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O’Hara & Krekorian #1
La valse des ombres
A very good book for French readers.
299 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
106 people are currently reading
498 people want to read
About the author
Peter de Jonge
15 books33 followersPeter de Jonge is an American author and journalist known for both his solo crime novels and his bestselling collaborations with James Patterson. His debut novel Shadows Still Remain (2009) was named a Washington Post Best Book of the Year and introduced NYPD Detective Darlene O’Hara, a character inspired in part by a real-life homicide detective. He followed it with Buried on Avenue B in 2012, further establishing his voice in crime fiction.
De Jonge co-authored several #1 New York Times bestsellers with Patterson, including Miracle on the 17th Green, The Beach House, and Beach Road. His later collaborations include Miracle at Augusta, Miracle at St. Andrews, and Tiger, Tiger.
Beyond fiction, de Jonge has been a longtime contributor to The New York Times Magazine since 1986, and his nonfiction has appeared in National Geographic, DETAILS, New York, Harper’s Bazaar, and Manhattan, inc. His journalism has been recognized in anthologies such as Best American Sports Writing (1996, 2004).
Born in Stamford, Connecticut, de Jonge spent part of his childhood in Switzerland. He was a nationally ranked junior tennis player and later earned a degree from Princeton University. He began his writing career at local newspapers and the Associated Press before transitioning to copywriting and magazine journalism in New York. He lives in New York City, where his novels are set.
De Jonge co-authored several #1 New York Times bestsellers with Patterson, including Miracle on the 17th Green, The Beach House, and Beach Road. His later collaborations include Miracle at Augusta, Miracle at St. Andrews, and Tiger, Tiger.
Beyond fiction, de Jonge has been a longtime contributor to The New York Times Magazine since 1986, and his nonfiction has appeared in National Geographic, DETAILS, New York, Harper’s Bazaar, and Manhattan, inc. His journalism has been recognized in anthologies such as Best American Sports Writing (1996, 2004).
Born in Stamford, Connecticut, de Jonge spent part of his childhood in Switzerland. He was a nationally ranked junior tennis player and later earned a degree from Princeton University. He began his writing career at local newspapers and the Associated Press before transitioning to copywriting and magazine journalism in New York. He lives in New York City, where his novels are set.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 135 reviews
June 1, 2020
A police procedural set in New York that didn't start out bad, but collected just too many stereotypes in the course of the story to end end up more than mediocre.
2.5 stars, upgrade to 3.
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Ein Polizeikrimi aus New York mit einer eigenwilligen Ermittlerin und einem interessanten Fall.
Eine Studentin einer Eliteuni wird zuerst vermisst und dann tot aufgefunden. Der Leser begleitet die Ermittlerin wie sie immer mehr Details zu Opfer und Verbrechen aufdeckt, mit zahlreichen Widerständen in ihrer Dienststelle zu kämpfen hat, aber am Schluss das Verbrechen aufklärt und alle losen Enden verknüpfen kann.
Diese Ermittlerin hat wie so oft in dieser Art Krimis eine Menge privater Probleme, die sie für andere nicht gerade einfach im Umgang machen.
Obwohl das eigentlich gar nicht schlecht klingt, gab es dann zuviele nervige Aspekte an diesem Buch, als dass ich hier noch sonderlich begeistert sein könnte.
Ganz massiv aufgefallen sind mir die detailreichen Beschreibungen der New Yorker Stassen und Gebäude. Das ist bestimmt interessant, wenn man aus der Gegend kommt und viele Dinge wiedererkennt. Wenn man allerdings weder jemals in New York oder sogar in diesem New Yorker Viertel war, ist es eher so als läse man eine Texversion von Google Maps.
Irgendwann wurde mir dann auch das unangepasste Verhalten der Protagonistin zuviel. Vor allem fand ich wenig überzeugend, dass sie regelmäßig mit ihren Regelverstössen durchkam.
