Synopses & Reviews
When a home health attendant, Paulette Williamson, appears at Homicide South in Manhattan, she's introduced to the NYPD's Detective Darlene O'Hara and skeptically reports the confession of a senior citizen struggling with Alzheimer's. Gus Henderson, a former junkie and petty criminal, claims he murdered and buried his former partner-in-crime in a park off Avenue B more than a decade ago, a lowlife who fell off the grid and hasn't been seen since. The city agrees to excavate the alleged scene of the crime, and the police find a body—just not the one they were looking for.
The cops unearth the skeleton of a ten-year-old boy, neatly dressed and buried ceremoniously with a comic book, a CD, some pot, and booze. Instead of an easy open-and-shut case, O'Hara is faced with finding the murderer of a child, and the pressure is on the newly promoted detective to prove herself. The trail takes O'Hara from the seediest corners of the city and its cast of misguided players—a coven of preteen potheads in Tompkins Square Park, a sleazy art house photographer in Chelsea—to a retirement community in South Florida.
Driving headlong into the dark urban underbelly to find a killer, O'Hara uncovers a tribe of criminals who brazenly prey on the weakest members of the population, and she must stop the cycle before yet another child is lost to the depths of the city.
Review
“Ill bet you $1 that BURIED ON AVENUE B is as good asor better thanany mystery novel that comes out of Scandinavia, the rest of Europe, or America from sea to shining sea this year. It isnt exactly realismbut thats because the dialogue is too sharp and funny.” James Patterson
Review
“Edgy. . . comes full circle in a stunningly creative manner. De Jonges hard-boiled prose and urban slang transports readers of serious crime fiction through gritty, harsh scenes populated with colorful characters Another stellar read from de Jongeor as OHara would say, “Avenue Bs friggin amazing!” Library Journal (starred review)
Review
“De Jonges cop humor is true to life and the crime is true to the city. He also does sweet justice to New York, evoking the LES of 30 years ago as his cops work its latter-day streets.” New York Daily News
Review
“Mr. de Jonge clearly enjoys himself throughout this police procedural, and it makes all the difference.” East Hampton Star
Review
“A compelling and puzzling mystery narrative peppered with memorable characters…De Jonge has earned himself a permanent place on this reviewers “must read” list.” Joe Hartlaub on Bookreporter.com
Review
“De Jonge he tells his story with style, a generous helping of whimsy and a sharp eye for the odd corners and myriad eccentricities of Manhattan.” Washington Post Book World
Synopsis
Hailed by the
Chicago Tribune as an “utterly irresistible heroine,” Darlene OHara—the brilliant, hard-living, obsessive, and somewhat self-destructive detective introduced in Peter de Jonges acclaimed crime fiction masterwork
Shadows Still Remain—returns in
Buried on Avenue B.
An edgy and suspenseful noir thriller, Buried on Avenue B traverses the gritty landscape of New Yorks Lower East Side and the more sordid corners of Sarasota, Florida, as a gruesome and unexpected discovery in a makeshift Alphabet City grave heats up a 17-year-old cold case.
James Patterson calls Darlene OHara “one of the freshest, hippest detective creations in many a year,” and the New York Times has described Peter de Jonges writing as “in the noirish, character-driven vein of Dennis Lehane or Michael Connelly.” For fans of serious crime fiction, Peter de Jonge is a must-read, and Detective Darlene OHara is cop to be reckoned with.
About the Author
Peter de Jonge has coauthored three New York Times bestsellers with James Patterson: Beach Road, The Beach House, and Miracle on the 17th Green. He has been a reporter for the Associated Press and a contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine. His work has appeared in Best American Sports Writing, National Geographic, Harper's Bazaar, Details, and Manhattan, Inc. He lives in New York City.