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Review of DEAD ON by Michael Paulson
A DEACON BISHOP MYSTERY
BooksForABuck.com, May 2006
Bishop ignores the local cop's warning to get out of town--and it doesn't take long before that warning is followed by something a lot more physical and a lot more direct. But Bishop has the scent of something nasty, something corrupt, and something very blond. Could Leon have confessed to cover for his wife, or even his daughter? Both of them had plenty of reasons to murder Eli--including millions of dollars worth of cocaine and Eli's history of sexual predation--predation that didn't stop at family lines.
In a strong debut, author Michael Paulson delivers a classic hard-boiled private detective story. Bishop is tough, works in shades of gray, and isn't anyone you'd want to bring home to meet mom--unless mom was in serious trouble. Paulson does a great job peeling back the layers of corruption that drugs, sex, and greed created in the sweltering heat of south Texas.
If you enjoy the hardboiled action of Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe, Mickey Spillaine's Mike Hammer and Ross MacDonald's Lew Archer, you'll enjoy the Michael Paulson's Deacon Bishop.
See more BooksForABuck.com reviews of mysteries by Michael Paulson.
Four Stars
Approximately 77,000 words.
Reviewed 5/15/06
DEAD ON is available for only $3.99. To buy DEAD ON, click the Buy Now Button:
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Still not sure? You can read the first chapter for FREE.
Brad Enslen at ACME Mystery and Detective Directory (www.acmedirectory.com) says "Dead On is a good read ... I hope author Michael Paulson writes some more novels staring his hard boiled character "Deacon Bishop" - I'll buy them." Read the whole review here.
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When a scruffy ex-boxer picks up private detective Deacon Bishop at the south Texas airport, Bishop worries that he's made a long trip for nothing. Because Leon Huggins doesn't look like he could pay a bar tab, let alone a detective's retainer. But Leon isn't the client--not at first, anyway. Leon's brother is supposed to be the client but when Eli Huggins ends up dead and Leon is charged with murder, Bishop decides to stick around and find out the truth. Because one thing he's sure of--Leon is innocent, yet the man ex-boxer is quick to confess to his brother's murder.