Der Kriminalfall war spannend und entwickelte sich unerwartet, allerdings auf Kosten der Glaubwürdigkeit.
Insgesamt sehe ich diesen Krimi bei 2,5 Sternen, aufgerundet auf 3.
2.5 stars, upgrade to 3.
-------------------------------
Ein Polizeikrimi aus New York mit einer eigenwilligen Ermittlerin und einem interessanten Fall.
Eine Studentin einer Eliteuni wird zuerst vermisst und dann tot aufgefunden. Der Leser begleitet die Ermittlerin wie sie immer mehr Details zu Opfer und Verbrechen aufdeckt, mit zahlreichen Widerständen in ihrer Dienststelle zu kämpfen hat, aber am Schluss das Verbrechen aufklärt und alle losen Enden verknüpfen kann.
Diese Ermittlerin hat wie so oft in dieser Art Krimis eine Menge privater Probleme, die sie für andere nicht gerade einfach im Umgang machen.
Obwohl das eigentlich gar nicht schlecht klingt, gab es dann zuviele nervige Aspekte an diesem Buch, als dass ich hier noch sonderlich begeistert sein könnte.
Ganz massiv aufgefallen sind mir die detailreichen Beschreibungen der New Yorker Stassen und Gebäude. Das ist bestimmt interessant, wenn man aus der Gegend kommt und viele Dinge wiedererkennt. Wenn man allerdings weder jemals in New York oder sogar in diesem New Yorker Viertel war, ist es eher so als läse man eine Texversion von Google Maps.
Irgendwann wurde mir dann auch das unangepasste Verhalten der Protagonistin zuviel. Vor allem fand ich wenig überzeugend, dass sie regelmäßig mit ihren Regelverstössen durchkam.
Der Kriminalfall war spannend und entwickelte sich unerwartet, allerdings auf Kosten der Glaubwürdigkeit.
Insgesamt sehe ich diesen Krimi bei 2,5 Sternen, aufgerundet auf 3.
June 7, 2009
If you fancy wasting a few hours on an appallingly written, cliched groan-fest of a book - I have found just the one for you!
By the time I reached the bottom of the first page I had rolled my eyes several times. With sentenses like "Pena turns west at fifty-second and with long athletic strides traverses another cheerless block. She passes six-storey walk-ups, a basement dry-cleaner and another cheerless pub...." Tsk tsk! Very sloppy!!
And don't get me started on the characters: an Irish detective with bright ginger hair and pale skin who desctibes herself as a "potato-eating mick". Then there's the hispanic drug-using mother, the fat boss who dismisses everything she says... etc etc.
Seriously, the plot is rubbish, the characters are walking cliches, the writing is sloppy and patronising in places. And I thought all this after 40 pages! I only finished because I had to write a review on it, otherwise it would have hit the wall long ago. The sticker on the front of my books says that it's as good as James Patterson or your money back. Believe me, if I had paid for it I would be sprinting to store as we speak.
By the time I reached the bottom of the first page I had rolled my eyes several times. With sentenses like "Pena turns west at fifty-second and with long athletic strides traverses another cheerless block. She passes six-storey walk-ups, a basement dry-cleaner and another cheerless pub...." Tsk tsk! Very sloppy!!
And don't get me started on the characters: an Irish detective with bright ginger hair and pale skin who desctibes herself as a "potato-eating mick". Then there's the hispanic drug-using mother, the fat boss who dismisses everything she says... etc etc.
Seriously, the plot is rubbish, the characters are walking cliches, the writing is sloppy and patronising in places. And I thought all this after 40 pages! I only finished because I had to write a review on it, otherwise it would have hit the wall long ago. The sticker on the front of my books says that it's as good as James Patterson or your money back. Believe me, if I had paid for it I would be sprinting to store as we speak.
