Beneath a Panamanian Moon (John Harper) [Hardcover]

David Terrenoire (Author)

Book Description

Series: John Harper | Publication Date: December 9, 2004

One of the freshest thrillers in recent years is this unique blend of Stephen Hunter meets Carl Hiassen

WANTED: Private firm seeks former military personnel for overseas assignment. Must be proficient in firearms and explosives. Experience in special operations a plus. Successful candidate must also play piano. $1.5K/day. Compensation package includes death benefits to next of kin.

John Harper is the most reluctant spy in the history of the craft. He's retired, quit, run in from the cold, traded in his gun for a Steinway baby grand, and settled comfortably into D.C., where the only dangers are jealous husbands and underdone hors d'oeuvres. But men who know how to handle Gershwin and a Glock are rare, and when a Panamanian resort hotel advertises for a piano player with lethal skills, the government sends Harper into the twisted company of American mercenaries, camera-shy Colombians, and a revolution set for New Year's Eve, when Harper is scheduled to play his farewell performance before the fireworks begin.

Beneath a Panamanian Moon brings long-overdue humor to an often grim genre while crafting a razor-sharp thriller that's fast, funny, and unforgettable. John Harper will stay with you long after you've closed the book on the final, explosive scene.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Terrenoire draws on his two years with the U.S. Army in Central America for his humorous debut thriller spiced with exciting commando action. Ex-spy/piano player John Harper gets dragooned into leaving his comfortable life entertaining at Washington, D.C., social functions for a fading luxury hotel in Panama City, where ongoing paramilitary training appears to be building to an unknown event planned for New Year's Eve. The previous piano player got eaten by a snake—or a shark. Packing his autographed 8×10 photo of Duke Ellington, Harper has mere days to solve the puzzle and also figure out why various soldiers of fortune are being killed. The sinister Kelly, the man in charge, takes an immediate dislike to our unlikely hero: "It must be quite difficult to kill terrorists with a piano." "Not if you drop it from a great height, sir," replies Harper, who makes an engagingly offbeat narrator ("You're like this weirdly hip choirboy," another character tells him). The Canal Zone years after the blitz to grab Noriega is a superb setting, and the solid supporting cast includes the deadly and efficient Phil "Mad Dog" Ramirez, who could play Hawk to Harper's Spenser for many entertaining novels to come.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Meet John Harper: piano player, retired spy. But when the government comes looking for a special-ops vet who can play a little cocktail piano, he signs on for a job in Panama, where he winds up tickling the ivories at a resort nightclub. Of course, he is also embroiled in a conspiracy involving American soldiers of fortune, Colombian nationalists (sort of), and various other shady characters. Something is set to blow, all right, and it looks like the resort's New Year's Eve celebration may feature some extra fireworks. This is the first novel for Terrenoire, who spent a couple of years in South America with the U.S. Army, and it's very well done indeed: sophisticated, witty, suspenseful, and perceptive. The author, whether from research or instinct, appears to have a firm grasp of what makes his reluctant spy tick, and readers will leave the novel primed for another John Harper adventure. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; First Edition edition (December 9, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312321317
• ISBN-13: 978-0312321314
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,812,823 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A wacky amusing espionage thriller, December 10, 2004

By 

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

This review is from: Beneath a Panamanian Moon (John Harper) (Hardcover)

DC pianist John Harper used to work for some super duper top secret agency that even his former mentor Mr. Smith cannot mention. He enjoys his current life he is popular artist amongst the rich and famous, especially the wives. However, Mr. Smith visits Harper to inform him that a Panamanian resort hotel needs someone with his consummate piano playing skills with experience in explosives and arms a requisite requirement of the job. John says no as he does not want to return to the cold even in the tropics.

No one says no to Mr. Smith so John heads to the resort to mingle amongst the guests until he obtains the information that Mr. Smith needs involving the training of an apparent revolutionary army. He must complete his mission quickly so that he can play a gig in DC by New Year's Eve and abort a revolt on the next day. He learns in a not so veiled threat by seemingly Columbian cartel thugs that his predecessor was "fired" when a shark had him for lunch. The nasties want to turn John into fish bait while the ladies want to play with his tune and Mr. Smith beats the drums waiting for answers.

BENEATH A PANAMANIAN MOON is a wacky amusing espionage thriller that stars a likable offbeat hero as its centerpiece. The story line is all over the place as the humor at times overwhelms the spy plot. Fans of zany tales like some of the Southern Florida mysteries will appreciate this madcap spy thriller that is more focused than say Casino Royale (the movie) but much less than a Le Carre tale.

Harriet Klausner

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Don 't Shoot the Piano Player, April 7, 2005

By 

Bookworm (San Francisco, Ca United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beneath a Panamanian Moon (John Harper) (Hardcover)

Well done, Mr. Terrenoire! (I love the author's name.)
This book skirts the edge between the believable and the fantastic, but succeeds because of a wacky cast of characters (Meat, Hamster, Monkeyboy), and a dollop of humor at just the right spots to leaven the violence, enough bloodshed to sate even the most demented reader. It is a wild romp through Washington and Panama. It is well plotted, well written, and a remarkable first book. I gave it four stars only to encourage Mr. Terrenoire (boy I love that name) to keep them coming.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beneath a Panamanian Moon, January 12, 2005

By 

Eric J. Staton (Gastonia, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beneath a Panamanian Moon (John Harper) (Hardcover)

Great convoluted reading. Terrenoire captured my interest with much more than rich color and texture. He expanded my imagination by sharing his own, thick, with neverending undercurrents and extended meanings. He never passes over an opportunity to grow a smile on your face or an irrepressible belly laugh. Much fun!