A Beer at a Bawdy House (Wild Onion Ltd. Mysteries) [Hardcover]

David J. Walker (Author)

Book Description

Series: Wild Onion Ltd. Mysteries | Publication Date: January 15, 2000

The first book in Walker's Wild Onion series, A Ticket to Die For, has collected rave reviews for its rich plotting, intense characters, and breathtaking suspense. Now in the second installment, the husband-and-wife investigative team is hired by Chicago Bishop Peter Keegan to look into disturbing messages he's received threatening to reveal a dark secret in his past. Kirsten and Dugan are quickly caught up in the whirlwind of danger surrounding the bishop and his estranged police chief brother, who may be more than a bystander in Peter's troubles. Once again, Edgar Award nominee Walker delivers a crafty tale of murder and intrigue in which even the innocent have secrets to hide and even the just can't be kept safe.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

After their debut in A Ticket to Die For, the Chicago-based husband-and-wife team of Dugan, who's a lawyer, and Kirsten, who's a PI, are back for another case, and a corker it is. Bishop Peter Keegan has been receiving disturbing messages and strange phone calls from a stranger threatening to reveal a painfully embarrassing incident in the clergyman's past, one that could cost him his position if it were made public. The bishop suspects that the person behind this campaign of terror is none other than his half-brother, Walter Keegan, who's the acting chief of detectives of the Organized Crime Division in the CPD. Kirsten has reasons to be leery of working on a case involving Walter Keegan, for she blames him for the death of her father, a Chicago cop. But despite this ominous history, or perhaps because of it, Kirsten takes the case. The question is, what does anyone have to gain from harassing the bishop? What can he possibly have that someone wants? With the help of Dugan, Kirsten digs into the case, finding it even more convoluted than she expected. The trail seems to lead to an antigovernment extremist group with its own peculiar agenda, but just when everything seems cut-and-dried, up comes a stunning twist. Judging from this book and its predecessor, the Edgar-nominated author has created a second compelling and enjoyable series (he also writes the Malachy Foley mysteries), with well-drawn characters, serpentine plots and atmospheric settings. Agent, Jane Jordan Browne. (Jan.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

A Chicago bishop hires investigative husband-and-wife team Kirsten and Dugan to discover the identity of a possible blackmailer. Even the bishop's estranged brother, a police chief, comes under scrutiny. Exciting second volume in a a much-praised new series (A Ticket To Die For).
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; 1st edition (January 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312252420
• ISBN-13: 978-0312252427
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,976,023 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wll designed mystery, December 31, 1999

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Beer at a Bawdy House (Wild Onion Ltd. Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Dealing with the devil means you must dance to his tune. However, when the individuals involved in the malevolent tango consists of a Chicago Bishop and his brother, the police department Organized Crime Division acting chief of detectives, one hardly suspects evil. Bishop Peter Keegan believes his half-brother Walter is nothing less than Satan personified. When Peter begins to receive blackmail threats involving an incident in his past as well as getting the sensation that someone is stalking him, the bishop feels Walter is involved.

Due to his sensitive position, Peter knows he cannot turn to the police. He has no idea what Walter wants, but figures his sibling will tell him when he is ready to do so. Instead of waiting and fretting, Peter hires Wild Onions, a private detective security firm to help him. The owners Kirsten and Dugan agree to take the Bishop on as a client even as they quickly understand that any dealing involving Walter is a struggle to survive.

A BEER AT A BAWDY HOUSE rotates the narration among three different players (Dugan, Kirsten, and Peter). The technique works very well as David J. Walker makes the three characters feel so genuine. Dugan and Kirsten will remind readers of "Hart to Hart." The flawed Bishop has insecurities that turn him into a human being. The mystery is well-designed and special.

Harriet Klausner

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chicago, Cops, a Priest, P.I.s and a Mystery, It's all Here, December 4, 2003

By 

Vesta Irene (the Pacific Northwest) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Beer at a Bawdy House (Wild Onion Ltd. Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Nine years ago Peter Keegan stopped off at a topless bar for a drink, a fight broke out, he was arrested. An inconvenience, but not a big deal for most single guys, but Peter was a priest, is now a bishop and somebody is threatening to expose the incident. It would damage his career with the Church were it to come out, but why would anybody do such a thing? What could they possibly gain? Peter suspects his estranged half-brother, the acting chief of detectives of the Organized Crime Division in the Chicago Police Department.

He turns to Kirsten and Dugan for help. They are a husband-and-wife team-he's a lawyer, she's a PI-and together they run Wild Onion, Ltd., located in Chicago's Loop. Ex cop Kirsten is supposedly in charge of the agency, but she gets plenty of help, a lot of it unwanted, from Dugan, who can't stop worrying about her.

Right from the get go Kirsten has reservations about the case as she blames Peter's brother, Walter, the acting chief, for ending her father's career in the department, but they take the case and try their level best to unmask the bishop's tormentor, tracing Peter's problems back to a dark night in his past. Plus there are other forces at work here, like an anti government group, the enmity between the brothers and then, of course, there is a super twisty ending you'd never expect.

In more ways than one I was reminded of the old Thin Man series as I read though this delightful mystery. I don't know why, but I thought I'd be able to read for a bit, do my early morning chores, go downtown, make a bank deposit, have lunch with friends, then maybe read a little before I went to bed. But it didn't work out that way. The chores got put off till another day, the bank deposit got postponed till tomorrow and I missed lunch (didn't really want to go anyway), but fortunately I finished before dinner, because I was famished.

Reviewed by Vesta Irene