Grave Danger stands out among the Johnny Liddell books. Instead of chasing some penny ante blackmailer, here Liddell goes to war against the entire Syndicate from corrupt union bosses to police officers on the take. And, the Syndicate will stop at nothing in its war against Liddell including car bombs, ice pick murders, shotgun blasts on city streets, and roughing up Liddell's own secretary in front of him. Just like Hammer before him, nothing fazes Liddell in his efforts to bring down the Mob. Back in 1960 when this was published, it might have seemed like the Mob had its tentacles everywhere and, particularly on the docks, had everyone either on the take or cowed into silence. There's also a different side of Pinky shown in this book. She's not just painting her nails.
This is about as action-packed as it gets and never have the odds been this far out of Liddell's favor. What a terrific read. ( )