The Dangerous Hour [With Earbuds] (Playaway Adult Fiction) [Preloaded Digital Audio Player]

Marcia Muller (Author), Susan Ericksen (Narrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2009 | Series: Playaway Adult Fiction

- Mutter's previous novel, "Cyanide Wells, was published in Mysterious Press hardcover in 7/03, and will be released in mass market simultaneous with THE DANGEROUS HOUR.- "Dead Midnight (Mysterious Press, 6/02) hit the "Los Angeles Times bestseller list, winning rave reviews from the "New York Times Book Review, San Francisco Chronicle, Library Journal, Publishers Weekly (starred review), and "Booklist. The mass market edition was published in 7/03.- Muller's McCone series has consistently received strong reviews from national publications, including the "New York Times Book Review, USA TODAY, and the "Los Angeles Times, among others.- The McCone mysteries are being developed by Spring Creek Productions and CBS-TV into a pilot for a new television series.

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Muller's 23rd page-turner about scrappy, smart PI Sharon McCone (Dead Midnight, etc.), McCone now heads her own firm, McCone Investigations, a successful, established agency with a growing staff and more work than they can keep up with. But someone from her past would like to see her fail and is willing to take out her close associates to do so. When Julia Rafael, a young investigator whom McCone decided to take on despite her checkered youth, is accused of stealing the credit card of Supervisor Alex Aguilar, the man being groomed to be San Francisco's first Hispanic mayor, the criminal investigation could have dire implications for McCone Investigations. McCone's initial doubts about her employee quickly give way to a determination to discover who's trying to sabotage her company. Muller has a knack for painting a full picture of McCone's life without getting too cutesy (even when discussing cat health care), and readers with a taste for romance will enjoy the direction her relationship with the dashing Hy Ripinsky is taking. While the plot is a bit by-the-book and the high-stakes confrontations could be more compelling, fans should be well satisfied.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

PI Sharon McCone has barely had time to appreciate the hard-won success of her firm when one of her operatives is arrested, putting the whole agency at risk. Is reserved, almost standoffish Julia Rafael, who has a juvenile record, guilty? If not, why in the world would Alex Aguilar, one of San Francisco's up-and-coming Hispanic politicians, accuse her of stealing his credit card? It doesn't take Sharon long to recognize that it's up to her to sort out the mess, and when she begins digging into Aguilar's past, she finds that he has some unpleasant secrets--one of which leads her to the realization that a vengeful killer is out there, and Julia isn't the real target. Muller's plotting isn't quite as tidy as usual (she has to stretch pretty far to bring everything in line by the end), but once again she gives us a solid slice of a San Francisco community and a protagonist with character. Fans of the sturdy, ongoing series will be especially pleased with the final scene, which opens the way for a new chapter in McCone's personal life. Stephanie Zvirin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Preloaded Digital Audio Player
• Publisher: Playaway (December 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1441833374
• ISBN-13: 978-1441833372
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 4.7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)

More About the Author

MARCIA MULLER has written many novels and short stories. Her novel "Wolf in the Shadows" won the Anthony Boucher Award. The recipient of the Private Eye Writers of America's Lifetime Achievement Award and the Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Award - their highest accolade - she lives in northern California with her husband, mystery writer Bill Pronzini.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another excellent Sharon McCone story, September 6, 2004

By 

E. Griffin (Wilton, CT, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Dangerous Hour: A Sharon McCone Mystery (Hardcover)

The latest installment in the Sharon McCone series, The Dangerous Hours will not disappoint. Sharon's life is finally coming together-her business is thriving, her relationship with Hy, her long-term boyfriend is moving towards serious commitment, and even her extended family seems to be settling down.

Suddenly, Sharon's business is at risk from the illegal actions of a new, unlicensed employee. Sharon and her entire team take on the challenge of finding out what is going on to save the agency and their jobs. At the same time, Sharon finds help from old friends such as attorney Glenn Solomon and Hy, while making new friends in the form of two new hires to the agency.

