Invasion of Privacy: A John Cuddy Mystery (Terrific Series , No 11) [Hardcover]

Jeremiah Healy (Author)

Book Description

Series: Terrific Series , No 11 | Publication Date: July 1, 1996

Hired by Olga Evorova to perform a discreet background check on the man she wants to marry, Cuddy believes it will be a simple assignment, until everyone he questions lies to him and a pair of thugs warn him to back off.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Healy's creation, the reflective Boston-based private investigator John Cuddy, first caught our attention by doing homey, believable things like visiting his wife's grave and asking her advice. Eleven books into the series, Healy still manages to mix the homey touches with moments of high drama, keeping the balance perfect. When a woman banker hires Cuddy to check on her new lover's nonexistent past, he soon realizes the man is a protected government witness. Other writers would have left it there, but Healy builds an additional scaffold as intriguing as it is dangerous for everyone concerned. (Past Cuddy books: Act of God, Blunt Darts, Rescue, Right to Die, Shallow Graves, Foursome, So Like Sleep, Swan Dive, Yesterday's News).

From Publishers Weekly

Boston PI John Francis Cuddy's 11th case (after Rescue) puts him on the trail of a man with no apparent past. Cuddy's client, banker Olga Evorova, loves businessman Andrew Dees. Although Dees has charmed Evorova, the shrewd Russian immigrant is troubled by his obsessive secrecy. Pretending to survey Dees's neighbors about their apartment complex, Cuddy meets a puzzling hostility from the property manager and takes a beating from two goons who warn him to butt out. He persists, soon learning that the real Andrew Dees died years ago, and that Evorova's beau has taken the dead man's name. On a hunch, Cuddy shows his mob contact, New Age music lover Primo Zuppone, a picture of the false Dees. Suddenly, out-of-town hoods descend on Boston with their own murderous priorities, only to learn that Dees and Evorova have disappeared. As usual, Healy provides Cuddy with a rich supporting cast. Cuddy's lover, prosecutor Nancy Meagher, discovers a symptom of breast cancer, the disease that killed his first wife, Beth. Cuddy connoisseurs will notice his "conversations" at Beth's grave becoming shorter and less frequent, as Healy's hero moves cautiously into a new relationship. The plot evokes vintage Ross Macdonald: the detective's search reveals old secrets that spawn new horrors years later. Cuddy is always good gritty company, and Healy has written another engrossing entry in this consistently solid series.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 340 pages
• Publisher: Pocket Books; First Edition edition (July 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671898760
• ISBN-13: 978-0671898762
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,422,719 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jeremiah Healy, a former Sheriff's Officer and Military Police Lieutenant, is a graduate of Rutgers College and the Harvard Law School. Healy is also the creator of the John Francis Cuddy private-investigator series and (under the pseudonym "Terry Devane") the Mairead O'Clare legal-thriller series, both set primarily in Boston. Healy has written eighteen novels and over sixty short stories, sixteen of which works have won or been nominated for the Shamus Award. He served as the President of the International Association of Crime Writers ("IACW") from 2000-2004, and he was the International Guest of Honour at the 34th World Mystery Convention in Toronto during October, 2004. Three years ago, Healy concluded his term as a member of the Mystery Writers of America's National Board of Directors.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One of Healy's best., December 18, 2000

By 

David White (NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Invasion of Privacy (John Francis Cuddy Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

I'm new to the Healy novels. I haven't read all of them, but I've always been pleased. But this is the most interesting of the ones I've read. (Staked Goat, Rescue, Invasion of Privacy, The Only Good Lawyer).

The most interesting thing about this novel is the way the plot turns and you don't notice. By the time you reach the end Healy has taken a whole new route to the conclusion and turned the story on it's ear. When John Cuddy is hired to discover the background of a woman's boyfriend, he gets more than he bargained for. The mob is involved, but there is also a suspicion group of townhouses. When you reach the conclusion you've had, but it's a fun ride. Healy's talent is growing. Keep an eye on him. This series refuses to get stagnant. Try Spiral as well.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, January 12, 2000

By 

Susan Bumbalo (Camden, Maine USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Invasion of Privacy (John Francis Cuddy Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

I have read all but the last 2 books in this series (and those are sitting on my shelf), and ever single entry is excellent and intelligently written. Cuddy is honorable, tough and smart (although a bit too sanctimonious) and the other characters are always vivid and believable. The mystery here is first-rate; I was shaking my head in amazement after all the pieces came together. Healy deserves to be a lot better known and successful.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Forget Spenser, January 23, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Invasion of Privacy (John Francis Cuddy Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

Healy serves up a genuine mystery, sure to keep readers off-guard. Unlike that other Boston PI, Healy's book packs more twists, characterization, and realism into this one book than I've read in the last decade's worth of Parker's books. If you're looking for a mystery that doesn't insult your intelligence and keeps you guessing, this is it.