The Man Who Liked Slow Tomatoes
Encyclopedia
The Man Who Liked Slow Tomatoes is a crime novel
by the American
writer K.C. Constantine
set in 1980s Rocksburg, a fictional, blue-collar, Rustbelt town in Western Pennsylvania
(modeled on the author's hometown of McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania
, adjacent to Pittsburgh).
Mario Balzic is the protagonist, an atypical detective for the genre, a Serbo-Italian American cop, middle-aged, unpretentious, a family man who asks questions and uses more sense than force.
The novel opens at Muscotti's Bar, Balzic's refuge, as Jimmy Romanelli sells several baskets of tomatoes to Vinnie, the barkeep. It ends weeks later after a disappearance that sorely challenge the detective skills of Balzic.
It is the fifth book in the 17-volume Rocksburg series.
Crime fiction
Crime fiction is the literary genre that fictionalizes crimes, their detection, criminals and their motives. It is usually distinguished from mainstream fiction and other genres such as science fiction or historical fiction, but boundaries can be, and indeed are, blurred...
by the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer K.C. Constantine
Carl Kosak
K. C. Constantine is an American mystery author.Little is known about Kosak, as he prefers anonymity and has given only a few interviews. He was born in 1934 and served in the Marines in the early 1950s...
set in 1980s Rocksburg, a fictional, blue-collar, Rustbelt town in Western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania consists of the western third of the state of Pennsylvania in the United States. Pittsburgh is the largest city in the region, with a metropolitan area population of about 2.4 million people, and serves as its economic and cultural center. Erie, Altoona, and Johnstown are its...
(modeled on the author's hometown of McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania
McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania
McKees Rocks, also known as "The Rocks", is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, along the south bank of the Ohio River. The borough population was 6,104 at the 2010 census.In the past, it was known for its extensive iron and steel interests...
, adjacent to Pittsburgh).
Mario Balzic is the protagonist, an atypical detective for the genre, a Serbo-Italian American cop, middle-aged, unpretentious, a family man who asks questions and uses more sense than force.
The novel opens at Muscotti's Bar, Balzic's refuge, as Jimmy Romanelli sells several baskets of tomatoes to Vinnie, the barkeep. It ends weeks later after a disappearance that sorely challenge the detective skills of Balzic.
It is the fifth book in the 17-volume Rocksburg series.