Created by Ronald Tierney
(1944-2017)
Get ready for another San Francisco treat…
In Death in Pacific Heights (2009), we’re introduced to San Francisco private eye CARLY PALADINO who chucks her gig at a large security agency to strike out on her own. She sets up office space with fellow gumshoe NOAH LANG, a rough-and-tumble small-timer who’s a far cry from her previous employers. And a little confused about his feelings towards his gender-switching Vietnamese pal, Tranh.
Since then, there have been a couple of sequels, Death in North Beach (2010) and Death in the Haights (2012), and even a novella that served as a sort of ballsy, standalone prequel set back in the nineties, “Mascara: Death in the Tenderloin” (2011), set back when Noah was working solo, and not doing very well. And then he picks up a girl in a bar, except, well, she’s not exactly a girl…
Given the writing muscle of the author, Ronald Tierney, who’s also given us the long-running and acclaimed series about septuagenarian shamus Deets Shanahan, it looked like the start of a beautiful friendship…
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Besides the acclaimed Deets Shanahan series, Ronald Tierney started another series in the fall of 2015, when Orca released The Blue Dragon, a novella featuring a Chinese-American forensic accountant and reluctant private eye, Peter Strand. Tierney was also the founding editor of NUVO Newsweekly, an Indianapolis alternative weekly, and the editor of a San Francisco monthly. He lived for twenty-five years in the Bay Area, before moving to Palm Springs in his later years., where he was still working on several writing projects, when he passed away in 2017.
A PERSONAL NOTE
I was fortunate to correspond with Ron several times over the last few years, at first just about books, but later about other things, including films, politics and writing, and while I’d never say we were “friend-friends,” I always felt better seeing his name pop up in my inbox. It’s probably fitting that his last two books were part of the Orca Books Rapid Reads program, which published books for “adults who struggle with literacy.” Ronald gave so much to folks; this was like a parting gift. The man was just a stand-up guy, funny and involved, and he gave a damn. I’m sorry he’s gone.
NOVELS
- Death in Pacific Heights (2009) | Buy this book | Buy the audio
- Death in North Beach (2010) | Buy this book  | Buy the audio | Kindle it!
- Death in the Haight (2012) |Â Kindle it!
NOVELLAS
- Mascara: Death in the Tenderloin (2011) |Â Buy this book |Â Kindle it!
FURTHER INVESTIGATION
- They Left Their Hearts…
Some More San Francisco Treats. - Life, Death and Fog
A great blog, particularly when Tierney suggested weekly crime film double features, and the drinks to match. Still up years after the last post!
Report respectfully submitted by Kevin Burton Smith.