April 27, 2009
In Shadows Still Remain Peter de Jonge (as in the frequent James Patterson co-author) creates O’Hara a beautiful, rash and ambitious detective. O’Hara “catches” her first murder case and is determined to work it so much so that she breaks all the rules of professionalism and police protocol. As she learns more about the victim, Franseca Pena, “the undisputed star…whose approval and messy snorts of laughter the others vie for”, each new clue only begets more questions. Out of her league and damaging her career, O’Hara doggedly pursues the only avenue of redemption—solving her case.
Peter de Jonge unsurprising reads much like James Patterson. You’ll find the same page turning elements and suspenseful drama amongst colorful descriptions like, “slushy rain slobbers all over the roof, and O’Hara tracks a fat brown droplet down the windshield.” De Jonge however has gone darker and delivers a better than average police procedural story. If you novelized a Law and Order SVU script, you’d have the gist. The book is loaded with surprises and is a tough to solve who done it. The title is apt, as it leaves the reader with many questions and unresolved story lines, and one can only conclude that this may be the beginning of an exciting series.
Peter de Jonge unsurprising reads much like James Patterson. You’ll find the same page turning elements and suspenseful drama amongst colorful descriptions like, “slushy rain slobbers all over the roof, and O’Hara tracks a fat brown droplet down the windshield.” De Jonge however has gone darker and delivers a better than average police procedural story. If you novelized a Law and Order SVU script, you’d have the gist. The book is loaded with surprises and is a tough to solve who done it. The title is apt, as it leaves the reader with many questions and unresolved story lines, and one can only conclude that this may be the beginning of an exciting series.
July 10, 2010
Really 2.5 stars. Clearly, the author is not a woman and does not have any clue as to what motivates women - so many of the victim's actions made no sense whatsoever. Same goes for the detective and even the dean of NYU. And whatever happened to the victim's geeky boyfriend?? This could have been so much better, and I'm disappointed that it wasn't.
May 2, 2010
When a woman’s body is found brutally murdered in East River Park, Detective Darlene O’Hara of the Seventh Precinct rushes to the scene. Darlene has taken a missing person’s report from David McLain who states that Francesca Pena, a beautiful, promising student at NYU did not come home for Thanksgiving dinner. David planned a Thanksgiving dinner for Pena and could not understand why Pena failed to come home. Detective O’Hara feels sure that the victim is Pena. O’Hara and her partner Serge Krekorian have been trying to retrace the last steps taken by Pena on the night before thanksgiving.
Detective Patrick Lowry, homicide detective, is not interested in any of O’Hara’s theories and feels sure the murderer must be Pena’s roommate McLain. O’Hara is just as sure that he isn’t the murderer. In spite of the fact that O’Hara is ordered to stay out of the case she goes ahead with her investigation even though she is put on report and faces the possibility of losing her job.
O’Hara sets up a timeline and traces the steps that Pena took the last evening of her life. This investigation uncovers the fact that Pena’s has several dark secrets in her past. The suspense builds as O’Hara gets closer and closer to the truth and finally reveals what really happened the night that Pena died. Even more startling is who is responsible for Pena’s death.
De Jonge’s first novel is recommended and hopefully we might see more of Detective O’Hara.
Read
September 23, 2009Shadows Still Remain, by Peter de Jonge, B-plus. Narrated by Tina Benko, produced by Harper Audio, downloaded from audible.com.
I believe this is a debut novel and very good for a first novel. The title is a good one because even after the mystery is solved, shadows still remain as to the why of things. Darlene O’Hara is a cop who, when on duty, interviewed a man who walked into the police station and said his roommate, Francesca Pena, was missing. She had gone out the night before Thanksgiving, knowing that he was going to cook them both a Thanksgiving dinner, and she had not come back. In fact, she had now been gone a few days. Then, Francesca’s body is found. Darlene thinks she and her partner will have the case for 72 hours before NYPD Homicide division takes over, but the case becomes high profile and homicide waltzes in right away. Darlene, a female cop who has made it so far through the ranks but with a large chip on her shoulder, soon risks her and her partner’s job to carry on with an investigation she has been told to drop. She finds out that there was a side of Francesca that no one knew about-a side which definitely created a motive for someone to murder her, but who did it? If this becomes a series, I suspect we will eventually deal with Darlene O’Hara’s excessive drinking. It’s a very good book and could be the good start to a series.
