The Concrete River

John Shannon

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

After losing his aerospace job—a casualty of the “peace dividend” brought by the end of the Cold War—52-year-old Jack Liffey still fights his personal wars: with the bottle, his ex-wife, and his loneliness after losing custody of his precocious and beloved daughter, Maeve. Before he can surrender to a life of alcoholic cynicism, an unexpected vocation enters his life when a mysterious woman from Mexico hires Jack to find her missing daughter. 

Suddenly, Jack is dealing with a real estate developer’s goons, powerful politicians, and—perhaps most dangerous—his increasing feelings for a former nun who may be the key to the entire case. Armed with a small handgun and unwavering determination, Jack must rescue someone else’s daughter so he can redeem his own sense of purpose and fatherhood. With this first Jack Liffey mystery, the Library Journal already named John Shannon a “Noir master…[who] tackles a tough social issue with intelligence and a clear moral compass. His spare, noir style and articulate dialog strike just the right balance between thriller and social consciousness.”

The Jack Liffey series takes readers deep into the many unexplored communities, enclaves and cultures of Los Angeles that sometimes co-exist, sometimes clash, but always surprise. Fans of Michael Connelly will fall deep into the fast-paced, unpredictable, and fascinating world John Shannon creates.

PRAISE FOR THE CONCRETE RIVER (#1 in the Jack Liffey Mystery Series)

“Noir master… Shannon tackles a tough social issue with intelligence and a clear moral compass. His spare, noir style and articulate dialog strike just the right balance between thriller and social consciousness. His growing audience will love this. Recommended.” —Library Journal

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

“The hands-down winner in the long-running ‘Where is the Next Raymond Chandler Coming From?’ sweepstakes… Jack Liffey is the most interesting new private detective since Walter Mosley’s Easy Rawlins.” —Dick Adler, Chicago Tribune

“Shannon has mastered the most essential element of the genre, giving us a guy we want to stand shoulder to shoulder with while we try to make sense out of a senseless universe.” —Booklist [Starred]

“Shannon has written an intelligent, surprising book, found the heart of his working-class characters, and delivered a first-rate thriller in the bargain.” —George Pelecanos

“Liffey is a most unlikely action hero whose feats of intuition, verbosity, and personal empathy make an interesting contrast to the exploits of his hard-boiled peers.” —Tom Nolan, Wall Street Journal

“Shannon matches the master, Raymond Chandler, in several key areas, notably location, characterization and dialogue.” —Dick Lochte, Los Angeles Times

“The real rewards of this novel are the wounded and searching souls caught up in the madness… and his appealingly thoughtful hero.” —John Koch, Boston Globe

“Southern California has always been fertile ground for crime writers and one of the very best of them has to be John Shannon.” —Denver Post

“The landscape of Los Angeles… has been deconstructed by writers from Chandler to Didion, but never quite as artfully as does John Shannon.” —James Crumley

“Jack Liffey is an extraordinary creation… Shannon is the philosopher king of the mystery forum. And long may he reign.” —Charlotte Vale Allen, CT USA