The Fallen One

What elevates The Fallen One from competent by-the-numbers suspense is Blechta's clear enthusiasm for the operatic world, as seen through the eyes of a woman struggling to regain her place in it.

The National Post

What if you lost a beloved husband under terrible circumstances, say a fire in your home. You were not there; you were performing in New York at the Metropolitan Opera. If you had been at home, you might have saved him. But you were not there. That's the beginning of this terrific novel from Toronto's Rick Blechta.

The Globe and Mail

Blechta is a master storyteller who writes with a musical touch . . . [He] writes entertaining, well-researched stories with dialogue and setting as highlights. In The Fallen One, Blechta has kicked it up a notch.

Hamilton Spectator

Blechta combines the skills of a cozy writer – sharp characters, good food, lots of scenic travel – with the skills of a suspense writer. It's a nice mix. Marta is a terrific and well realized character – I recommend making her acquaintance.

Auntagathas.com

. . . what’s best about The Fallen One is Blechta's informed grasp of the opera milieu. Any reader who begins the book not knowing much about an entertainment in which fat ladies sing will finish it with enough knowledge to qualify as a commentator on Saturday-afternoon broadcasts from the Met.

Toronto Star