Better to Read It Than Live It
Thanks for stopping by. If you are a new visitor one of things you’d like to know is what kind of books I write. I write crime fiction. I have two separate series about private eyes. Neither are tough-guy stories, though tough enough. These are true mysteries, where solutions come from smart, solid, criminal investigations — stories not without humor.
The Indianapolis-based Deets Shanahan series, which Booklist calls “first rate” and “too-often overlooked,” the main character is a semi-retired 70ish former Army intelligence sergeant, who is, as the Houston Post said, “keenly aware of death’s proximity.” There are ten in the series so far and all of them include the lovely and funny Maureen, the love of Shanahan’s life.
The second series has just begun and the first two books feature San Francisco native and highly professional Carly Paladino and streetwise interloper Noah Lang in what the Library Journal says “has all the makings of a successful series” and Thrilling Detective says “could be the start of a beautiful relationship.” Lang is the featured character in the prequel, Mascara, and the recently released Death in the Haight, part of Dutton’s Guild-Edged Mysteries imprint revival.
These novels, along with two standalone books — the most recent being Good to the Last Kiss — are not about superheroes. They are not about body counts or gore. The books are about ordinary but interesting people whose lives are blown apart by events beyond their control and need a little help putting the pieces back together.
If you get a chance to wander around the site, you’ll find a long bio, some of my photographs of San Francisco neighborhoods, some articles I’ve written for other publications and access to my blog where I discuss crime fiction, crime movies, writing, publishing and my two home cities — Indianapolis and San Francisco.
Please enjoy your time here and feel free to send me an email or find me on Facebook.
— Ronald Tierney
