Buried on Avenue B - (Darlene O'Hara) by Peter de Jonge (Paperback)

About the Book

Hailed by the Chicago Tribune as an "utterly irresistible heroine," Darlene O'Hara--the brilliant, hard-living, obsessive, and somewhat self-destructive detective introduced in Peter de Jonge's 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 York's 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 O'Hara "one of the freshest, hippest detective creations in many a year," and the New York Times has described Peter de Jonge's 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 O'Hara is cop to be reckoned with.

Book Synopsis

Hailed by the Chicago Tribune as an "utterly irresistible heroine," Darlene O'Hara--the brilliant, hard-living, obsessive, and somewhat self-destructive detective introduced in Peter de Jonge's 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 York's 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 O'Hara "one of the freshest, hippest detective creations in many a year," and the New York Times has described Peter de Jonge's 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 O'Hara is cop to be reckoned with.

From the Back Cover

A home health attendant appears at Homicide South in Manhattan, skeptically reporting the confession of a senior citizen struggling with Alzheimer's to NYPD Detective Darlene O'Hara. 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. The city agrees to excavate the alleged scene of the crime, and the police find a body--the skeleton of a ten-year-old boy.

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 to a retirement community in South Florida. Driving headlong into the dark urban underbelly, she must find a killer and stop the cycle before yet another child is lost to the depths of the city.

Review Quotes

""Startling plot twists. . . . In the noirish, character-driven vein of Dennis Lehane or Michael Connelly." - New York Times
"SHADOWS STILL REMAIN is a killer of a thriller with a wonderfully human, perfectly rendered heroine at its center. You can't help but fear for her and root for her in equal measure. A terrific read." - Dennis Lehane
"SHADOWS has grit, color, suspense, and believable characters, and is delivered in a sharp and gratifyingly terse prose. . . . This guy is good." - St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"Peter De Jonge's journalist training is apparent in this book. The plot unfolds much like a news story as we learn more day by day. . . . His eye for detail is a treat. Mr. De Jonge also knows how to create great characters who keep BURIED ON AVENUE B humming along." - New York Journal of Books
"Mr. de Jonge clearly enjoys himself throughout this police procedural, and it makes all the difference." - East Hampton Star
"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
"Mr. de Jonge's descriptions are so gritty and lovely and real. The writing is always a pleasure to read and there are moments of absolute truth and gorgeousness." - East Hampton Star
"I'll bet you $1 that BURIED ON AVENUE B is as good as--or better than--any mystery novel that comes out of Scandinavia, the rest of Europe, or America from sea to shining sea this year. It isn't exactly realism--but that's because the dialogue is too sharp and funny." - James Patterson
"Edgy. . . comes full circle in a stunningly creative manner. De Jonge's 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 Jonge--or as O'Hara would say, "Avenue B's friggin' amazing!" - Library Journal (starred review)
"De Jonge's 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
"A compelling and puzzling mystery narrative peppered with memorable characters...De Jonge has earned himself a permanent place on this reviewer's "must read" list." - Joe Hartlaub on Bookreporter.com