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Title: The Orange Curtain: A Jack Liffey Mystery by John Shannon ISBN: 0-7867-0876-X Publisher: Carroll & Graf Pub. Date: 09 April, 2001 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $24.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.86 (7 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Cross-Cultural Clashes
Comment: This is the first book I have read by John Shannon although it is the fourth of the Jack Liffey series. I now find myself obliged to backtrack through the earlier stories, which will be no great hardship.
It would have to be a challenge for an author to separate his own life experiences and aspirations from those of his main character. The fact that John and Jack are almost interchangeable names and that Ireland's two best-known rivers are the Shannon and the Liffey is a clear admission by the author of this strong link. Be that as it may, Shannon does develop the character of Liffey cleverly as a regular guy, still reeling from the recent losses of his wife and his job, not to mention the custody of his young adolescent daughter. Jack's skills in tracking down missing children and his war experience on the ground in Vietnam make him possibly an ideal person to help locate the beautiful bright American born, university age, Phuong Minh (Phoenix), the daughter of Vietnamese immigrant Minh Trac.
Set in almost America's heartland of Los Angeles, the main action is centred in the Vietnamese equivalent of China town. Here, gangs of youths roam the precincts, terrorise not just the locals but also any "visitors", and generally rule the roost. Jack Liffey soon finds himself on the wrong end of a gangland beating but has the courage to allow himself to be seduced by the glamorous headstrong Tien Joubert, formerly Phuong's employer. Is it courage or is actually the weakness inherent in almost all males when it comes to resisting feminine charm?
Not long after he starts his search for the missing girl, her body is discovered. Jack's job is over, or is it? Can he really call off his hunt at this stage? Of course he can't. It's not about his fee any more but about getting to the truth.
Shannon's main story has a couple of inner story lines within the frame of the book that add mystery to the possible reasons for Phuong's disappearance. One is that a number of murders have taken place in the area. A serial killer could have perpetrated these. If so, who could that be? Another thread is the story of a sad, pitiable character, a loner and a strange person indeed, whose life is lived in a state of misery, depression and squalor. Could he be the serial killer, Phuong's killer, both or neither? There is a controversial airport development on the drawing board with the usual disparate community extremes surrounding its future. Then of course there is the world of the immigrant Vietnamese who operate in a very different style and culture from the regular American way of doing things.
The tension and thrill of the chase build up, as Jack gets closer to the truth. Inevitably, he once again faces great danger as he closes in on the final acts of this dramatic novel. Amongst the better features of this book is that it doesn't stretch credulity. The violence, characters and story line all ring very true.
Rating: 5
Summary: I've discovered Jack Liffey!
Comment: This is the first of John Shannon's Jack Liffey mysteries I've read, though I see it's the fourth book in the series. It gave me a fascinating glimpse into the Vietnamese community of Orange County, LA, as well as introducing me to a central character I immediately want to more about. Jack Liffey is no super-hero, but a decent sort of guy trying to do his best in a crazy world (and some aspects of Liffey's LA are definitely crazy!). John Shannon is a great writer who keeps the reader interested throughout, and I can't understand why he isn't much better known. 'The Orange Curtain' is highly recommended.
Rating: 5
Summary: Wow!
Comment: The Orange Curtain was my introduction to John Shannon. I am now going to read the previous titles. Here is a writer with remarkable skills, both in narrative and in characterization. As well, his hero Jack Liffey is a man of such thoughtful intelligence that he stands well above the usual macho-jock types who play leading roles in so many series. The creation of Billy Gudger is something rare: a fully rounded view of loneliness personified and of how cruelty and isolation can shape a killer. Unlike the two-dimensional bad guys with incoherent rationales who kill people from some warped sense of personal satisfaction, Shannon has, in Gudger, drawn a portrait of a sad, even forgivable, young man with no social skills, and a deep and terrible thirst for knowledge and for friendship. It is to the author's credit that the exchanges between Liffey and Gudger are sadly revealing of the souls of both men; and the final section of the book is a fine example of how tension can be tightened, then tightened some more, then more, before something finally snaps.
Here is an author to watch; he is an extraordinary writer, with insight, wisdom, and great feeling for his characters.
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Title: Streets on Fire: A Jack Liffey Mystery by John Shannon ISBN: 0786710187 Publisher: Carroll & Graf Pub. Date: 10 April, 2002 List Price(USD): $24.00 |
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Title: The Concrete River by John Shannon ISBN: 0425161935 Publisher: Berkley Pub Group Pub. Date: February, 1998 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
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Title: City of Strangers: A Jack Liffey Mystery by John Shannon ISBN: 0786711639 Publisher: Carroll & Graf Pub. Date: April, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.00 |
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Title: The Poison Sky by John Shannon ISBN: 0425174247 Publisher: Prime Crime Pub. Date: 10 April, 2000 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
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Title: The Cracked Earth by John Shannon ISBN: 0425167321 Publisher: Prime Crime Pub. Date: February, 1999 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
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