Shadows on Smoke

by James M. Maloney

Overview

Ward Dundee’s last big case left him with a serious chest wound and brought back horrifying memories of his combat in Viet Nam. With alcohol as his medicine of choice , no clients to speak of, and mounting debts, Dundee finds himself circling the drain to oblivion. Finally, two female clients appear: one, an abrasive witch who insists he pursue a case of murder the Lakehurst police insist never took place; and the other, a scheming adulteress who embroils him in a murderous blackmail case. The leads Dundee uncovers reach all the way back to the Holocaust and that last ill-fated flight of the Hindenburg that put the town of Lakehurst on the map.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781465340757
Publisher:	Xlibris Corporation
Publication date:	08/04/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	560 KB

Editorial Reviews

Maloney is expert at sketching unique characters in a few short sentences, using dialogue so realistic you'll swear you're eavesdropping on a real conversation. One scene in an auto repair shop is enough to do all of this: introduce Dundee's infuriating client Marinda in all of her color-coordinated glory; intimate that the no-nonsense garage owner Kate has a bit of a crush on Dundee; and explain that the detective is only using the booze to shut out painful flashbacks of combat in Vietnam.

Maloney's ease with characterization, which includes a multifaceted profile of the suspected criminal, will compel readers to follow a story that revolves around a rather esoteric topic: stamp collecting. The author is a lifelong writer and a retired creative writing teacher, and thus has all the tools to make it work. By varying the pace, throwing in some entertaining red herrings, and doling out clues carefully, Maloney reveals just enough to keep readers hooked until the tension-filled conclusion.

Also available as an ebook.

BlueInk Reviews