The Con Man's Daughter

Ed Dee is smokin' hot with The Con Man's Daughter. Kidnapping, mystery, shocks, thrills, tenderness...this novel has it all in spades. Retired cop Eddie Dunne has just gotten his life together when his past comes to haunt him. His daughter is kidnapped by the Russian Mafia. He has to find her no matter what he has to do to accomplish it. Get ready for some sizzling twists and turns as secrets from the past tumble his world into one of intense suspense. Don't miss this one!

I just finished reading "The Con Man's Daughter" by Ed Dee. This intriguing novel kept me involved and transported to the streets with the main character, Eddie Dunne, and his gritty search for his kidnapped daughter. As the events unfold, I felt the rumbling of the el overhead, Eddie's exasperation, the twists and turns of dealing with his past links with the New York Police and the Russian mob. I tried to guess the results and was still surprised by the ending! Neatly tied sequences and lots of drama kept the pages turning. The action in this story would be a great movie!

Dee, a retired NYPD Organized Crime lieutenant, sets aside his series cops, Anthony Ryan and Joe Gregory ("14 Peck Slip," "Nightbird"), to deliver a taut, intense thriller featuring ex-cop, ex-boxer, ex-Russian mob courier, ex-drinker, and ex-brawler Eddie Dunne."The sins of Eddie Dunne's past returned on a cold morning in April, more than four years after he'd turned his life around." For those sins, someone snatches Eddie's daughter, Kate, while he's walking the delight of his life, his granddaughter, Grace, to school. Eddie knows it's got to have some connection to the Russian mob, but what?Not one to hang around thinking (a character trait that usually, but not always, works for him), he goes after his old Russian boss, who points him to the new boss, Borodenko. Eddie firebombs the man's car to get his attention and that night someone slings Eddie's crooked ex-partner's severed head at his front door.The feds jump into the mix, looking to trade for Russian mob secrets. Eddie will take any help he can get, but knows he's mostly on his own. Dee's Russians are truly, badly scary and the tangled plot material - Russian medicare fraud, gas tax schemes, car smuggling, money laundering and murder; FBI wiretaps and deals; crooked cops, and Italian mafiosi rip offs - feels as authentic as it is fascinating.But the engine powering this story is Eddie. Relentless Eddie proves unstoppable. Even he doesn't know what he might do next. With his keen intelligence, and deep, but not self-pitying, regrets, this fearless implacability makes him a rivetting protagonist.From Coney Island to the Dunne family Irish bar in Yonkers, Dee knows the sociopaths, con-artists, grimmer corners and old neighborhoods of New York. His characters, from 6-year-old Grace to the incomprehensible ruthless Russians, live and breathe on the page. A terrific read.

I have been a Dee fan since his first book- 14 Peck Slip, although I miss Anthony Ryan & Joe Gregory from his previous books- The Con Man's Daughter is the best one yet! Eddie Dunne is an incredible character from his remorse over past deeds to his fierce love for his family - Sean Penn wake up and smell the Oscar this character has your name ( with some make-up ) written all over him! There were moments while reading this book that tore at my heart- Eddie thinking about how his daughter's green shirt set off her red hair just as her grammer school tartan dress once had. And how she called out Daddy something she had not called him for a very long time. Dee write's female characters so well, I especially liked Eddie's sister-in-law Martha, and Babsie -well what can I say- she is the best- Hey Jamie Lee Curtis wanna hear And the Oscar goes to - You? Check Babsie out! There were also times that I smiled so hard my cheeks hurt there is a part about his daughter and a pogo stick- just great! This book is Ed Dee's moment in the Sun!

Another fabulous book by one of my favorite authors, Eddie Dee. I have read all his past books with Anthony Ryan and Joe Gregory as hero's but this one was extra special for me since I am a product of Yonkers, NY upbringing. It was a wonderful place, at the time to grow up and all those memories came flooding back as Eddie would use a lot of Yonkers references throughout this now book. It was a book that I could not put down once I got into it. The drama builds beautifully and the insights Eddie provides about detective work were tremendously interesting. I can't wait for his next book to arrive.