markfeltskog's review against another edition
A strong second entry in the first series in which I've been able to sustain interest since Robert B. Parker died and took Spenser with him. I wish Bruce DeSilva as long a career writing mystery novels as he enjoyed as a journalist.
dannafs's review
4.0
Bruce DeSilva's second Mulligan novel is as engaging as the first. Mulligan is a reporter for the failing Rhode Island newspaper, the Dispatch. As a veteran reporter, he has inserted himself into the lives of dozens of influential Rhode Islanders, ranging from mobsters to pimps to police captains.
In Cliff Walk, Mulligan witnesses a murder at a Newport charity ball. The killing is linked to a relentless web of crimes, and Mulligan finds himself in the center, running elbows with both sides of the law, to solve the crimes and be the first to tell the tale. Mulligan is a smart-aleck, and the novel has a never-ending witty banter that is actually amusing enough to not be irritating. For example:
"The worst places always seem to be named after the best people. Any Franklin Delano Roosevelt High School, Martin Luther King Drive, or Dorothea Dix Hospital is likely to be a war zone" (182).
One of the things I most enjoyed about both Mulligan novels is that they take place in Rhode Island. DeSilva does a remarkable job of bringing this colorful little state to life. The endless connections of Rhode Islanders, both corrupt and benign, are entertaining and oh-so true.
Cliff Walk ended in a way that invites a third novel, but also tied up the loose ends in an unexpected manner. This book is just the right dose of crime, humor, and superhero-bad-guy-fighting to make me hope DeSilva resurrects Mulligan for a third installment.
In Cliff Walk, Mulligan witnesses a murder at a Newport charity ball. The killing is linked to a relentless web of crimes, and Mulligan finds himself in the center, running elbows with both sides of the law, to solve the crimes and be the first to tell the tale. Mulligan is a smart-aleck, and the novel has a never-ending witty banter that is actually amusing enough to not be irritating. For example:
"The worst places always seem to be named after the best people. Any Franklin Delano Roosevelt High School, Martin Luther King Drive, or Dorothea Dix Hospital is likely to be a war zone" (182).
One of the things I most enjoyed about both Mulligan novels is that they take place in Rhode Island. DeSilva does a remarkable job of bringing this colorful little state to life. The endless connections of Rhode Islanders, both corrupt and benign, are entertaining and oh-so true.
Cliff Walk ended in a way that invites a third novel, but also tied up the loose ends in an unexpected manner. This book is just the right dose of crime, humor, and superhero-bad-guy-fighting to make me hope DeSilva resurrects Mulligan for a third installment.
vkemp's review
5.0
Two days. It took me two days to read this because I had to sleep some time. Liam Mulligan is back with the wisecracks and the one-liners. This time he is taking on prostitution in Rhode Island, where it has been legal due to loophole in the law. It is mostly a one man crusade since his newspaper is going down like a stone. And then the ugly stuff starts, the bodies of dead children start turning up at a local pig farm. Excellent writing and funny dialogue, along with a cameo appearance by the author's wife. Good stuff, highly recommended.
catmum's review
5.0
Mulligan investigates child deaths, pornography, prostitution and crooked politicians. Very few people are all good or all bad and he realizes it's hard to tell which is which, even among those he's known the longest. If anything, this series entry is even better than the first for which DeSilva won the Edgar.
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