On Lonesome Roads
A Peter O'Keefe Novel
On Lonesome Roads is an explosive thriller in which a haunted investigator risks his life to find an assassin.
In Dan Flanigan’s thriller On Lonesome Roads, a private investigator evades an assassination attempt—and then works to find out who wants him dead.
As a private eye, Peter has made quite a few enemies—one of whom attempted to eliminate him once and for all. But the crude bomb planted in his car wasn’t powerful enough to kill Peter. Still, the experience left him with burns and psychological trauma. He endured torturous physical therapy and still feels hunted. He suspects that this is all the work of the local mafia, the Outfit.
Peter is a complicated hero who shrugs off the sympathy of others, despite all that he’s survived. To protect his family, friends, and other innocents, he relies on his allies and resources as he wades into the criminal underworld with only his gift for investigation and his analytical mind to protect him. His ex-wife doesn’t trust that he can keep their daughter safe; his daughter, Kelly, has her own worries, thanks to her mother’s upcoming marriage to a suspicious man. And Peter knows that those who planted the bomb aren’t going to give up. He works to draw the killer out in a consistent, tense way.
The book’s focus bounces between Peter, his daughter, and members of the local mafia. Its secondary cast is dynamic and vivifying, as when Peter’s overprotective partner bypasses his security to prove that Peter is being naïve. Still, Peter dominates the book, and much of its world is filtered through the lens of his military experience and private investigative work, with some sensory details included.
This series entry includes sufficient context and callbacks to enable new audiences to knowledgeably follow Peter’s fight for survival. Its own plot is a twisting one: Peter has no clear evidence of who wants him dead or why, so he has to follow clues and delve into fraught situations in pursuit of that missing information. Despite the high stakes of each new, jarring situation that he encounters (these include a murder, a shootout, and a snake bite), his pursuit of the truth remains dogged. He seems invincible at times. Intrigue builds as a potential war between various mafia factions heats up. The book’s resolutions are satisfying—while also leaving room for future series adventures.
On Lonesome Roads is an explosive thriller in which a haunted investigator risks his life to find an assassin.
Reviewed by
John M. Murray
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
