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Praise for Ask a Dead Man
Publishers Weekly
Best known as a series author (the well-received Neil Gulliver and Steve
Marriner mysteries: Hot Paint, etc.), Levinson now spins a novel that not only
stands alone but stands tall. Writing with considerable invention, grace and
energy, the author, who's a national director at-large of Mystery Writers of
America, tells an intricate and emotionally potent tale of murder and double
cross. His anti-heroine here is one KC McClory, widow of Frankie McClory, a
slain IRA honcho, who's asked by her dead husband's malevolent brother to
smuggle guns into America to give to the Plowman, an IRA assassin who aims to
kill a world leader in exchange for moneys flowing to the IRA; in the U.S., KC
is to stay at the Pasadena home of Judge Osborne and his family, who raised her.
Credible but terrible complications ensue almost at once. KC, we learn, is in
fact an agent of TRIAD, a U.S. counter terrorism operation, but TRIAD no longer
trusts her; some of the novel's tension arises from KC's juggling the wishes of
the IRA and TRIAD. More arises when an assassin disguised as a priest picks her
up on the train to Pasadena and tries to kill her�his fatal mistake; and when
the investigating cop in the homicide turns out to be Peter Osborne, the Judge's
son and KC's old flame, the complications grow byzantine, eventually putting KC
and those she loves at great risk. This is a dense, dark, beautifully wrought
tale of love and betrayal, sin and retribution, offering serious suspense,
terrific twists and full-blooded characters. Levinson may not have an Irish name
but he carries the soul of the Irish poets in his pen and in his heart�only a
dead man wouldn't relish this read.
Copyright � Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All
rights reserved.
Booklist
Determined to avenge the death of her husband, Frankie, KC McClory finds herself
in a plot to assassinate a world leader (this makes more sense than it appears
to make). Meanwhile, an assassin called the Plowman--a member of a group of
former-IRA mercenaries once led by the now-deceased Frankie--is out to get KC
(this isn't quite as complicated as it sounds, either). Oh, and Frankie was a
traitor, secretly working for the Americans, and maybe KC is, too. It all gets
genuinely exciting as KC chases some people, is chased by some others, and
perseveres out of undiluted love for her dead husband. The novel is rough going
in places--the author is not a great stylist--but it sinks its narrative claws
into our skin and drags us along on what proves to be an exhilarating ride. Fans
of Levinson's Neil Gulliver and Stevie Marriner novels might be a little put off
by the shift in tone here, but if they give the story a chance, they will be
amply rewarded.
David Pitt Copyright � American Library Association. All rights reserved
"...Levinson's story structure, eye for detail, flavorsome style, and knack
for Hitchcockian suspense set pieces cannot be denied."
"The Jury Box," Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine
"Talk about a story that doesn't quit until the very last page. Wow! The
plotting is incredible, the shifting POVs dazzling, the humor is delicious, the
mastery of the Irish lilt flawless, and the sheer joy in the act of writing
etched on every page...A rollercoaster of a read."
Jerry Ludwig, award-winning author of Getting Garbo
2002 - Hot Paint reviews
2001 - The John Lennon Affair reviews
2000 - The James Dean Affair reviews
1999 - The Elvis and Marilyn Affair reviews
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