The Chinese Beverly Hills (Jack Liffey Mysteries) - Softcover

Shannon, John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1849822441 ISBN 13: 9781849822442

Publisher: MP Publishing, 2014

Synopsis

Jack Liffey's former mistress reappears to plead for the P.I.'s help finding her missing niece. The hunt leads Liffey to Monterey Park, where he dives into an undercurrent of racial tension that puts the peace of the small suburb in jeopardy. Meanwhile, a fire burns in the hills above Los Angeles, offering a sinister reminder that few events in life are coincidental. But Liffey's sudden troubles with racist gangs, teenage revolutionaries, and South African nutjobs are dwarfed by the threat his old mistress poses to his relationships with his new girlfriend and his recently reconciled lesbian daughter. What's a hard-boiled dick to do? Exploding with wry wit, The Chinese Beverly Hills is tense and thought-provoking, with the quirkiness that Shannon's fans have come to expect.

About this title

About the Author:

John Shannon is one of America’s leading writers of neo-noir. His Jack Liffey series of novels is one of the most critically praised mystery series in the genre and includes Terminal Island, Dangerous Games, The Dark Streets, The Devils of Bakersfield, and Palos Verdes Blue. Shannon lives in Los Angeles.

Review:

The most interesting new private detective to lift his fedora over the horizon since Walter Mosley's Easy Rawlins!

(Dick Adler, Chicago Tribune)

John Shannon remains one of the lesser-known Los Angeles-based crime authors working today. What’s all the more frustrating is that he is also one of the very best. The Chinese Beverly Hills ably demonstrates why and stands as another noteworthy addition to this rewarding series.

(Alan Cranis - bookgasm.com)

Philip Marlow would have been proud of his contemporary heir.

(Michael Connelly)

Shannon is a fine writer. Make no mistake, this is the real L.A., real people, some of them the kind you cross the street to avoid, looking everywhere but at them. Take a walk with Jack Liffey, a brave and decent man. Take a look at Raymond Chandler’s mean streets at the millennium.

(Kent Anderson)

The landscape of Los Angeles, both actually and metaphorically, has been deconstructed by writers from West to Chandler to Didion, but never quite as artfully as John Shannon does it... A fine, interesting read.

(James Crumley)

For too long, Shannon has been an unsung hero of the modern crime novel.

Shannon has weitten an intelligent surprising book, found the heart of his working-class characters, and delvered a first-rate thriller in the bargain.

(George P. Pelecanos)

Witty, alert, energetic, talented way above the ordinary.

(New York Times Book Review)

Shannon matches the master, Raymond Chandler, in several key areas, notably location, characterization and dialogue.

(Dick Lochte, Los Angeles Times)

Jack's toughness and compassion along with his literate style, make this a strong entry in the private eye genre.

(Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Readers who like gritty noir leavened by genuine heart and a healthy dollop of erudition will love Shannon's Jack Liffey mysteries. Shannon delivers a tour-de-force climax, the action believably, and beautifully, driven by each character's needs.

(Publisher's Weekly Starred Review)

About this edition

• Publisher: MP Publishing
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1849822441
• ISBN 13: 9781849822442
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256