Bloody Palms (Deets Shanahan Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Ronald Tierney (Author)

Book Description

Series: Deets Shanahan Mysteries | Publication Date: November 1, 2008

A Deets Shanahan Mystery - When 70-something Indianapolis PI Dietrich Deets Shanahan receives a call from Jack Wenders, his former commanding officer in Korea, inviting him to Mexico to discuss a case, Shanahan accepts. But Wenders shadowy tactics put Shanahan on his guard and rightly so: Wenders has become involved with a private security force that operates lawlessly across borders, without boundaries or limitations. Wenders has blown the whistle and now wants out using Shanahans own identity to escape . . .

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Deets Shanahan, the septuagenarian PI from Indianapolis, is back in another fast-paced crime adventure. It starts with a mysterious call from Deets’ old army commander, who wants to hire him. Against his better judgement, Deets agrees to meet the commander in Puerto Vallarta to hear the details. It’s no garden-variety case. Deets learns that his commander has turned whistle-blower on a highly secret “security group” that aims to overthrow governments and take over the world. Realizing this case is weirder and far more dangerous than he anticipated, Deets decides to pull out, only to find he’s involved whether he wants to be or not. There’s also a second plot involving Deets’ longtime friend, Howie Cross, whose wacky girlfriend has left him five-year-old Myra. When the wacky girlfriend is  kidnapped, it’s up to Howie to find her. The two disparate plots exist happily side by side, and both feature enough action and suspense to keep readers engaged. Tierney’s spirited writing, snappy dialogue, and wry wit add the final touches to this entertaining read. --Emily Melton

Review

Deets Shanahan, the septuagenarian PI from Indianapolis, is back in another fast-paced crime adventure. It starts with a mysterious call from Deets' old army commander, who wants to hire him. Against his better judgement, Deets agrees to meet the commander in Puerto Vallarta to hear the details. It's no garden variety case. Deets learns that his commander has turned whistle-blower on a highly secret "security group" that aims to overthrow governments and take over the world. Realizing this case is weirder and far more dangerous than he anticipated, Deets decides to pull out, only to find he's involved whether he wants to be or not. There's also a second plot involving Deets' longtime friend, Howie Cross, whose wacky girlfriend has left him five-year-old Myra. When the wacky girlfriend is kidnapped, it's up to Howie to find her. The two disparate plots exist happily side by side, and both feature enough action and suspense to keep readers engaged. Tierney's spirited writing, snappy dialogue, and wry wit add the final touches to this entertaining read. --Booklist, 15th October 2008

Product Details

• Hardcover: 186 pages
• Publisher: Severn House Publishers (November 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0727866710
• ISBN-13: 978-0727866714
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,586,756 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ronald Tierney's The Stone Veil introduced semi-retired, Indianapolis-based private investigator "Deets" Shanahan. The book was a finalist in St. Martin Press' "Best First Private Eye Novel" competition, and nominated for the Private Eye Writers of America's Shamus Award for "Best First Novel." The recently released Bullet Beach is the tenth in the Shanahan series. Tierney lives in San Francisco, the setting for a new series, which includes the recent paperback release of Death in North Beach and a new novella in paperback and e-book -- Mascara, Death in the Tenderloin. Good to the Last Kiss scheduled for a July 2011 release is a standalone novel, also set in San Francisco. Tierney was founding editor of an Indianapolis alternative newspaper and the editor of a San Francisco monthly. For more information visit www.ronaldtierney.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Deets & friends triumph again, December 5, 2008

By 

Fran Moreland Johns (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bloody Palms (Deets Shanahan Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Ron Tierney's latest book in the unbeatable Deets Shanahan series may well be the best one yet, but committed Deets fans (and we are many) have a hard time picking favorites. It would be sort of like saying you like one child better than another.

Deets, though, is back in full curmudgeonly force, aided and abetted by the regulars we've gotten to know and love: Howie the P.I., Kowalski the motorcycle-riding lawyer, Harry the bartender, Einstein the cat and Casey the dog - and most importantly, girlfriend Maureen who keeps Deets young and readers chuckling. Bloody Palms also reintroduces us to the wonderful, worldly-wise 5-year-old Maya, who may or may not be Howie's daughter by the sexy but no-good Margot. Wise and wise-cracking, down but never out for the count, the cast of characters is in top form for this new release.

Shanahan fans are treated to a classic Tierney double mystery in Bloody Palms, with bad guys taking pot shots at Howie in Indianapolis and at our hero in Puerto Vallarta, through a fast-paced search for justice. International conspiracies, Homeland Security, corporate greed and intrigue, it's all there, and it's all high drama.

Tierney introduced Deets to the fortunate reading world in The Stone Veil, published in 1990 and still available. Our hero has aged (though not as fast as some of his followers) and his friends and acquaintances have grown in number and in character development through this series Booklist proclaims "deserves more kudos." If you're just now meeting Shanahan, you have the happy opportunity to begin with The Stone Veil and read your way straight through, as has happened with other friends to whom I've introduced him. The rest of us are now just waiting impatiently for Deets' next adventure.