From Publishers Weekly:
Shannon's superb sixth book (after 2002's Streets of Fire) to feature L.A. PI Jack Liffey explores the complicated ethnic mix of Los Angeles's Iranian community. Hired by psychiatrist Dicky Auslander to find his missing teenage daughter, Rebecca, who disappeared with four Iranian boys from an exclusive private school, Liffey learns a lot about this virtually invisible minority while discovering dangerous links to a fanatic Muslim sheik and a brutal Mexican drug family. Liffey is also forced to take a hard look at himself-part of the condition of his employment being regular sessions with Rebecca's father. Just dumped by his longtime ladyfriend, who became a born-again Christian, and not allowed to see his own teenage daughter, Maeve, because of unpaid child support, Liffey finds himself even more lost and depressed than ever, breaking into tears at inappropriate moments. He's somewhat consoled by two promising new women he meets during the course of the investigation, and Maeve's mother eventually relents and lets Maeve both help and hinder Jack in the search for the missing teens. Liffey also has to shoulder a lot of physical pain in the course of his search-though Shannon is shrewd enough to lighten the reader's load with a sharply observed gallery of pompous adults and touching children. As his fans well know, reading a Jack Liffey novel is no day at the beach. But then again, neither is life in Southern California.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist:
*Starred Review* With his sixth Jack Liffey book, Shannon's series is still on an upward trajectory. When college friend Dicky Auslander's daughter goes missing, Auslander, now a self-important psychologist, retains Liffey on the condition that he undergo therapy during case updates--mutual friends have tipped the shrink that the detective's life is not going so well. Liffey sort of agrees and finds the daughter's absence may be tied to that of four prep-school Persian Americans who have taken the first steps toward militancy in the name of Islam. As if that's not enough, a link to money stolen from Mexican drug lords leads Liffey into dangerous territory south of the border. The middle-aged gumshoe also struggles to solve problems presented by his own headstrong daughter--who has made Liffey & Liffey business cards--and the mysteries of his own heart after his latest breakup. Between crime-solving and parenting dilemmas, Shannon offers sage ruminations on belief, belonging, and responsibility. Liffey is a terrific character--smart, funny, sad, and a keen observer of social strata and the world at large. His journey after the truth is realistically messy, and we're with him every step of the way. If only all mystery novels were this good. Keir Graff
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.