The answer to Sharon's current problems lies in an old case, and once she has a suspect in mind, Sharon goes after him with the single mindedness familiar from previous installments. There is an interesting segue in this book where Sharon faces the impact of two of her cases on the people involved-this one, where the guilty party is truly criminal, and another case that affected someone who had simply fallen on bad times. Sharon takes appropriate action in both instances, and I found this juxtaposition a highlight of the story.

I have been a fan of Marcia Muller for a number of years, and really enjoyed The Dangerous Hour. Muller has been able to grow and mature McCone in a manner that is consistent with Sharon's personality and history. Although this is not quite the quick tempered, adventure seeking McCone of the past, it is also wonderful that Muller has not allowed McCone to become stale or obvious. As always, the book is tightly written and flows smoothly through out, and hopefully we will not need to wait too long for a new book from Muller.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved this one - Great Suspense and who done it, September 21, 2004

By 

Tanya L. Schaub "TSchlaack" (Livermore, Maine USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Dangerous Hour: A Sharon McCone Mystery (Hardcover)

In this latest installment by Muller Private Investigator Sharon (Share, Shar) McCone is wrestling with a lot of things in her personal life. Her cat is sick, her long time boyfriend wants to marry her, and in the opening of the story her youngest investigator (Julia) is accused of stealing the credit card of a former client.

Supervisor Alex Aguilar who appears to be the San Francisco's Latino communities golden boy and best chance for mayor is the one doing the accusing. In fact he has also contacted the state licensing board, who could take Sharon's license away based on the actions of her employee.

Sharon and the rest of the staff don't believe that Julia, despite her checkered past, is guilty of what she is being accused of and they set out to investigate the situation. As Sharon and her crew investigate the "golden boy" they determine his is not so golden, his neighbors all hate him, he is demanding and dictatorial in his business dealings, and he appears to have a past that links him with some of the known drug pushers in the areas. As the investigation progresses Sharon determines that Alex's business partner Scott's hiking accident appears to be murder. As the story progresses, things lead the group to believe that Julia might not be the intended target but Sharon herself. The story continues until the "bag guy" is caught and all the pieces fit together. Even the solution to Sharon's sick cat and her waffling decision whether to marry Hy or not.

I missed a few books in this series but have found each one stand on its own. Loved this one. Especially the twists and turns.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved this one - Great Suspense and who done it, September 21, 2004

By 

Tanya L. Schaub "TSchlaack" (Livermore, Maine USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Dangerous Hour: A Sharon McCone Mystery (Hardcover)

In this latest installment by Muller Private Investigator Sharon (Share, Shar) McCone is wrestling with a lot of things in her personal life. Her cat is sick, her long time boyfriend wants to marry her, and in the opening of the story her youngest investigator (Julia) is accused of stealing the credit card of a former client.

Supervisor Alex Aguilar who appears to be the San Francisco's Latino communities golden boy and best chance for mayor is the one doing the accusing. In fact he has also contacted the state licensing board, who could take Sharon's license away based on the actions of her employee.

Sharon and the rest of the staff don't believe that Julia, despite her checkered past, is guilty of what she is being accused of and they set out to investigate the situation. As Sharon and her crew investigate the "golden boy" they determine his is not so golden, his neighbors all hate him, he is demanding and dictatorial in his business dealings, and he appears to have a past that links him with some of the known drug pushers in the areas. As the investigation progresses Sharon determines that Alex's business partner Scott's hiking accident appears to be murder. As the story progresses, things lead the group to believe that Julia might not be the intended target but Sharon herself. The story continues until the "bag guy" is caught and all the pieces fit together. Even the solution to Sharon's sick cat and her waffling decision whether to marry Hy or not.

I missed a few books in this series but have found each one stand on its own. Loved this one. Especially the twists and turns.