Eureka

Starred review from January 7, 2002
Following a four-year hiatus after the somewhat lackluster Reign in Hell, the third volume of the Martin Vail thriller series, legions of this bestselling author's readers will herald this triumphant comeback as his best novel ever. Combining the psychological chiaroscuro of L.A. Confidential
with the dramatic sweep and stylish noir
of Chinatown, this labyrinthine, multigenerational epic scrolls across the still-lawless frontier landscape of California. At the turn of the 20th century, Eureka, the railhead Sodom and Gomorrah of Southern California, is replete with whorehouses, gambling, dark political intrigues and steamy liaisons. Fast-forwarding through WWI to the last days of WWII, the plot examines the coming of age of this seedy patch. Recovering in 1945 from WWII wounds that earned him a Silver Star, LAPD Det. Zee Bannon is handed a briefcase containing files concerning a mysterious woman found dead in her bathtub. The case was left unresolved in 1941, just before he went off to war, and Bannon is unable to discover the victim's history before her move to L.A. in 1924. But her sizable bank account and a trail of anonymous cashier's checks eventually lead back to Eureka (since renamed San Pietro), where now legendary Sheriff Thomas Culhane's bid for state governor is at stake. Infidelity, murder, murky secrets, a deeply affecting love story and an old-fashioned showdown will keep fans spellbound right up to the fully satisfying—if not so surprising—denouement. Vividly cinematic, rich in atmosphere and peopled with believable characters, this novel serves notice that Diehl is one of the best thriller writers working today. (Mar.)Forecast:Expect this winner to hit bestseller lists early and hard. Southern regional author appearances and a teaser chapter in the mass market reissue of
Primal Fear will further spur sales.

November 1, 2001
In sleepy little Eureka, CA, police detective Zeke Bannon discovers a dirty little secret that could do in his boss.

Copyright 2001 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2001
It's 1945, and Zeke Bannon, injured in the war, wakes up in an L.A. hospital to find a visitor, his former LAPD partner, Ski Agassi. It seems that Ski, too old for the army, has been busy investigating an old case that ate away at Zeke before he left for Europe. Cut to the year 1900, and we're in Eureka, a corrupt shantytown north of San Francisco, replete with brothels, saloons, and hoodlums. Brodie Culhane, an Irish orphan, and Ben Gorman, Jewish and the son of the wealthiest man on the Hill, are teenagers and best friends. Mr. Gorman takes Brodie under his wing, for he sees promise in the young man. With an enticing back-and-forth storytelling method, Diehl slowly connects the two worlds, linking characters from Eureka to those who play roles in Zeke's prewar investigation. It turns out that Culhane made a name for himself during World War I and came back with dreams for making it big--until ghosts from his past interfered. Although Diehl fans may miss his popular protagonist, Chicago attorney Martin Vail, they surely won't be disappointed by this riveting multigenerational thriller, which seamlessly spans 40 years of American history and blends the Old West with postwar mystery and political intrigue.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2001, American Library Association.)