Bullet Beach

November 8, 2010
Tierney's tepid 10th Deets Shanahan mystery (after 2008's Bloody Palms) alternates between the 72-year-old Indianapolis PI and his fellow PI friend, Howie Cross. Deets and his companion, Maureen, travel to Thailand in search of Deets's brother, Fritz, whom he hasn't seen since childhood. Fritz has been arrested for assault and battery, then released, according to a brief item in a two-year-old English-language Thai newspaper. In Thailand, Deets and Maureen learn more than they'd like about rubies, smuggling, and the dangerous life Fritz leads. Meanwhile, Howie gets a shock when the car he repossesses comes complete with the bodies of a man and a woman in the trunk. The male victim turns out to have been a powerful businessman's son-in-law, and every step Howie takes to clear himself of a possible murder charge sucks him into deeper trouble. The two stories mingle awkwardly, and both are diminished by the unsatisfying juxtaposition.

November 15, 2010

In his 10th appearance, Deets Shanahan (Bloody Palms, 2008, etc.) becomes his brother's keeper, more or less.

The brothers Shanahan were born into a dysfunctional family that soon enough transmogrified into a nonexistent one. In the aftermath, Fritz vanished into his own private diaspora. Deets (for Dietrich), as his followers know, went on to become in turn a career soldier, a private eye and then, unexpectedly, the fortunate lover of beautiful, generous-hearted and much younger Maureen. In ways that Deets could not possibly articulate, he knows that it's at least partially because of her that at 72—after 60 years of separation—he's decided "to find Fritz Shanahan before one of them died." On to Thailand, then, where there's been a plausible sighting of Fritz. Meanwhile, back in Indianapolis, Howie Cross, Deets's sometime peeper partner, is finding trouble without even trying. Just like that, he's a suspect in a double homicide. More homicides provide more reasons for the Indianapolis PD to demonstrate a deepening, bothersome attachment to him. In Bangkok, too, body bags have begun filling at an alarming rate. By now it's clear to Deets that someone else is searching for Fritz as hard as he is, someone relentless, someone whose objectives are not in the least fraternal.

Tierney is as entertaining as ever. In particular, thumbs up for the nice, understated septuagenarian love story.

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December 1, 2010
Indianapolis septuagenarian Deets Shanahan has a nose for trouble and a gift for solving mysteries. But his latest case is personal. When he was a kid, his brother, Fritz, disappeared and was never seen again. After years of searching for his lost sibling, Deets has almost given upuntil he discovers a clue that indicates Fritz may be in Thailand. With his lover, Maureen, Deets sets off to Bangkok on a trip that will change his life. Meanwhile, Deets friend, PI Howie Cross, has his own problems back in Indy. Accused of two murders he didnt commit, Cross is desperate to prove his innocence, but his accuser is one of Indianapolis most influential (and unethical) businessmen. As Deets trails after Fritz and fends off Burmese gangs, jewel thieves, and corrupt Thai cops, Cross is kidnapped and nearly shot before he cracks the case. Tierney ties the two disparate plots together at the last minute and adds spice to the story with eccentric characters, wry humor, and a spare but compelling writing style. Engaging and entertaining.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)