Alexandria, VA – Review: Spite House
Publisher: Alendron Publishing
Author: John Wasowicz
Reviewed by: Ralph Peluso, Literary Editor
Zebra Rating–5 Stripes
Alexandria’s Spite House may be small in stature, but it has a big history. In 1830, John Hollensbury, a brickmaker, built what’s now known as the Spite House on Queen Street. Hollensbury lived in the adjacent building. He became frustrated with horse-drawn carriages squeezing their way through the narrow alley and gouging the side of his home.
Hollensbury decided on a way to keep people out. Out of spite, he purchased the plot of land and built (arguably to this day) the skinniest home in the United States. Oddly, something built to keep people away, now painted bright blue with the allure of its backstory, draws thousands of visitors to the Spite House.
This is the backdrop for John Wasowicz’s 7th and most intriguing of his Alexandria Old Town mystery series, Spite House. Mo Katz is ever present in the story, but now is in private practice as a defense attorney after service as a U.S. Attorney.
One of the things that caught my attention in Spite House is the deeper insight into Mo Katz. Why does Katz rub certain professional adversaries the wrong way, so much so that they’re out to get him and destroy his career?
Katz may have the best of intentions for his family life, but his relationship seems to be on shaky ground. In a recent interview, I asked John about these aspects of Mo Katz.
“When I wrote Daingerfield Island in 2017, I was criticized for a lack of character development. It was a fair criticism, but I didn’t know the characters intimately at that time myself! It may sound odd to readers, but the truth is that writers do not necessarily know more than they put down on paper. As the series has developed, my appreciation for Mo and the other characters has grown. Mo experiences the same issues that all of us encounter in our private and professional lives. He reveals his complexity to me, and I capture it for the reader,” Wasowicz said.
Katz accepts the case of Roxie Neele, a local curmudgeon who lives in a spite house. Roxie stands accused of murdering her neighbor Trudy Vine with a poisoned cupcake. Mo knew accepting this case was problematic, but he accepted it anyway. That posed an interesting question at the outset. Why?
Spite House is loaded with double crosses and people operating from hidden motives. Perfect play for the house built from spite. “I used ‘spite’ and everything it engenders—hate, avarice, jealousy, duplicity—as themes in the story, hence the double-crossing and hidden motivations. It was really just playing with the word spite and as many manifestations as I could envision. I also tried to counter balance the concept of mutual support, teamwork, helping one another with the interplay between Roxie and Mo at the end of the story,” John said. That’s a lot, but that’s what makes Spite House well worth the read.
As Roxie’s case unfolds, a serial killer named Rose Bud terrorizes the community. Roxie elicited Mo’s support to put an end to Rose Bud’s reign of terror. As the twosome unite, they hatch a spirited effort to expose the serial killer. Spite House is a fast-paced story with plenty of detail. Along with Mo Katz, Spite House features Deputy Police Chief Sherry Stone, private investigator Curtis Santana, legal researcher Mai Lin, city prosecutor David Reese, social worker Abby Snowe, and U.S. Senator Abraham Lowenstein.
There are a lot of issues to unpack in this Wasowicz work. Although fiction, this marvelous book raises questions applicable to real-life situations. The despair someone wrongly convicted goes through, especially when lacking the means for a solid defense counsel. The wealth and status disparity in the advocacy of the accused. Is the effort, quality, and honesty of detective work equal across every social status? Same question when it comes to the care and feeding of evidence. Does an easy path to a socially popular conviction win out over diligence in pursuit of the truth?
John Adam Wasowicz resides in Mt. Vernon, VA, and has practiced law for over 35 years. Although his works have detailed scenes, he has not been inside a courtroom in over two decades. Wasowicz is an attorney in the public sector. His wife is retired; they are empty nesters in Mount Vernon. John spends his evenings reading and writing and weekends signing books.
“What is man? A miserable little pile of secrets,” said Andre Malraux. Spite House is a terrific, well-paced story with plenty of intrigue and a handful of morals. You never know people. The people you trust the most might be your worst enemies, and those you dislike might be the first to come to your aid. The forces of good will always prevail in the fight between light and darkness. Live spite-free. A wonderful read. Zebra rating: 5 Stripes.
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