Deviant Behavior [Paperback]

Earl Emerson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1995

When seventeen-year-old Todd Steeb has been missing for eight days, his wealthy parents hire Thomas Black to investigate. Faith Steeb is worried by her son's obsession with suicide, though her husband dismisses it as youthful "deviance." Aided by his lawyer friend Kathy Birchfield, Black finds forgotten crime, buried treasure, possible murder, and enough "deviant" behavior to blow Seattle off the map.


From the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"Deviant behavior" is an ironic label for Todd Steeb, a lonely, teenaged track star whose behavior throughout this story is actually heroic, and who, at the outset, is thought to have run away from home. Private investigator Thomas Blackfirst introduced in The Rainy City is hired to find him. In the course of his quest, Black encounters a trail of cash (leading to Todd), an eccentric writer and his has-been, Hollywood-actress girlfriend and the many denizens of Seattle's nicely detailed Chinatown. However, neither the events described nor the characters evoked make for an engaging story. Deviant Behavior is pleasant and workmanlike at its best, but it is never compelling. Paperback rights to Ballantine.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Publisher

Earl Emerson's acclaimed series about Seattle private investigator Thomas Black is much beloved by readers and critics. And with justification. (These novels, running the gamut from THE RAINY CITY to the just-issued CATFISH CAF, are among my all-time favorite detective tales, and I'm not just saying that because I'm Earl's editor.) But I don't know any other crime novelist who amasses such fervent praise from his peers. It would be a crime to call Earl Emerson merely a "writer's writer." But there sure are a lot of talented authors who revere him. To wit . . .

Aaron Elkins: "In every book he tries something new, and he always comes up a winner. In the best tradition of American crime fiction, Emerson is a master of witty dialogue; clever, complex plotting; and lucid, meaty prose."

Robert Crais: "Earl Emerson writes with the richness and grace of a poet, evincing a quality of phrase and nuance that elevates the genre."

Ann Rule: "Earl Emerson and Thomas Black only get better and better! Earl Emerson has taken his place in the rarefied air of the best of the best!"

'Nuff said.

--Joe Blades, Associate Publisher --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (March 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345483626
• ISBN-13: 978-0345483621
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,865,691 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent! Would like to compare it to "The Lady In The Lake, May 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Deviant Behavior (Thomas Black Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

I enjoyed Emerson's "Deviant Behavior" greatly! Not only because of the "hero" Thomas Black, but because it is located here in Seattle, WA and is incredibly accurate as to locations, etc. Question for anyone: Read Raymond Chandler's "The Lady In The Lake" last week. Our instructor indicated today that Emerson perhaps stole something from Chandler. I cannot find what this might be. Can anyone help me with this? Many thanks. (Loved both books, by the way.)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A page turner!, January 12, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Deviant Behavior (Thomas Black Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

Another good addition to the Thomas Black series. A light, entertaining book - and series - which keeps you laughing, thinking and turning the pages to the final chapter. A fun read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Deviant Behavior, September 1, 2001

By 

Ricky N. "Ricky C. Nelson" (Commerce, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Deviant Behavior (Thomas Black Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

"Deviant Behavior" is the fifth Thomas Black novel by Earl Emerson. Seventeen-year-old Todd Steeb has run away from home, and his parents hire Black to investigate. Thomas and Todd's brother, Buzz, travel to Seattle's Chinatown and the old Milwaukee hotel in search of Todd, whom Buzz thinks is investigating the suicide of their uncle Jan. The plot is somewhat convoluted. It involves murder, suicide, missing money, and the author of a cult classic novel. All this said, "Deviant Behavior" was entertaining and is another fine addition to the Thomas Black series.