I believe this is a debut novel and very good for a first novel. The title is a good one because even after the mystery is solved, shadows still remain as to the why of things. Darlene O’Hara is a cop who, when on duty, interviewed a man who walked into the police station and said his roommate, Francesca Pena, was missing. She had gone out the night before Thanksgiving, knowing that he was going to cook them both a Thanksgiving dinner, and she had not come back. In fact, she had now been gone a few days. Then, Francesca’s body is found. Darlene thinks she and her partner will have the case for 72 hours before NYPD Homicide division takes over, but the case becomes high profile and homicide waltzes in right away. Darlene, a female cop who has made it so far through the ranks but with a large chip on her shoulder, soon risks her and her partner’s job to carry on with an investigation she has been told to drop. She finds out that there was a side of Francesca that no one knew about-a side which definitely created a motive for someone to murder her, but who did it? If this becomes a series, I suspect we will eventually deal with Darlene O’Hara’s excessive drinking. It’s a very good book and could be the good start to a series.
July 12, 2011
My copy of this book has a sticker claiming "as good as James Patterson or your money back" and for me it is very much like any given James Patterson (probably unsurprisingly so as Peter de Jonge has cowritten with Patteson several times.
It is an easy to read, fast paced novel. Francesca Pena goes missing from a New York bar and is later found tortured and killed. Detectives O'Hara and Krekorian find themselves with 72 hours to solve the crime before the Homicide Unit take over the case. They soon find that Pena is not all that she seemed and even those who thought they knew her well didn't. O'Hara and Krekorian end up conducting their own investigation in an attempt to stop the Homicide Department making a wrongful arrest.
It is an easy to read, fast paced novel. Francesca Pena goes missing from a New York bar and is later found tortured and killed. Detectives O'Hara and Krekorian find themselves with 72 hours to solve the crime before the Homicide Unit take over the case. They soon find that Pena is not all that she seemed and even those who thought they knew her well didn't. O'Hara and Krekorian end up conducting their own investigation in an attempt to stop the Homicide Department making a wrongful arrest.
June 15, 2009
NYU co-ed Francesca Pena disappears one Thanksgiving weekend. When her horribly mutilated corpse is found, NYPD homicide digs in. Detective Darlene O'Hara is this case's maverick investigator: of course she drinks too much and is smarter than all her superiors! Short chapters, snappy dialogue, red herrings, and more--blurbed by Lehane and Patterson. I'd definitely read this author again.
July 23, 2009
This mystery/thriller was well written, with original characters. Detective O'Hara is brilliant, dedicated and horribly flawed, just the way I like her. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys the unexpected and unique endings.
Perfect Summer read. Be warned, not for the youngsters.
Perfect Summer read. Be warned, not for the youngsters.
March 22, 2018
Superb detective novel, with an endearing main character and a very realistic investigation into the murder of a brilliant girl.
It's dark, it's rhythmic, of great intensity. In short, a model of its kind.
On the other hand, I found the book difficult to read, style and vocabulary often baffled me. But english is not my native language and I often have difficulties when I read an author for the first time.
It's dark, it's rhythmic, of great intensity. In short, a model of its kind.
On the other hand, I found the book difficult to read, style and vocabulary often baffled me. But english is not my native language and I often have difficulties when I read an author for the first time.
August 4, 2017
Solid, twisty, characterful... what's not to like? I will definitely be looking for more Darlene O'Hara. Seriously considered knocking off half a star for De Jonge naming an Indian college girl "Mehta Singh" in this day and age, but hey. I'm kind to people who write smashing thrillers.
