RONALD TIERNEY – The Concrete Pillow. “Deets” Shanahan #4. St. Martin’s, hardcover, 1995. Worldwide, paperback, 1997.

   Does anyone have any idea why St. Martin’s would price this one at $23? I didn’t know Tierney had that kind of cachet.

   Deets has a case he’s not sure he wants (do PI’s ever get one they love?) – a heroin addict thinks someone’s trying to kill him, and wants Deets to find out why. The young man is one of quadruplet brothers who were Indiana basketball phenoms, and one’s already dead (a “suicide”), and one’s crippled (an “accident”). The rest of the quite strange family is not happy with Deets’ involvement. Deets isn’t happy with his own family, because the son he hasn’t seen in 30 years is coming to visit and bringing Deets’ grandson along.

   I like this series very much. Shanahan by virtue of his age is a refreshing change from the “typical” PI (though that’s a dying breed now), and Tierney does one of the better jobs around o integrating his character’s personal life with the story. Tierney is also excellent in the creation of secondary characters, particularly Shanahan’s younger lover, Maureen, and in this story his one and grandson.

   The identity of the murderer was no great surprise, but neither was it unbelievable. Indianapolis isn’t overburdened with PI’s, but with Shanahan and Michael Lewin’s Albert Samson, it certainly boasts two of the more unique.

      The Deets Shanahan series –

1. The Stone Veil (1990)
2. The Steel Web (1991)
3. The Iron Glove (1992)
4. The Concrete Pillow (1995)
5. Nickel-Plated Soul (2004)
6. Platinum Canary (2005)
7. Glass Chameleon (2006)
8. Asphalt Moon (2007)
9. Bloody Palms (2008)
10. Bullet Beach (2010)
11. Killing Frost (2015)