Concrete River [Paperback]

John Shannon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1998

First Jack Liffey lost his job. Then he lost his wife and daughter. All he has left is the unerring ability to track down missing children. Now he's about to enter the sun-baked urban nightmare of Los Angeles where nothing is what it seems. Jack Liffey is about to journey down the Concrete River. Ads in "Los Angeles Times, New York Times" and mystery publications.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John Shannon is one of America’s leading writers of neo-noir. His Jack Liffey series of novels is one of the most critically praised mystery series in the genre and includes Terminal Island, Dangerous Games, The Dark Streets, The Devils of Bakersfield, and Palos Verdes Blue. Shannon lives in Los Angeles. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (February 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425161935
• ISBN-13: 978-0425161937
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,107,532 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant!, September 9, 2001

By 

Charlotte Vale-Allen (CT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Concrete River: A Jack Liffey Mystery (John Brown Books) (Paperback)

There are writers in various genres (mystery, romance, westerns, etc.) and then there are Writers; they're the gifted people whose genre is scarcely relevant because their work always rises above the territory upon which they've staked their claim. John Shannon is a Writer.

This first of Shannon's Jack Liffey series is a work of lean, effective prose, spiced with startling dashes of outrageous humor (as was The Orange Curtain, my introduction to Shannon's work). Los Angeles, as portrayed through Liffey's eyes, is a series on ongoing atrocities and carnage that are so everyday as to be normal. Add to this mix a character with a tired, yet invincible, spirit who observes and accepts (but doesn't like) what he sees, and you have a hero unlike any other.

Liffy is the essential American of a certain age, (and a Viet Nam vet) possessed of heart and conscience, trying very hard to be honorable while he searches for missing children (in itself a profound metaphor for the lost innocence not only of the city, but of our entire society.)

It is a sad fact that talent is not its own reward; it does not guarantee success. But if anyone writing today deserves recognition on a large scale, it is John Shannon. His work is both insightful social commentary and an unflinching, wrenching look at the human heart. If you want to be entertained and informed, get this book! Go to out-of-print booksites if you must, or search your local library, but this is a writer who very much deserves to be widely read.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great read:, April 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Concrete River (Paperback)

Captures Los Angeles perfectly. Protagonist is believable, story is absorbing - I couldn't wait for the second of this series and bought it immediately when it came out (this is the first). Looking forward to the author's next book. If you like Michael Connelly, Abigail Padgett, and find Andrew Vacchs compelling (if not always palatable), give this author a try. You won't be disappointed.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Los Angeles Noir, August 15, 2007

By 

Howard R. Malis "Voracious Reader" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Concrete River: A Jack Liffey Mystery (Paperback)

This was my first experience with a Jack Liffey novel and it won't be the last. Rather than start with his later work, I ordered "The Concrete River" as this is the first in the series and I wanted to be in on the beginning. John Shannon is clearly an underated talent and I am pleased to see that there will be reissues of more of his earlier work. Shannon's writing is Chandleresque and Liffey is a great world-weary private eye. The descriptions of the underbelly of Los Angeles are spot on and remind me of Hammett, Mosely and Michael Connelly. Avid mystery readers owe it to themselves to check out Shannon. You won't be disappointed. My next Liffey novel is on pre-order!