September 22, 2012
I read Peter De Jonge's second Darlene O'Hara mytery,Buried on Avenue B: A Novel and enjoyed it so much that I decided to read the first book in the series. I was not disappointed. Shadows Still Remain is a riveting, character driven mystery with twists and turns galore. The protagonist, Darlene O'Hara is an interesting character and in this first book we get a look at her earlier life and what made her who she was in the second book of the series.
The story is about the murder of a young woman, a student at NYU, who is an ace intellectual, an athlete, and has worked her way up to a full scholarship from a life of poverty. She hangs out with a group of students who all are monied yet she is their leader in all ways. Why was she murdered?
The murder was by torture and slow death. The murderer got pleasure out of watching her die and this had to be for a specific reason. O'Hara gets in trouble with her supervisor, and is put on leave from the NYPD where she is an officer. However, she does not let this stop her from continuing the investigation on her own. Despite consuming copious amounts of alcohol, most of the time Darlene is on her game. She is able to look at the picture from all angles and sees things that others just don't perceive.
There are parts of the book, towards the end, that feel too rushed and read like red herrings. Despite this, I enjoyed the book immensely.
I look forward to further books in this series and recommend this mystery.
The story is about the murder of a young woman, a student at NYU, who is an ace intellectual, an athlete, and has worked her way up to a full scholarship from a life of poverty. She hangs out with a group of students who all are monied yet she is their leader in all ways. Why was she murdered?
The murder was by torture and slow death. The murderer got pleasure out of watching her die and this had to be for a specific reason. O'Hara gets in trouble with her supervisor, and is put on leave from the NYPD where she is an officer. However, she does not let this stop her from continuing the investigation on her own. Despite consuming copious amounts of alcohol, most of the time Darlene is on her game. She is able to look at the picture from all angles and sees things that others just don't perceive.
There are parts of the book, towards the end, that feel too rushed and read like red herrings. Despite this, I enjoyed the book immensely.
I look forward to further books in this series and recommend this mystery.
August 3, 2012
Nancy Pearl (the uber-librarian) recommended this but when I read the jacket cover I almost returned it to the library unread. Too many cliches: hard drinking cop, beautiful girl missing, gritty NYC streets. I was down to my last mystery, so I gave it a shot and it was actually pretty good with a twist at the end that I didn't see coming (but should have). Nevertheless, I doubt that I'll seek this author out for more. There are better books and Nancy Pearl knows it, but maybe she has read them all and now she has to resort to this. Dunno.
February 6, 2018
This was an easy read and a page turner but it didn't hang together very well. There was no convincing reason given for the suicide. When you think back after finishing the book the gruesome torture of the student was not really explained . Neither was the reason for her behaviour. So a bit unsatifying really.
January 7, 2010
This book was just okay. I'm always looking for new authors but was disappointed in this book. Not exactly sure why I was disappointed but the writing wasn't up to par with some of the more well known writers like Kellerman, Grisham, Cornwell.
April 29, 2023
RICK “SHAQ” GOLDSTEIN SAYS: “FORMER PATTERSON CO-AUTHOR… OUT-WRITES HIM IN THIS TALE!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------Peter De Jonge who has co-authored three books with James Patterson accomplishes something Patterson has not been able to do in a couple of years… and that is… write a compelling… interesting crime mystery… from start to finish. The author provides a fast-paced mystery that utilizes “Joseph Wambaugh-like”… lightly humorous… but accurate… character descriptions… of both good guys and bad. He also steers clear of the “Patterson-like” *SCHOOL-GIRL-GUSH” romantic interludes that make an adult reader feel like they have picked up a prepubescent girl’s young romance novel.
