A Murder of Honor [Audiobook, Unabridged] [Audio Cassette]

Robert Andrews (Author), David Daoust (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 29, 2001

In the world of cops, drive-by killings don't rank high on the popularity charts. They're usually random, and barring credible witnesses, they largely go unsolved. So when Father Robert O'Brien, a popular Washington priest with a high public profile, is murdered in a drive-by shooting, D.C. police aren't beating down doors to get the case. Homicide detectives Frank Kearney and José Phelps have been members of the force for twenty-five years, partners from the start. They're smart cops - smart enough to know they've been played for patsies when the O'Brien murder lands in their laps. This is payback time for two cops who've been a little too brash, a little too independent. But what appears to be a motiveless drive-by in a city with one of the nation's highest homicide rates soon turns into a dirtier, far more complex case involving corrupt politicians, self-serving media, warring drug lords, millions of dollars in questionable cash - and more murder. As Frank and José dig deeper, fending off the police bureaucracy and meddling politicos, it becomes increasingly clear that this case might cost them more than their careers. It might cost them their lives.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Spy novelist Andrews (The Towers, etc.)Aex-Green Beret, former CIA operative and onetime aide to a senior U.S. senatorAhere produces a fast-paced, hard-driving police procedural exposing the chilling violence and murky political cesspools of our nation's capital. Father Robert J. O'Brien, a well-known social activist priest, is gunned down in what looks to be a late-night drive-by shooting on Pennsylvania Avenue. Assigned to the case more or less as scapegoats to take the heat off City Hall, veteran "shoot first, ask questions later" homicide detectives Frank Kearney and Jos? Phelps plunge headfirst into a seething mess. Forensic evidence soon indicates that the murder was most likely a professional hit. Missing is a mysterious skinny bespectacled kid with a ponytail, last seen just before the shooting. Another potential witness is found in a red BMW reduced to pancake thinness by a wrecking-yard metal compactor. Meanwhile, a folder of personal ads from a gay magazine and a cool half-million in cash secreted in the slain priest's closet suggest the victim may have been trafficking in hard drugs. Complicating matters further, a sleazy TV journalist twists an on-the-air interview with the city treasurer into an implied indictment of the priest as an embezzler. The body count rises as hired hit men, a former D.C. cop turned private security agency entrepreneur and assorted other suspects turn up to cloud the picture. Set on the eve of a mayoral election, this gem of a thriller marks the auspicious crossover of a writer from first-rate cloak and dagger fiction to street-smart cop lit. It has sequel written all over it. (Feb.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Frank Kearney and Jose Phelps have been partners on the District of Columbia Police Force for more than 20 years. They're good cops in a tough town, homicide detectives in a city with the world's highest murder rate. Because they've bent the rules in the past, and because the brass sees them as getting too popular, they've been assigned an insoluble case, the drive-by shooting of an activist priest who has been a long-time thorn in the side of the city administration. What they discover is that the priest may not have been a saint after all, and that the murder was anything but random. Kearney and Phelps have the makings of an interesting duo in this series debut. Kearney is a Vietnam vet, a recovering alcoholic, and a disappointed optimist. Phelps is less fully developed but could grow in future installments. Emerson, their ambitious, antagonistic, and politically astute commander, should provide an excellent foil for the team. This series bears close watching. George Needham
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio Unabridged; Unabridged edition (January 29, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1587882019
• ISBN-13: 978-1587882012
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.2 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,232,258 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Andrews Murder Mystery Big Winner, February 5, 2001

By 

Stanley Ebner (Arlington, Virginia United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Murder of Honor (Hardcover)

Robert Andrews' switch from spy novels to murder mystery was a smart move. Setting it in Washington DC provides readers with the best literary inaugural in a number of presidential terms. His writing about a veteran team of DC detectives who work to solve an intriguing mystery against difficult odds is crisp, authentic and atmospheric. His lead characters are not just plausible -- as the book progresses the reader comes to know them as real and interesting people. The plot sustains and builds interest until the final pages, and the pace is exciting. Readers should look forward eagerly to Andrews' next book and the ongoing adventures of DC Detectives Frank Kearney and Jose' Phelps.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Read...Can't Wait For The Sequal, March 5, 2001

By 

john a phaneuf (Annapolis, MD USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Murder of Honor (Hardcover)

Once again Robert Andrews spins a thriller that keeps the reader on the edge of his seat. From wonderful, chilling spy novels to stories of murder and intrigue, Robert Andrews continues to hold my admiration as one of the best writers available.

In "A Murder of Honor" Robert Andrews leads us through twists and turns to solve the murder of a local, Washington, DC, priest. Not unlike the streets of the Capital, Det's Kearney and Phelps must navigate the avenues of politics, drugs, murder and city-hall. These two seasoned detectives; who have seen their share of tough cases and the "politics" played in the District; find themselves working to protect not only the honor and integrity of the murdered priest...but their own as well.

This book is well written and well researched and will hold your reading attention well into the night. So, if you're looking to go to bed early, don't start this book as you won't be able to close it!!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A solid, unoriginal, police thriller, February 6, 2003

By 

John D. Costanzo "johndc" (Bensalem, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Murder of Honor (Mass Market Paperback)

Andrews has written a solid, entertaining, if unoriginal, "tough cop" police procedural set in Washington, DC. He does a good job in depicting DC, and his plot is intricate and fast paced. But his characters lack color and intensity (as compared to the characters created by George Pelecanos or Michael Connelly, for example). Overall, I put this one in the middle of the pack.