes a priest, the other brother, a businessman turned politician & the friend, a police detective. The story centers around the murders of the politician's wife & 2 children. The detective is placed in charge of the investigation. It's a good story that explores not only the murder case but issues of faith. I found some of the writing a bit stiff at times but it was an overall good read.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Not a standard murder mystery
Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2016
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I have mixed feelings about this book . It was really well written . The characters were developed throughout and in great detail . May too much in that over half the book is just a prelude to the actual police work, although I don't know how it could have been done differently .

My only real criticism is thar the author put too much politics into the story, I do have to balance this with the fact his politics are quite different from mine so maybe not .

At any rate it was an enjoyable read if a bit slow, meaning lack of action, for this type of book
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Maryalice
2.0 out of 5 stars Not my cup of tea
Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2020
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I hate giving bad reviews. But this book was too detailed about things that didn’t matter and seemed to be more a political statement than a philosophical one. Certainly it was not the entertaining murder mystery that I expected.
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Lynn Ann Jackson
4.0 out of 5 stars Cassocks and handcuffs and business...oh my!
Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2016
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The author's clinical study of the lives and careers of three childhood friends is an interesting, if somewhat choppy, read. The motivations behind the career choices of the three young men are quite clearly defined. I did, however, find that the dry indictment of Reaganomics, although factually correct and philosophically and morally sound, served to slow down the narrative. The plot elements were artfully described and well written, drawing me along without difficulty. I also enjoyed the brief studies of the incidental characters; however, I did find myself wishing that Giuseppe's gay college roommate had played a more defining role in the denouement. I didn't fully understand why he was reintroduced at the end, as his reappearance didn't seem to sway Giuseppe toward confession or even remorse. Maybe the author was using him as a sort of Greek Chorus; if that were the case, then the first person narration of the detective, Tom, would seem, perhaps, superfluous. I was a little disappointed in the ending, which I think says more about me than it does about the story, but, all in all, a good read. I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book, through Reading Deals, so I could give an honest review.
2 people found this helpful
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AAF
1.0 out of 5 stars Drivel
Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2019
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I tried very hard to enjoy this book but it's lack of character development and the lackluster plot was a major stumbling block. I did my best but was unable to finish this book and after beating myself to read half, always expecting it would get better, I skipped to the epilogue which, regrettably, I could not finish either. The dialogue was languid and unappealing. The attempts at deeper messages were puerile. Sorry, I do not recommend this book.
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Sue
5.0 out of 5 stars Fast paced. Psychological Thriller.
Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2019
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Loved the writing and dialogue style. Very intriguing. Story follows well, not too many big reality jumps to make. Characters were well developed and believable. Only hints of "who done it"! Had to think outside the box.
Will read the entire series for sure!
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Top reviews from other countries

Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A MUST read for everyone !!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 2, 2019
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Wow !! What a fantastic book and story - it gripped me until the very last page !! Of which I was unaware was coming so quickly and so unexpected an ending ! BRAVO Mr Messenger , I haven't been duped into being so astonished at not guessing a conclusion in years !! I'll be avidly following you , trust !! Oh and thank you !! A bientot ..... !
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Friends & family
Reviewed in Australia on February 27, 2019
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Carefully tended plot that tells the now and the past of the characters. Takes us on a ride with police to find the killers and like real life we face the same clues, blocks & backsteps police face. Religion also plays an important role but it is neither tedious nor offensive. I can’t say I enjoyed this book but I definitely could not stop reading till the end.
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in Canada on April 4, 2017
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I liked the story
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Diane
3.0 out of 5 stars Anticlimax
Reviewed in Australia on August 5, 2019
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There was so much explaining and detail the story was tedious. I ended up skipping paragraphs just to get through to the end. Having guessed who was the person responsible for the murders was, the ending was disappointing.
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Andrew LevistonCock
1.0 out of 5 stars A Politician, Priest and a Police Officer...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 26, 2024
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With such such a cast expectations were high for a tale of intrigue. But the story gets bogged down in pseudo religion and phycology and fails to gain any traction. The tale is narrated in the style of a down at heel cop and drones on painfully from childhood through adolescence, college and adulthood events. The big reveal at the end is a relief, no clever twist in the tale, a confession provided out of pity by the wrongdoer to his pursuers who are nowhere near as smart & heartless!
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