Anthony Celano’s newest offer is The Case of the Missing Sole, an old-fashioned mystery novel wrapped in the gritty atmosphere of New York’s immigrant neighborhoods and shoe manufacturing trade.
The Case of the Missing Sole is the eighth installment in Celano’s Sergeant Markey mystery series. The new novel combines murder, greed, business intrigue, and family conflict into a fast-moving detective story that keeps readers engaged from beginning to end.
The book’s story centers on Dario Tengo and Victor Spinello, two young Italian immigrants from Milan who arrive in New York to carry their ambition with a potentially revolutionary invention — a shoe sole capable of adding height to the wearer. Partnering with Italian American shoe factory owner and real estate investor Richard Frantellini, the men hope to build prosperous new lives in America. Yet, the dream quickly sours when Dario realizes that language barriers and inexperience have left the two Italians with only minority ownership in the business while Frantellini controls the company and makes most of the money.
Celano skillfully develops the growing resentment between the partners. Matters become even more volatile after Victor develops a second invention — a medical shoe sole with therapeutic value. Dario sees the new creation as an opportunity for the two to break free and strike it rich elsewhere. Victor, however, values security and stability over risk. He wants to them to stay with Frantellini and share with him the new invention. The tension between the two men explodes in a dark corner of Washington Heights, leading to a sudden act of violence to launch the novel’s central murder investigation.
The murder scene itself is memorable and symbolic: a loose shoe sole stuffed into the victim’s mouth — a grim touch that ties directly into the book’s title.
Themes of betrayal and ambition are paramount in this extraordinary novel.
Veteran detective Sergeant Al Markey and his loyal partner Oliver Von Hess soon enter the story. Celano, a former NYPD detective and Detective Squad Commander, clearly draws upon his real-life law enforcement experience. The investigative procedures, interrogation scenes, and interactions among detectives feel authentic and grounded in the realities of police work rather than television-style fantasy.
What begins as a murder case soon broadens into a larger struggle over money, inheritance, and power. Following the death of Richard Frantellini, a fierce battle develops between his daughter Maria and his younger widow Ronnie Borden. Celano creates a layered web of shifting alliances, legal maneuvering, and hidden motives that adds depth to the story beyond the initial crime.
One of the novel’s strengths is Celano’s ability to manage a large cast of characters without confusing the reader. Despite the many competing personalities and subplots, the story remains organized and easy to follow. Celano also maintains a brisk pace throughout the novel, consistently moving the action forward while building tension around Victor’s fate and Markey’s pursuit of justice.
Celano’s background adds additional credibility to the work. A former NYPD detective assigned to organized crime and narcotics investigations — including the Colombo Organized Crime Task Force during the Colombo wars of the 1990s — he brings firsthand knowledge of criminal investigations and New York street life into his fiction.
The Case of the Missing Sole will appeal to readers who enjoy traditional detective fiction, New York crime stories, and mysteries rooted in working-class life and immigrant ambition. Anthony Celano delivers—once, again—an entertaining and well-crafted mystery filled with deception, conflict, and suspense.
Author Anthony Celano
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Where to buy the novel?
The Case of the Missing Sole can be purchased from Anthony Celano’s web site:
http://anthony-celano.com/MissingSole.htm
The Case of the Missing Sole is available at Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=anthony+celano&i=stripbooks&crid=13J7RTDXJHCDR&sprefix=anthony+celano%2Cstripbooks%2C111&ref=nb_sb_noss_1
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The author - Anthony Celano - in the 1970s as an NYPD officer.
Drawing upon more than two decades of experience with the NYPD, Anthony Celano has established himself as a respected voice in crime fiction. The Case of the Missing Sole is his latest novel to combine mystery, immigrant ambition, and family conflict against the backdrop of New York City. PRIMO spoke with Celano about the new book and his enduring fascination with detective storytelling.
Your background as an NYPD detective and investigator clearly adds realism to "The Case of the Missing Sole." How much of Sergeant Markey’s investigative style is drawn from your own experiences in law enforcement? Some of Markie's style is based on my own when it comes to his investigative methods.. However, his human side is a composite of many people who I've come across in and out of law enforcement. Naturally many of Markie's shortcomings are amplified to make his character more interesting to the reader. No is a total hero and Markie is portrayed complete with his frailties.
The novel combines immigrant ambition, business conflict, and murder within New York’s shoe manufacturing world. What inspired you to use the shoe trade and Italian immigrant experience as the backdrop for this mystery? I thought the shoe trade would be something different because you never really hear about it. I used the immigrant experience becauseI I envisioned vulnerability from those not familiar in the ways of business in America. I selected Italy because it was familiar to me in that I vividly recall the Italian immigrants from my younger days.
Themes of betrayal, greed, and loyalty run strongly throughout the book. What interested you most about exploring those themes through the relationship between Dario and Victor? When it comes to people, they usually come in two varieties. Some are nice and some aren't. I;'ve been exposed to both. In Dario and Victor I brought the two together in business, As is often the case the not so nice take advantage of the nice. The motivating factors that prompted Dario to behave the way he did was greed and self-promotion. He was a man willing to use others, betray and throw loyalty out the window to further himself. I think we've all come across people like Dario in life, but perhaps not to Dario's depth.
One of the strengths of the novel is its large cast of interconnected characters and subplots. How do you organize and balance such a complex story while keeping the pacing moving forward? When I write I become the characters in my novel, Each character has a life of their own. So, just because one character is involved someplace, it doesn't mean the other characters are standing still. I pick up each character where they appear without missing a beat. I portray them living their life until they inevitably arrive at the place in the novel where I want them to be,
"The Case of the Missing Sole" is the eighth installment in your Sergeant Markey mystery series. What keeps the character of Markey interesting to you as a writer, and what can readers expect from future books in the series? I enjoyed being a detective and detective squad commander in the NYPD. It was like having a front row seat at the play called life. The work provided me with lots of material to draw from, That is the reason why Markie remains interesting to me and easy to write about. Also, owning an investigative business gave me access to the corporate world. This was also an excellent avenue to draw ideas from. As far as Markie's future, that is yet to be determined. He'll continue on handling unique cases for now and perhaps at some point retire. When he does he'll open his own business and develop a client base of high net worth/high profile people. After that, I can see myself making Markie a senior citizen who resides in a retirement community in Florida or someplace like that where things will inevitably happen that require his involvement.
Other books by Celano
As mentioned in the review, along with The Case of the Deadly Diary, Anthony Celano has written seven novels in his Sergeant Markie Mystery Series. Here are the titles of his other novels:
The Case of the Amorous Caddy
The Case of Two in the Trunk
The Case of the Hunted Woman
The Case of the Crosseyed Strangler
The Case of Too Many Wives
The Case of the One Eared Wolf
These books can be purchased at:
http://anthony-celano.com
https://www.amazon.com/Case-Deadly-Diary-Anthony-Celano/dp/1942500955
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Anthony Celano was interviewed for PRIMO’s YouTube Channel. He spoke with Truby Chiaviello, PRIMO’s editor, about his time working for the NYPD Organized Crime Task Force, where he crossed paths with none other than John Gotti—boss of the Gambino crime family.
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