The Dead Don't Lie: An Abe Lieberman Mystery (Abe Lieberman Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Stuart M. Kaminsky (Author)

Book Description

Series: Abe Lieberman Mysteries | Publication Date: August 7, 2007

The Dead Don't Lie is the latest in Edgar Award winner and MWA's Grand Master Stuart Kaminsky's Abe Lieberman mystery series. Lieberman and his partner, Bill Hanrahan, are hell or heaven bent on making the mean streets of Chicago just a little safer.

 

As usual they have their hands full. Three prominent members of the Turkish community are all brutally murdered and Lieberman works to find out what, if anything, ties these murders together. It doesn't help that the key to the puzzle might be an event that took place over a century ago.

 

Bill Hanrahan finds himself assigned to a case where a hospitalized chef claims to have been beaten by two people and shot by a third, a bespectacled Chinese man. As Bill digs deeper he finds himself at odds with an old nemesis, a man who has an unusual affinity for Bill's Asian wife.

 

Both men struggle to do the right thing even if it means bending the letter if not the spirit of the law. 

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

MWA Grand Master Kaminsky's 10th Abe Lieberman mystery (after 2006's Terror Town) will mostly appeal to longtime fans. Lieberman, a living legend on the Chicago police force, is drawn into a series of murders centered on the search for a long-lost journal rumored to prove that the Turks were not responsible for the horrific massacre of Armenians in the early 20th century. His longtime partner, Bill Hanrahan, is preoccupied with the birth of his newest child as well as some amateurish thugs who stumble into a more complicated crime during an attempted mugging. In addition, Lieberman is distracted by the interplay of personalities at his family synagogue. The minor story lines distract from the central plot, which also suffers from a lack of plausibility, while the intended light touch won't work for all readers. (Aug.)
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From Booklist

Kaminsky's Chicago cop series characters sort of resemble cartoons from strips like For Better or for Worse—every time you encounter the characters, they've changed just a little, moved just a little, adding up to big changes over a few years. Kaminsky's cops, Abe Lieberman and Bill Hanrahan (Rabbi and Father Murph, to each other), are almost annoyingly Mutt and Jeff-ish—the stoic Jewish cop and the Irish cop with a drinking problem. But, almost glacially, they do change, and it's fascinating to watch as Lieberman, for example, takes care of his daughter's kids, and Hanrahan works on faith, sobriety, a new marriage, and other antidotes to his congenital despair. The action is somewhat incidental to the character interplay in these novels. Here, the action takes off from three murders in the North Chicago Turkish community. A subplot that at first seems gratuitous leaves Hanrahan facing an old enemy and threat to his hard-won happiness. A solid series that deepens gradually with each installment. Fletcher, Connie

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books; First Edition edition (August 7, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765316021
• ISBN-13: 978-0765316028
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,617,132 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kaminsky's done it again, August 24, 2007

By 

H. S. Vishniac (Pittsford NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Dead Don't Lie: An Abe Lieberman Mystery (Abe Lieberman Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Without falling into a pattern, Kaminsky has produced book after book using Lieberman. Each one is different and each one is an excellent read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not to be missed, November 29, 2007

By 

Bookreporter (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dead Don't Lie: An Abe Lieberman Mystery (Abe Lieberman Mysteries) (Hardcover)

The late detective novelist Ed McBain was known for his police procedurals set in the 87th precinct of Isola, a fictional city based on the borough of Manhattan. McBain, whose real name was Evan Hunter, wrote more than 50 books in the 87th Precinct series along with countless other mysteries. The personal lives of Detective Steve Carella and his fellow officers were intertwined with their professional crime-solving duties. With McBain's death in 2005, the 87th precinct closed up shop.

Those who miss the men and women of the 87th precinct and their travails through life can find a compelling substitute in the work of Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Stuart M. Kaminsky, who has written his 10th novel featuring police detective Abe Lieberman. Lieberman differs from Carella in many ways. While Carella is middle-aged and ruggedly handsome, Lieberman is near retirement, dog-faced and suffers from insomnia. Unable to sleep, the Chicago detective spends substantial time reading, viewing the History Channel and watching old movies. Those pastimes contribute to a wizened and cynical outlook on life. When a witness recognizes Lieberman as Jewish and remarks that he is one of the chosen people, Lieberman responds, "And an odd choice it is."

THE DEAD DON'T LIE follows a pattern that Kaminsky has established in all of the Lieberman novels. Lieberman and his longtime partner Bill Hanrahan are involved in multiple investigations. Although they generally work together, this particular book finds them working independently on two cases. Hanrahan's concerns a chef who is mugged for his wallet and then shot by an unrelated assailant. Lieberman is called upon to investigate multiple murders of members of Chicago's Turkish community. One of the deaths could have been prevented by Lieberman, a fact that pushes the detective to even greater efforts to find the killer.

While working the cases, the personal lives of the protagonists cannot be forgotten. For Hanrahan, a 54-year-old recovering alcoholic, it is impending fatherhood. His Chinese-American wife Iris is in labor and will soon give birth to a daughter. His two grown sons have not prepared him for what will occur. Lieberman must contend with his brother's threat to leave their synagogue as well as the burden caused by raising two grandchildren who have come to live with he and his wife when his daughter re-married and moved to California.

Even with multiple storylines and complex characters, Kaminsky keeps the plot moving toward well-crafted denouements. Lieberman, through his wisdom and philosophy, dispenses more justice on the streets of Chicago than ever could be handed out in any courtroom in America. For those who loved the 87th Precinct novels, all you need to do is journey 1,100 miles west. You will find yourself in an equally compelling and endearing crime-fighting world that is not to be missed.

--- Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lieberman Strikes Again, September 11, 2007

By 

Bob Chorba "Bobbyc" (Milwaukee, Wisconsin United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Dead Don't Lie: An Abe Lieberman Mystery (Abe Lieberman Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Very Good Abe Lieberman Read. But if you are not familiar with the Abe Lieberman Series I would start with one of the older books, not this one. I could do without the "Alter Cockers", but the other main Characters are fun to read about. I like "Father Murphy" and his Oriental Wife. Love Lieberman's wife (Bess) and their relationship. The dealings between Abe and His Grandchildren is Priceless. Also like Abe's dealings with his Daughter and how he handles her Marital Situation.
If you are an Abe Lieberman Fan read this Book.