Cracked Earth

by John Shannon

Book Overview

Her name is Lori Bright. You might remember seeing her in "A Week in Palm Springs," lounging enticingly in the bathtub while an aging and flustered Cary Grant tries to find her a suitably revealing... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1605980048
• ISBN13: 9781605980041
• Release Date: December 2008
• Publisher: Pegasus Books
• Length: 275 Pages
• Weight: 0.72 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.5" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

SUPERLATIVE MYSTERY

What Robert Parker is to Boston or Carl Hiaasen to Florida, John Shannon is to Los Angeles. His takes on the colorful smorgasbord that's LA are sharp yet doting. He may be a little lesser known than his best-selling counterparts, but I simply can't fathom an explanation because the caliber of his prose and the sheer solidity of his characters is right up there among the creme-de-la-creme. More literate resonance, introspection, and heartbreaking human predicaments than you will find in your average thriller. His protagonist, Jack Liffey, is a no-nonsense Nam veteran turned private gumshoe, specializing in finding people who've gone AWOL. This background is not unlike some of the other major characters going around, such as Lee Child's Jack Reacher or Robert Parker's Spenser, but Jack Liffey is a pleasant departure in having a thoughtful conscience; he's an unerring advocate of doing things the hard way and on behalf of the "little guy". In Cracked Earth, a famous Hollywood actress calls upon his services when her daughter goes missing. No clue, no leads, no hints on why or where or even precisely when. What ensues is a gripping cat and mouse game that weaves through as many lanes of LA as the communities and their peccadilloes that inhabit them. Given its geography, the story would be remiss without some prize Hollywood, and it figures quite prominently, which was a marked benefit for this film buff. But where the novel shines is in some of the detective's soliloquys about the balance of life and culture as he grapples with a client that leaves him distinctly star-struck. The theme may sound simplistic, or mickeymouse-ish for mass-market readers who're burping on much grander action thrillers with CIA and Mussad and all the apocalyptic terror and wotsit oozing from the bestsellers of today. But it's a marvel how this confident web of everyday intrigue can be woven without all the global jazz snazz and razzmatazz. Shannon may have been hurt in terms of publicity by not being half as prolific as some of his contemporaries, but it's not hard to see why. Each and every novel from this author is as chockfull of wit and eloquence as it is of intrigue. It must consume time to write these perfect gems. Highly recommended if you haven't yet been introduced to this author, and this book is as good a start as any.

The view from the epicenter

Shannon's Jack Liffey is an extraordinary creation. This is the third of the four books in the series that I've read (I'm saving the fourth one as a treat for a gray day) and I'm coming to know Liffey as a classically conflicted fellow who likes women a little too much, who hates little rat-like dogs but treasures children (even respects them) and whose view of the Los Angeles lifescape is apocalyptic. Liffey is an unlikely, even reluctant hero who does the right thing because it's the only way he knows how to proceed. His dealings with young people demonstrate great sympathy for their posturings, their inner turmoil, their desire for independence and status, and for their fears. His search for film star Lori Bright's daughter has him crossing paths with some truly fascinating characters: the Jamaican, Terror, who has a use for ginger beer that I will remember every time I open a bottle for the rest of my life; the computer geeks, both abled and disabled, who snake through the bowels of cyberspace in a state of glee; and the everpresent Marlena whose love is a warm, swampy place where Liffey periodically seeks comfort.The world of Los Angeles, according to Liffey, is in perpetual chaos. Each book in the series shows random acts of natural or human mayhem (a man painted purple being taken into custody); shocks and aftershocks heaving cars and their passengers into terror and states of diminishing reason. The metaphor, in Shannon's hands, is a powerful tool. His books are never merely sequential, connect-the-dots mysteries but are broader, larger comments on how people have come to accept the bizarre as the norm. Shannon is the philosopher king of the mystery forum. And long may he reign.

Much More than a Whodunnit!

John Shannon has proven to be a master at crime fiction, as he develops his characters with sympathy and understanding. Those who are interested primarily in chases and mayhem may not find this book worthwhile, but those who appreciate character development, humor and intelligence in a novel will very much enjoy it. I'm looking forward to reading other books by John Shannon.

Liffey proves that Shannon has to be Chandler reincarnated

Former Hollywood star Lori Bright hires private investigator Jack Liffey to locate her missing fifteen year old daughter Lee Borowsky. Lori shows Jack a fax of a ransom note demanding $50,000 and no cops. Jack notices that Lori is not in the least bit concerned over her daughter's safety and in fact thinks Lee might have sent the note as a hoax. Before he begins the investigation, two law enforcement officials follow Jack, who goes over to confront them. He learns little from them and continues his sleuthing at the Taunten School, attended by Lee. To his surprise, neither the students nor the faculty seem worried for Lee's health. Jack learns that Lee apparently is an expert synthesiac as she actually hears colors and sees sounds. As he gets closer to his prey, Jack finds himself trapped between the various layers of the underbelly of Los Angeles and if the money was not so good, he would walk out of this case. The heir apparent to the Los Angeles scene of Raymond Chandler has finally arrived with the talent of John Shannon. His novels catch the beat of the city as he energizes his characters with a remarkable and gritty reality. The latest Jack Liffey novel is a great who-done-it because LA has rarely been seen in a more intriguing light. Anyone who tries THE CRACKED EARTH will relish the other works of Mr. Liffey, a rising star.Harriet Klausner