No Safe Harbor

by Ned Hickson

Overview

When a young woman is shot to death by two policemen in the shadows of Seattle's industrial district, the question isn't who did it... but why are so many who promised to "Protect and Serve" helping to cover it up?

 It's a question that private investigator Shane McPhearson unwittingly begins to unravel after discovering an abandoned 8-year-old named Jacob in Lincoln Park. What begins as a simple attempt to find the boy's guardian reveals a wide-spread web of lies, cover-ups and deception woven throughout the Eighth Precinct with ties to organized crime - and Jacob knowing the secret that threatens them all. 

Not knowing who to trust or where to turn in order to keep Jacob safe, Shane takes it upon himself to find the answers and, in the process, joins Jacob in becoming a moving target with no time to waste and no safe harbor. In addition to being an action-driven crime novel, No Safe Harbor explores the residual effects of abandonment and broken promises that run parallel in the lives of both Shane and Jacob; years earlier at age 6, Shane was abandoned by his parents on the streets of Portland, Ore., and continues his search to find them and understand why they chose to disappear from his life. Now, as Shane and Jacob race together to find the truth and a way out, they also begin helping each other heal their individual wounds of the past.
No Safe Harbor kicks off the first in Ned Hickson's ongoing series featuring Seattle-based private investigator Shane McPhearson, with the sequel, Harbinger of Truth, due out in August 2024.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798852811127
Publisher:	Edward Hickson
Publication date:	10/24/2023
Series:	Shane McPhearson, P.I. , #1
Pages:	284
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.69(d)

About the Author

Ned Hickson is an award-winning nationally syndicated columnist and retired journalist. He has been awarded “Best Local Column” and “Best Commentary” from both the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association and the Society of Professional Journalists. His first book, Humor at the Speed of Life (2013), is a collection of columns over his 23 years at Siuslaw News, where he also served as editor-in-chief from 2016-2021. His second book, Pearls of Writing Wisdom: From 16 shucking years as a columnist (2016), is a humorous writer’s guide offering tips, inspiration and insights from his many years as a columnist and writer.
No Safe Harbor (2023) is his first suspense novel and part of a planned series featuring Seattle private investigator Shane McPhearson, with the sequel, Harbinger of Truth, planned for August 2024. Ned is the host of the weekly radio show “Humor at the Speed Life” on KXCR 90.7 FM, a public radio program aimed at “bringing folks together through our shared experience as people, in the common language we all speak through humor.” He lives on the central Oregon coast with his wife, his Harley Sportster, an anxious Australian shepherd (a dog), and entirely too many seagulls... but not enough crows.

Editorial Reviews

"No Safe Harbor" is a fast action packed story with likable characters. We get to know who is who for the first fifty pages and then the story goes into high gear. You are kept on the edge of your seat until the end. Your heart sinks as bad things happen to innocent people and you detest the bad guys. Throughout the twists and turns you hope the tangled mess can be resolved, and the good guys will prevail. No spoilers from me. I don't usually read crime fiction but I really enjoyed this book.

Goodreads - Monica Andersen

I loved this book! I usually read non-fiction or historical fiction but this one caught my eye and glad it did. Great character development. From one chapter to the next, it keeps you involved and needing to know what happens with each character, the good and the bad. Definitely a page turner with unexpected twists and turns throughout. Looking forward to more from this talented author.

Goodreads - Susan Weathers

I highly recommend this book if you are a fan of detective mysteries. It left me wishing that I had enough time to finish it in one sitting (but I DID finish it in the second sitting. I would categorize it as being in the same league as Craig Johnson's "Longmire" series with the main character being an attractive-smarter-than-most-do-the-right-thing kinda guy with a sense of humor. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

Amazon Books - Rosie Lauria

Set in Seattle, this gripping mystery has me at the edge of my seat. Hickson skillfully reveals the who done it bit by bit, keeping the reader wanting more. Just when you think you know who's a good guy and who's the villain, think again! Come for the Space Needle, the waterfront, and the streets of Seattle, and stay for the ride. Although I didn't buy the book online, I wanted to leave a review here because the book is just that good.

Amazon Books - Susan Snyder

Hickson has done a magnificent job creating characters that fit the traditional archetypes of a crime novel and yet imbuing each with texture and nuance. These are people, not caricatures, and but for Hickson's natural sense of humor, would seem completely comfortable within your favorite Film Noir. It takes little to envision the cast of characters being played by a less cynical Humphrey Bogart, a mature Lauren Bacall, and a greasier Sidney Greenstreet. This is a movie or TV series in hardback.

Amazon Books - Randall Willis