The story takes place in the NYPD’s Seventh Precinct… in and around the NYU campus. The protagonist is Detective Darlene (Dar) O’Hara a hard-drinking single mother… a self-described “BROOKLYN-IRISH”… with an eighteen-year-old son named Axl Rose O’Hara who is a freshman at the University of Washington. After introducing Dar and her trusty partner Serge Krekorian… the author displays a little humor describing some run of the mill… paltry crimes… and a cast of derelict local criminals… to get the readers familiar with both the personality of Dar and Serge… along with the integrated teamwork they display on a daily basis. Then on Thanksgiving, nineteen-year-old Francesca Pena… a Puerto Rican NYU sophomore on a track scholarship goes missing... thus creating a non-stop bevy of activity in and around the Seventh Precinct. Dar and Serge get the case… *BUT*… “if Pena’s disappearance is upgraded to a homicide, she and Krekorian will only get to work it for seventy-two-hours. Then it will be turned over to Homicide South, and for O’Hara and Krekorian, it’s back to burglaries and domestic disputes”… such as a local purse thief Astrid and her stroller and fake kids… and Dolores in her bathrobe.
The reader is given a literary tour of the underbelly of New York. From the projects… to cheap bars… to cheaper strip joints… to illegal escort services… to tattoo parlors… and then Pena’s body is found nude… wrapped in a shower curtain in a disgusting bathroom in East River Park… and according to the M.E. … “THERE IS EXTENSIVE EVIDENCE OF TORTURE… THE VICTIM HAS BEEN REPEATEDLY AND SYSTEMATICALLY GOUGED, CUT AND BURNED, FRONT AND BACK, FROM ANKLES TO SHOULDERS… BLUNT TRAUMA”... MULTIPLE RAPES… “THE BODY IS COVERED FRONT AND BACK WITH APPROXIMATELY SIXTY GOUGES MADE WITH A CRUDE SERRATED BLADE… GOUGES RANGE WIDELY IN SIZE, SHAPE AND DEPTH… BODY HAS ALSO BEEN REPEATEDLY BURNED WITH A CIGARETTE LIGHTER AND SLICED WITH A SECOND KNIFE, ALTHOUGH THE NUMBER OF SLICING CUTS AND BURNS IS SIGNIFICANTLY SMALLER THAN THE GOUGES… THE GOUGING ALONE WOULD HAVE TAKEN SEVERAL HOURS AND CAUSED CONSIDERABLE LOSS OF BLOOD, BUT NOT NECESSARILY A FATAL ONE, AND ALTHOUGH THE VICTIM HAS BEEN SUBJECTED TO OVERWHELMING HOMICIDAL VIOLENCE, THERE IS NO CLEAR SINGLE CAUSE OF DEATH… THE LIVIDITY, OR BRUISING, SUGGESTS THE VICTIM DID NOT BLEED TO DEATH… I THINK SHE WAS TORTURED UNTIL HER HEART STOPPED.”
Now that this case is officially a homicide… it must be turned over to the egomaniacal Detective Patrick Lowry… whose size and girth… six-foot-five and nearly four-hundred-pounds… matches the size of his ego. Dar is told to drop the case… but she has become too emotionally involved. Throughout the story the reader is taken via flashbacks to Dar’s youth… and the author paints a picture of all the similarities between Dar and Francesca. Even a suspension doesn’t keep Dar from continuing on the path she was ordered off. This is a well told… gritty… character driven… story… that keeps an adult’s interest… from start to finish. Something Patterson hasn’t accomplished in quite a while.
Note: In an unnecessary “bookish” tip of the hat to Patterson… on page twenty-three… the author in describing an absolutely inconsequential momentary background character… writes: “THE VICTIM, AFRICAN AMERICAN, APPROXIMATELY THIRTY-FIVE, SITS AT A TABLE ENJOYING HER COFFEE AND THE LATEST PATTERSON.”
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------Peter De Jonge who has co-authored three books with James Patterson accomplishes something Patterson has not been able to do in a couple of years… and that is… write a compelling… interesting crime mystery… from start to finish. The author provides a fast-paced mystery that utilizes “Joseph Wambaugh-like”… lightly humorous… but accurate… character descriptions… of both good guys and bad. He also steers clear of the “Patterson-like” *SCHOOL-GIRL-GUSH” romantic interludes that make an adult reader feel like they have picked up a prepubescent girl’s young romance novel.
