Dan Mahoney (1)

I had never heard of this author and picked this book up on a lark. What a pleasant surprise. It is of the police proceedural ilk but kind of different. He gives you a whole lot of detail. Towards the end, it was a bit too much detail but still interesting. New York City police detective Brian McKenna loves his job and is good at it but he also loves his girlfriend who wants him out. He's got at least one more good case that he has to wrap up first. Mahoney has others already out featuring show more McKenna. I'm going to get another one and give it a go. show less

Run of the mill police procedural with some charming moments. While Dan Mahoney was a veteran cop when he wrote Detective First Grade, he made some rookie mistakes as an author (too much expounding on the detaila of police procedure) in what is otherwise a well conceived kidnapping story from the policeman's point of view.

The author makes a huge mistake right off the bat. I was listening to this book, and the two major protagonists are both named McKenna: Brian and Tommy. He then proceeds to compound the error by talking about each not by given name, but rather by patronymic. You really have to keep your head wrapped around this in order not to get confused. A quick look at Amazon reveals that the names are even spelled the same, although, in the author’s defense, Tommy McKenna is a real NYPD detective of show more some note. Whatever.

A man and woman are discovered dead near the cloisters, she the daughter of a wealthy, politically connected man, Brian is assigned as lead detective on the case even as they discover another similar set of murders that had haunted the other McKenna, Tommy. As the investigation proceeds, it becomes apparent the detectives are looking for two serial killers who are engaged in the production of snuff films. The chase leads all over the country in addition to Costa Rica, Thailand, Burma, and Barcelona.

It’s a well-done police procedural with lots of interesting investigatory detail and I do really hope (although I sincerely doubt) that the different police agencies here and abroad really do cooperate and get along and are all such nice guys as described in the book.. show less

Synopsis: 'Mahoney's seventh cop thriller pits a couple of wise-guy big-city cops against ETA, the murderous Basque separatist terrorist organization. Once again, Mahoney (The Two Chinatowns) puts Det. Brian McKenna on the trail of killers, kidnappers and some very dangerous perps who thrive on political violence. The resourceful McKenna is teamed up with partner Cisco Sanchez, an insufferable braggart whose methods are almost legal and whose hunches are usually right. When the Spanish show more ambassador to the United Nations is kidnapped in a bloody shootout in New York City, McKenna and Sanchez are put on the case, which has some high-profile international angles. The Spanish ambassador to France and the rich, beautiful Carmen de la Cruz are also kidnapped by ETA in the north of Spain in a diabolical plot that is anything but normal terrorist activity. Aided by international mystery man Henri Picard and an IRA thug named DuPont, McKenna and Sanchez have to find the kidnapped Spaniard in New York before they can help Carmen. Soon the cops are in Spain, chasing the ETA operatives and their two captives from Basque country in the north to Gibraltar in the south. However, not all their allies can be trusted: McKenna, Sanchez and even ETA are being skillfully manipulated by someone who has a different concept of justice and peace.'
Review: There were parts of this book I skipped completely simply because I don't care what type of weapon someone had. However, the plot was interesting and moved well. show less