The Reflecting Pool
Book One now available in paperback
Marko Zorn is a Washington DC homicide detective, but a very unusual one. He operates by his own rules and will not tolerate bureaucratic interference. He does not fit the profile of a big city police detective: he rarely carries a gun and he faints at the sight of blood. But he is also the most dangerous and feared man in the city of Washington. Instead of weapons, he relies on his quick wits and cool nerves when facing dangerous opponents. His true passions are for fine art, classic sports cars, cool jazz and beautiful women. This expensive life-style costs him more than he can afford on a policeman’s salary so Marko earns extra money moonlighting on the side, working for some very unsavory people and he often engages in activities that, if not strictly illegal, are borderline and are often dangerous but never violate his strong moral values.
Zorn investigates the murder of a young woman Secret Service agent and learns that forces within the US government are determined to prevent him from finding the killer. Zorn uncovers a connection between the victim, a doomed love affair in the White House, and a domestic white supremacist terrorist group that plans to assassinate the US president. Zorn’s life is complicated when a Washington crime boss—a ninety-year old woman—orders him to eliminate her chief crime rival—her grandson. He quickly becomes embroiled in a major gang war and is the hunted as well as the hunter and he must use all his skills and cunning to avoid becoming the victim.
Amazon Editor’s Pick for Best Mystery,
Thriller & Suspense!
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Praise for The Reflecting Pool
“The death of Secret Service agent Sandra Wilcox, found floating in the Reflecting Pool on the Mall in Washington, D.C., propels Eskin’s idiosyncratic debut and series launch… readers will look forward to seeing more of Zorn, a distinctive lead with his dry humor, clipped dialogue, and rogue tendencies. Eskin, a former diplomat who served in the U.S. Foreign Service, is off to a good start.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Otho Eskin’s The Reflecting Pool is the kind of crime-thriller Ross McDonald would have written if he were still alive today. That’s a high bar for any author to reach, but Eskin proves more than equal to the task… The Reflecting Pool is a crime-thriller constructed along classic lines, and in Zorn, Eskin has created the best crime hero this side of Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch. Woven from the fabric of masters like John D. MacDonald and Robert Crais, this riveting page-turner is never afraid to cut its own cloth.”
—Jon Land, Providence Journal
“In this spellbinding story the author takes readers inside the hard-charging investigation of a determined detective… Filled with witty personalities and shady power players, The Reflecting Pool is a fast-paced D.C. murder mystery where the stakes and suspense reach monumental heights. With cops like Marko Zorn on the case, not even the most powerful can hide from justice.”
—The Foreign Service Journal (Read more)
“Marko Zorn, a homicide detective with pricey James Bond-style tastes, faces a cadre of killers in Otho Eskin’s debut mystery thriller, The Reflecting Pool… Urban warfare, assassination plots, and political intrigue converge in one bombastic climax. First-person action mixes with hardboiled political noir in Eskin’s debut novel, what promises to be the first of a gritty, fast-paced series.”
—Suspense Magazine
“Providing the fully entertained reader with a deft blend of intrigue, suspense and mystery, The Reflecting Pool has the kind of unexpected plot twists and turns that keeps the reader’s riveted attention from beginning to end.”
—Midwest Book Reviews
“The Reflecting Pool is one of the best debut thrillers I have ever read, and I’ve read a lot of them. Eskin is a master craftsman weaving his characters through different story lines to the point you feel your head is spinning. That’s the kind of novel I love to read, and The Reflecting Pool does not disappoint. Marko Zorn rivals Harry Bosch in his ability to get past the rules, and rivals Amos Decker in his determination to get justice. Marko knows how to walk a fine line between legal and not-so-legal and still get the job done. This is the first of the Marko Zorn series and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for him next. I read this book in two evenings (well into the night) and had I not gone to sleep in the middle of a paragraph on night one, I just may well have finished it in one sitting. This is a worthy read for anyone who likes thriller suspense with cops and bad guys.”
—Linda Thompson, host of The Authors Show
“Eskin has crafted a skillful plot that unfolds in a dynamic setting — Washington, D.C. … The best part comes at the end in which Eskin skillfully weaves multiple threads of the plot into a startling climax that joins the two parallel stories. That’s not easy to do without seeming contrived, and Eskin achieves it. “
—BookTrib
“An incredibly competent, likable, yet flawed character, and an intricate engulfing plot that is easy to understand: what’s not to like? Otho Eskin has produced a tense and entertaining thriller. Like any excellent crime novel, persona plays a considerable role in the success of this story, and Marko Zorn is mere brilliance. He doesn’t care who he upsets in his need to find a killer… Otho Eskin’s The Reflecting Pool does NOT disappoint, almost propelling the pages forward as you tirelessly read through the night. A masterfully written thriller.”
—Bobby Jo Calder, TopShelf Reviews
“Rough and ragged as the world it so vividly creates, The Reflecting Pool crackles with twists and turns, making for a fun and heady combination of suspense and intrigue.”
—Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author
“The Reflecting Pool by Otho Eskin is the best crime thriller I’ve read in years, and homicide Detective Marko Zorn is a character I’d like to have a beer with—so long as he’s on my side. Bravo!”
—John Gilstrap, author of the Jonathan Grave thriller series
“The Reflecting Pool wraps up tidily… As for what’s next for Marko Zorn, I’m not sure, but it probably involves his lime green Jaguar and a pretty woman, at the very least.”
—Ashley Perkins, GameVortex Communications (Read more)
“The Reflecting Pool was one of the rare crime novels that kept closer to a suspense novel and I really enjoyed it… I could see this being a series with prequels and sequels like Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan series.”
—Donna Huber, The Girl Who Reads (Read more)