Bullet Beach: A Deets Shanahan Mystery

Tierney's tepid 10th Deets Shanahan mystery (after 2008's Bloody Palms) alternates between the 72-year-old Indianapolis PI and his fellow PI friend, Howie Cross. Deets and his companion, Maureen, travel to Thailand in search of Deets's brother, Fritz, whom he hasn't seen since childhood. Fritz has been arrested for assault and battery, then released, according to a brief item in a two-year-old English-language Thai newspaper. In Thailand, Deets and Maureen learn more than they'd like about rubies, smuggling, and the dangerous life Fritz leads. Meanwhile, Howie gets a shock when the car he repossesses comes complete with the bodies of a man and a woman in the trunk. The male victim turns out to have been a powerful businessman's son-in-law, and every step Howie takes to clear himself of a possible murder charge sucks him into deeper trouble. The two stories mingle awkwardly, and both are diminished by the unsatisfying juxtaposition. (Jan.)