Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Opinion — Blatant Promotion, (Next To Last) Death In Pacific Heights


EXCERPT: PACIFIC HEIGHTS IS THE PLACE WHERE MANY OF SAN FRANCISCO’S OLD MONEY FAMILIES LIVE AND DIE. Among its many mansions, Pacific Heights has two beautiful public parks. Alta Plaza, the more regal of the two, has formidable grand steps leading up to a windy hilltop park, where it occupies four, square blocks of expensive real estate. Lafayette Park, smaller, more friendly, sits at the edge of Pacific Heights where home values begin to diminish little by little as the neighborhood descends east to Van Ness Avenue.

On the rare occasions when the sun is out and the temperature is above 65, sunbathers occupy the western slope of Lafayette Park, as do dog walkers and children with their nannies. The eastern slope has more trees, more brush. There are places to hide in the night as a few sleeping homeless would attest. This morning, a dead body will be found there.

SYNOPSIS: A turn of events, personal and professional, causes Carly Paladino, a high-ranking investigator for a large and prestigious San Francisco security firm, to reevaluate her life. She decides, with uncharacteristic impetuosity, to strike out on her own. Her first job involves the death of the young daughter of an old and moneyed Pacific Heights family. An itinerant young man has been arrested for the murder, but Carly sees things that make her wonder if the murderer is really someone inside the Hanover mansion

Noah Lang has been hired by lobbyist who claims his wife is having an affair. While Lang is staked out at lobbyist's home, the woman kills herself — at least that's what the police think. Lang isn't so sure and wonders if he was hired to provide an alibi for a murderous husband?

It is the Hanover case that brings the two very different private eyes together.

What the critics said:

Leaving her job at a large security firm, successful PI Carly Paladino is hired by a wealthy San Francisco family to find their missing daughter. Noah Lang, a far cry from her former employer, offers her space to set up shop, and they form a partnership that has all of the makings for a superior series. Tierney, author of the Deets Shanahan series, has a winner here. — Library Journal

This reviewer really enjoyed this book and can't wait to read the next book in the series. — Marc Filippelli, Sacramento Book Review

Given the writing muscle of the author, Ronald Tierney, who's also given us the long-running and acclaimed series about septuagenarian shamus Deets Shanahan, this could be the start of a beautiful friendship. — Thrilling Detective

Interesting and fully realized characters flesh out clever plot lines. — George Easter, Deadly Pleasures

...highly entertaining. [Noah Lang and Carly Paladino] ...could easily become a 21st-century version of Nick and Nora Charles. — Sacramento News & Review

Death in Pacific Heights is available in hardback and trade paperback through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and many fine bookstores.

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