Synopses & Reviews
In the second of Joseph Hansen's mysteries featuring Dave Brandstetter, Brandstetter finds himself sifting through the elaborate lies surrounding the murder of John Oats, whose drugged body was found washed up on the beach. Left behind are April Stannard, John's lover, and his son, Peter, who was the beneficiary of his life insurance policy. The trouble is, Peter is missing.
Review
"Hansen is the most exciting and effective writer of the classic private-eye novel working today."—Los Angeles Times
Review
Lev Raphael breathes menace into his university setting, and brilliantly tightens the screws on the reader while driving his heroes to the brink with guns, drugs and violence.”Justin Evans, author of The White Devil
Review
A splendidly written story of innocence, intrigue, and invisible enemies, Assault with a Deadly Lie waltzes beautifully between poignancy and terror. But better still is the question that will haunt readers long after the book is put down: Could this happen to me?”P.J. Parrish, author of Heart of Ice
Review
From the first page to the last, this novel flies at breakneck speed, but it also mesmerizes as it unspools in perfect detail. Despite the placid surface, all is not quite right in Michiganapolis, and the breathless fun of this mystery isnt just its twists and surprises, but also the utterly recognizable place and time and fully-formed characters with all their believable quirks and secrets. Lev Raphael hasnt so much written a mystery as he has created a world and planted the reader at the center of it: Dont start this one until you're ready to follow it anywhere!”Laura Kasischke, author of The Raising
Review
College towns are sleepy places and government agencies keep us secureright? Not in Lev Raphaels exciting new novel. The action starts on the first page, and the tension and paranoia build in ways that are far too plausible. Sharply observed, smartly paced, but thoughtful and compassionate from beginning to end.”Joseph Finder, author of Paranoia and High Crimes
Review
In Assault with a Deadly Lie, the ivory tower topples under a barrage of guns and violence. Nick Hoffman and his partner find that literature and an idyllic domestic life are no match for a deranged characters revenge conspiracy.”Lynn C. Miller, author of Death of a Department Chair
Review
Lev Raphael adds another literate and compulsively readable book to his acclaimed Nick Hoffman novels, and this may be the best one yet.”Michael Nava, author of the Henry Rios mysteries
Review
“A real winner—a controversial suspense novel that could easily have been torn from today’s headlines.”—Ray Walsh,
Lansing State Journal Review
“It’s a terrifying thought: the idea that someone can accuse you of a crime, and a SWAT team shows up at your door and drags you away. . . . Raphael makes it quite clear that no one is immune.”—Vanessa Orr,
Mystery SceneSynopsis
Death Claims is the second of Joseph Hansen's acclaimed mysteries featuring ruggedly masculine Dave Brandstetter, a gay insurance investigator. When John Oats's body is found washed up on a beach, his young lover April Stannard is sure it was no accident. Brandstetter agrees: Oats's college-age son, the beneficiary of the life insurance policy, has gone missing.
Synopsis
Successful professor Nick Hoffman finds his secure, happy, college-town life changed forever after a nightmarish encounter with police. A novel of suspense set in the academic world,
Assault with a Deadly Lie probes the disturbing psychological impact of slander, harassment, stalking, police brutality, and the loss of personal safety.
About the Author
Joseph Hansen (1923-2004) was the author of more than 25 novels and a renowned short story writer. The winner of the 1992 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America, Hansen was also the author of A Smile in his Lifetime, Living Upstairs, Job's Year, and Bohannon's Country.