City of Strangers (#6)

John Shannon

“As [John Shannon’s] fans well know, reading a Jack Liffey novel is no day at the beach. But then again, neither is life in Southern California.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Witty, alert, energetic, talented way above the ordinary.” —New York Times Book Review

Jack Liffey is retained by old friend and psychiatrist Dicky Auslander to find his missing daughter, Rebecca, who has run off with four classmates from her exclusive private school.

Prep school drama will never be the same as Jack chases the kids into the heart of an international underworld, where drug lords reign, corrupt US federal agents lurk in the shadows, and a terrorist harbors a sinister plan to unleash a devastating dirty bomb upon downtown Los Angeles. Meanwhile, Jack is a man on the brink—and his mandated therapy sessions, insisted upon by Auslander, may or may not be the answer to his problems.

Despite all his obstacles, none seem as challenging to Jack as Maeve, his teenage daughter, who is hellbent on becoming his partner. The Liffey & Liffey Investigations business card she prints up are lovely, but do nothing to convince him that her future lies in his dark business. Even as Jack desperately wants to keep Maeve clear of his dangerous vocation, she may just prove to be his only hope.

The Jack Liffey series takes readers deep into the many, unexplored facets of Los Angeles, the ethnic communities, tribal enclaves, and religious cultures that sometimes co-exist, sometimes clash, but always surprise. Fans of Jim Thompson will fall deep into the fast-paced, unpredictable, and dangerous world John Shannon creates. This time, his mission is to locate the missing.

PRAISE FOR CITY OF STRANGERS

“Shannon’s series is still on an upward trajectory . . . If only all mystery novels were this good.” —Keir Graff, Booklist [Starred]

“Superb sixth book . . . reading a Jack Liffey novel is no day at the beach. But then again, neither is life in Southern California.” —Publishers Weekly [Starred]

“Most consistently satisfying hard-boiled writers . . . Liffey is a terrific character—smart, funny, sad, and a keen observer of social strata and the world at large.” —Booklist, 10 Best Crime Novels of the Year (2003)

“[A] hard-edged, politically savvy series.” —Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review

“Liffey is accident-prone, depressed, mixed up, and fun to hear.” —Eugen Weber, Los Angeles Times

“This is a rare detective novel that’s not just entertaining (with Shannon, that’s become a given), but also timely . . . that, of course, is really what makes this book so powerful, moving and, yes, important.” —Kevin Burton Smith, January Magazine