Swan Dive

John Francis Cuddy #4

by Jeremiah Healy

John Francis Cuddy returns as a hired bodyguard protecting a mother and child in a nasty divorce case that involves him with a cocaine distribution ring and a double murder

Genres: Mystery, Mystery Thriller

Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

aka Terry Devane

Jeremiah Healy was the creator of the John Francis Cuddy private-investigator series and the author of several legal thrillers. A former sheriff's officer and military police captain, Healy was also a graduate of Rutgers College and the Harvard Law School. He practiced law in Boston before teaching for eighteen years at the New England School of Law. His first novel, BLUNT DARTS, was published in 1984 and introduced Cuddy, the Boston-based private eye who has become Healy¹s best-known character. Moral, honest--and violent, when need-be--Cuddy makes his living solving cases that have fallen through the cracks of the formal judicial system.

Of his thirteen Cuddy novels and two collections of short stories, fifteen have either won or been nominated for the Shamus Award.
www.JeremiahHealy.com

Series:
* John Francis Cuddy

Reviews

[Jeff Dickison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent series as John Cuddy, Boston PI, helps a woman trying to get a divorce from a really nasty rich guy. Drugs and prostitution wind up being involved and Cuddy is suspected of murder. Highly recommend for plenty of action and good storyline.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was not familiar with Jeremiah Healy's PI series featuring John Cuddy, and decided to select this from a list of Kindle Unlimited books because of the Boston setting. I spent the past week in that city and liked the idea of reading about the location while visiting.
This book was published in the 1980's and there are actually 12 other books in the series I can now look forward to reading. I think I will do a rewind and go to the first book next because Cuddy has frequent conversations with his dead wife at her place of burial and she makes some worthwhile contributions to his decision making so I would like to meet her in earlier books if that is possible.
Healy created a fine main character in Cuddy. In this book his physical stamina is required as well as a dogged determination to see justice meted.
Where to start? Corrupt lawyers, vile villains, dodgy police, troubled wives, rising body count and then there are the dishonest friends leading Cuddy into very deep waters. A Greek lawyer Cuddy knew back in college asks Cuddy to serve as a bodyguard at a divorce settlement session that kicks off a very interesting series of deadly events. Very good read.

[Francis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jeremiah Healy was an excellent writer who passed away recently. This is the fourth book in his John Francis Cuddy series of which there were fifteen, spanning the years from 1984 to 2003. The Shamus award is given out each year by the Private Eye Writers of America. Of the fifteen books in this series, one was awarded the Shamus in 1987 and six others were named finalist for the award.

His Detective, John Francis Cuddy, is another Irish Southie from Boston. As far as his Detective DNA I would say he definitely descended from the Chandler, MacDonald line. Yeah, you can call him hard boiled. You know, he's one of those lonely tarnished knights who wander back urban alleys dealing with unreliable characters and all of life's ambiguous morale questions. But, you can always see some light at the end of the tunnel with John Cuddy and he's got that gentle yet somewhat cynical, sense of humour, so even though things can get violent, it's not noir, cause you know he'll be standing at the end. Beat up, but proud of what he's accomplished, yet ...still broker than hell.

This story starts with a divorce and a sadistic husband but quickly evolves into something more, but probably not what you're thinking. So you know, it's gonna be fast paced and maybe have some unexpected twists and turns. But that's OK cause to make a good detective story you gotta have that stuff and this one has plenty. And, oh yeah, it was one of those finalist the year it came out.

It's available as an ebook and if you are an Scribd or Kindle Unlimited subscriber it's available along with most of the other books in the series.

So, enjoy.

[Scout · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good, easy read.

[Lois]

don't read mysteries much, but I like the main character, good story line

[Allen E. Humphries · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

As I've lived, and worked, in the places in this story I could shut my eyes and envision being there as everything happened. As with all of his books - there were couple of really unsuspected surprises at the end. It's a real "can't put it down" story!

[Brian O'Leary · Rating 2 out of 5]

A definite dip in the series

[David Freas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This, the fourth book in the John Francis Cuddy series is another step up in quality.

Cuddy, asked by a long-time friend to bodyguard a woman seeking a divorce from her domineering husband, soon finds himself suspected of murdering the husband, attacked by drug dealers, and searching for a missing cache of cocaine. His relationship with a woman ADA is taking steps forward too.

This was a tight, taut novel full of action and thrills with no wasted words. I was surprised how quickly I reached the end. That it was written in 1988 and reflects the technology of that time made it that much more enjoyable.

Sadly, Mr. Healy took his own life recently so there will be no more Cuddy novels. All we can do is savor the books he left us.