Rating: 
Summary: Eureka strikes gold !
Review: What a great book ! Take a journey back in time, first to turrn-of-the-century coastal California & a frontier town called Eureka, then to the battlefields of Europe in World War I, & finally to Los Aneles of the 1940's, when it all comes together. This is a great "noir" novel & one of my favorite books of the year !
Rating:
Summary: Unique Thriller
Review: When I first picked up this book, I almost passed on it. A story about the Old West was not my thing. Glad I changed my mind! This thriller is absorbing, different, and refreshing. No computer mumbo-jumbo; just a good, old-fashioned Raymond Chandler-esque read. A definite recommendation! Sit back and enjoy the ride.
Rating:
Summary: A great story - Beautifully written - One of the year's best
Review: William Diehl shows his versatility as a writer and story teller in this novel which covers most of the first half of the 20th Century. It is a story with many facets, but essentially it is about the lives of two strong men and how the events of the time brought them together.It is 1941 and Homicide Detective Sargeant Zee Bannon, LAPD is looking into what at first appears to be an accidental death. Verna Wilensky has been electrocuted by a radio falling into her bath or so it seems until the coroner discovers that her lungs are full of water. It is also discovered that the unfortunate Ms. Wilensky was the recipient of a monthly cashier's check for $500 for many years and that efforts to trace her background end abruptly in 1928. It turns out that many of the checks were drawn on banks located in the town of San Pietro. The town itself has undergone quite a change since 1928, including changing it's name. It was originally founded as Eureka and during that time it was a haven for bootlegging, gambling and all of the things those activities spawn. We are told the story, early on of how Eureka came to change through the activities of Thomas Brodie Culhane. Growing up poor and orphaned, Culhane becomes best friends with the son of one of the town's wealthiest men Eli Gorman, who has plans for making Eureka a proper town, free from the vice and the characters that are controlling it. The story of how he goes about that is as interesting as the rest of the book and that part of the story continues to weave itself through what follows as the investigation into the death of Ms. Wilensky continues. By the time Sargeant Bannon comes calling, Brodie Culhane is the town's Sheriff and a war hero and throughout the remainder of the
book the characters are intertwined until the end. Trying to relate it in outline form here would not do it justice. This is the first book in a long time that after finishing it, I was tempted to reread it immediately. The characters are beautifully drawn and the story has so many interesting twists and turns that I am sure I missed something on the first time through. However, what I did not miss was one of the best reading experiences I have had in a long, long time and I read a lot and I like a lot of what I read. This is an exceptional book by an author who clearly takes the time necessary to write and tell his story.
Rating:
Summary: Top notch film-noir type murder mystery
Review: William Diehl weaves a beautifully conceived and convoluted tale surrounding homicide Detective Sergeant Zeke Bannon of the Los Angeles Police Department in 1941. Bannon and his partner, Ski" Agassi stumble into an apparent accidental bathtub drowning of a middle aged woman in a middle class L.A. neighborhood. Upon investigation they discover the woman, Verna Wilensky died without a will and with $98,000 in a savings account. This amount accrued as a result of a monthly check for $500, a princely sum in the depression, for about 17 years. Eventually forensics determines that the accident was actually a murder. Bannon discovers that most of the checks have originated from a town about 100 miles north of L.A., called San Pietro. San Pietro formerly known as Eureka, at the turn of the century had been an open, lawless town replete with gambling, prostitution, and alcohol (despite Prohibition). Eureka was controlled by a group of rich robber baron types lead by railroad tycoon, Eli Gorman, who lived above the town in what was called "The Hill".
The town was kept under control by sheriff Buck Tallman who was adorned in a ten gallon Stetson, fringed suede jacket and a holstered .44 caliber Peacemaker. Tallman used to ride with Pat Garrett and Bat Masterson and knew how to keep chief mobster Arnie Riker in check. Tallman shepherded both Eli Gorman's son Ben and his best friend "Brodie" Culhane. As time passed Brodie Culhane left Eureka to become hugely decorated Marine war hero in World War One. He came back to eventually take over Buck Tallman's law enforcement duties in San Pietro. Tallman is ultimately killed in a wild shoot out with four gangsters in a high class bordello. Aided by a multitude of battle experienced war buddies, Culhane becomes the big wheel of the county and is now primed to run for governor of California. Culhane is unfortunately the central suspect in the murder being investigated by Bannon. Diehl diligently takes us through the plethora of layers of Bannon's investigation, revealing 20 year old secrets until the true nature of the crime is revealed. The book is marvelously authored and a classic 1940's period piece.
Rating:
Summary: Diehl's best ever
Review: William Diehl's books are generally fun to read. But in this book he has combined action, humour , romance and drama to perfection. Characters like Zeke Bannon, Brodie Culhane and Ski Agassi hold one's attention. Last chapter was brilliant which touches u. It was a kind of book which one feels like reading again.
Rating:
Summary: Diehl redeems himself
Review: Wlliam Diehl redeems himself with Eureka. Every book he's written has been great, until his last one Reign In Hell. And lets just say it was terrible. With Eureka, he's back in top form. It's a mystery set in the early part of the twentieth century. A woman dies accidently in her bathtub. The hero, LA homicide cop, Zeke Bannon finds evidence that points to the woman being murdered. Bannon follows a trail of evidence back to a small town called Eureka. The town is run by Sheriff Brodie Culhane, a war hero, who is beginning a campaign for govenor.
The characters are very real and likeable. Even the bad guys
Nothing is as it appears in this great story, and you'll be racing to finish it and then sorry that you did.
If you've never read Diehl before this is an excellant book to start with. And if you were put off by his last book, don't worry about it he is back at the top of his game.
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