Customer Reviews

Shadow of a Distant Morning

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Thank you Mr. Topek! For an engrossing mystery with romance, action, and suspense, and without explicit sex, torture or grisly corpses. This book introduces hard-boiled, but lovable Devlin Caine and I can't wait to read what Caine will do next.

Mr Topek's writing style feels as if it might have really happened in 1934 Kansas City (When Indiana Jones was looking for artifacts). Devlin is the kind of sardonic and gritty character Philip Marlowe might have written about. I instantly felt as if Caine were a real guy and I liked him. Other characters were also well developed and colorful.

My grown daughter and I read it - Me first and she impatiently waiting her turn. (Must buy another Kindle). Both of us are waiting for more and hoping for a movie!

This book is an excellent read. It kept me glued to it all night until I was finished. topek is one of my favorite authors now and I can't wait to read his next adventure.

I have never read a book like this before but the storyline of Shadow of a Distant Morning piqued my interest and Topek certainly did not disappoint.

Shadow of a Distant Morning is a very well-written novel. It is incredibly detailed and obviously thoroughly researched. Topek transports you back in time through the seamless use of authentic details, descriptions and dialogue. The plot is full of twists and turns and will keep you guessing until the very end. Just when you think there is no possible way Mr. Devlin Caine can get himself out of this one... well, you'll have to read it to find out!

I'd definitely recommend this book. It's a fantastic debut novel and a great introduction to the "mystery/noir/detective" genre!

This book was a rare pleasure and a truly enjoyable read. The plot twists and turns with the best of them, the characters are fully fleshed out, and the writing just draws you into this long-ago world to the point where you feel you're actually living in it. I think what impressed me most was how the author managed to use the recognizable archetypes of the genre without seeming hackneyed or cliched. All the things you expect from a hard-boiled detective story are there, but the story remains vital and surprising. I strongly recommend it.

If you enjoyed the old time mystery novels, you'll love, "Shadow of a Distant Morning!" It represents a return to the best we had back then! It spurs the detective in us all, offering an intricately developing plot line, including a level of detail that takes you back to this time, in a way that rivals actually having experienced it! Each chapter's ending spurs you on to the next. An exceptional read & I can't wait for William's next novel!

It is really clear from the story that Topek knows his detectives. Devlin Caine is the classic hard-boiled shamus with a heart of gold. The story of Caine working the mystery of Melinda Graham, playing off the mob with Big Business is fast paced and exciting. It is hard to believe this is Mr. Topek's first novel. I really enjoyed reading it - it reminded me of a midwest, no nonsense Raymond Chandler. I look forward to reading more about Devlin Caine or whereever Mr Topek takes us in his new book.

Great detective story - full of surprises - as a plus, I live in Kansas City and couldn't believe how accurate it is. Many of the landmarks referenced are still here.

This wonderful debut novel has it all - wit, action, suspense, romance and some of the best 'noir' dialogue I've ever read. I immediately thought, Dashiell Hammett and Mickey Spillane blended to make a great story. I don't usually read this genre, but once I got started, I couldn't stop. Mr. Topek's characters are three-dimensional and believable, the pacing is excellent. Devlin Caine has got to be one of the most sympathetic and charming heroes I've been introduced to in a while. Depression-era Kansas City, Missouri and its history and culture come alive. Details are fleshed out without bogging the reader down; again, Mr. Topek makes everything believeable and real. I hope the author has another Devlin Caine novel in the works - even better, send this book to Keanu Reeves!

Devlin Caine is a private investigator who is approached by one of Ronald Graham's employees to do some investigative work for him. Graham wouldn't get his hands dirty hiring an investigator on his own, but he requires Caine's services. Graham is a wealthy industrialist who is thinking about entering into a venture with a partner, Craig Carlton, and he wants him checked out.

Caine queries about Graham's own employee who does that sort of thing, but is assured the man is indisposed. What he doesn't tell Caine is that the man was currently floating in the river. When Caine finds out this information, he decides he wants no more to do with the investigation and wants out. So he decides to wrap up his investigation of Carlton so he can be done with the whole thing.

Unfortunately, the information Caine acquires isn't good news. Carlton is affiliated with the mob and also has one of his own guys on the inside of Graham's organization. But Carlton soon winds up dead and Caine is left holding the little black book with it's own cryptic messages that the mob would do anything to get their hands on. But he finds himself bodyguarding Graham's daughter, Melinda. While no hardship, he really hadn't planned for a relationship. But he soon finds himself falling hard for Melinda, which could put a crimp in any future they may have.

Shadow of a Distant Morning is a spectactular debut. Suspense, romance and action all mesh together into a page-turning whodunnit. Set in Kansas in the 1930's, the mob organizations are much more dominant then they are today and it really changes the way that some folks did business or how they did things. Caine is a stellar protagonist with his dry humor and edge-of-your-seat decision making. Topek has a way with writing that really captures your attention!! I'd love to see this gumshoe in more adventures!

That cover has 1930's all over it! I love the artwork!!

I should start by saying I'm generally not a fan of film noir or its book equivalents--tough guys you can't relate to, spouting lame, dated cliches and getting into trouble for no good reason, right? Well, in some films and books, maybe. But William Topek overturned all that for me, to my very pleasant surprise. Private detective Devlin Caine charmed me early on with his humor (aimed both at himself and at others), which, yes, is largely of the sarcastic tough-guy sort, but in a truly witty and original way. And Topek's historical detail, rather than getting in the way and reading like a research report, absolutely sparkles and brings the story to life--I could taste the diner bacon and eggs, smell the cigarettes, and feel the upholstery of those shiny 1930s cars.

Plus, dang, this is one smartly-plotted story. The clues are cunningly placed exactly where they should be, and perhaps a serious aficionado of mysteries would have worked it all out before the big reveal, but I definitely didn't. I fell for the red herrings and fully admired the twists and surprises. Topek is a top-notch writer, and, refreshingly, his protagonist Caine is equally smart, pulling one brave and complex move after another. He kept impressing me with his schemes, rather than making me want to kick him for being so dumb (as some protagonists do, even in good books). I'm off to recommend this to all my mystery- and noir-loving friends!