The story takes place in the NYPD’s Seventh Precinct… in and around the NYU campus. The protagonist is Detective Darlene (Dar) O’Hara a hard-drinking single mother… a self-described “BROOKLYN-IRISH”… with an eighteen-year-old son named Axl Rose O’Hara who is a freshman at the University of Washington. After introducing Dar and her trusty partner Serge Krekorian… the author displays a little humor describing some run of the mill… paltry crimes… and a cast of derelict local criminals… to get the readers familiar with both the personality of Dar and Serge… along with the integrated teamwork they display on a daily basis. Then on Thanksgiving, nineteen-year-old Francesca Pena… a Puerto Rican NYU sophomore on a track scholarship goes missing... thus creating a non-stop bevy of activity in and around the Seventh Precinct. Dar and Serge get the case… *BUT*… “if Pena’s disappearance is upgraded to a homicide, she and Krekorian will only get to work it for seventy-two-hours. Then it will be turned over to Homicide South, and for O’Hara and Krekorian, it’s back to burglaries and domestic disputes”… such as a local purse thief Astrid and her stroller and fake kids… and Dolores in her bathrobe.
The reader is given a literary tour of the underbelly of New York. From the projects… to cheap bars… to cheaper strip joints… to illegal escort services… to tattoo parlors… and then Pena’s body is found nude… wrapped in a shower curtain in a disgusting bathroom in East River Park… and according to the M.E. … “THERE IS EXTENSIVE EVIDENCE OF TORTURE… THE VICTIM HAS BEEN REPEATEDLY AND SYSTEMATICALLY GOUGED, CUT AND BURNED, FRONT AND BACK, FROM ANKLES TO SHOULDERS… BLUNT TRAUMA”... MULTIPLE RAPES… “THE BODY IS COVERED FRONT AND BACK WITH APPROXIMATELY SIXTY GOUGES MADE WITH A CRUDE SERRATED BLADE… GOUGES RANGE WIDELY IN SIZE, SHAPE AND DEPTH… BODY HAS ALSO BEEN REPEATEDLY BURNED WITH A CIGARETTE LIGHTER AND SLICED WITH A SECOND KNIFE, ALTHOUGH THE NUMBER OF SLICING CUTS AND BURNS IS SIGNIFICANTLY SMALLER THAN THE GOUGES… THE GOUGING ALONE WOULD HAVE TAKEN SEVERAL HOURS AND CAUSED CONSIDERABLE LOSS OF BLOOD, BUT NOT NECESSARILY A FATAL ONE, AND ALTHOUGH THE VICTIM HAS BEEN SUBJECTED TO OVERWHELMING HOMICIDAL VIOLENCE, THERE IS NO CLEAR SINGLE CAUSE OF DEATH… THE LIVIDITY, OR BRUISING, SUGGESTS THE VICTIM DID NOT BLEED TO DEATH… I THINK SHE WAS TORTURED UNTIL HER HEART STOPPED.”
Now that this case is officially a homicide… it must be turned over to the egomaniacal Detective Patrick Lowry… whose size and girth… six-foot-five and nearly four-hundred-pounds… matches the size of his ego. Dar is told to drop the case… but she has become too emotionally involved. Throughout the story the reader is taken via flashbacks to Dar’s youth… and the author paints a picture of all the similarities between Dar and Francesca. Even a suspension doesn’t keep Dar from continuing on the path she was ordered off. This is a well told… gritty… character driven… story… that keeps an adult’s interest… from start to finish. Something Patterson hasn’t accomplished in quite a while.
Note: In an unnecessary “bookish” tip of the hat to Patterson… on page twenty-three… the author in describing an absolutely inconsequential momentary background character… writes: “THE VICTIM, AFRICAN AMERICAN, APPROXIMATELY THIRTY-FIVE, SITS AT A TABLE ENJOYING HER COFFEE AND THE LATEST PATTERSON.”
September 7, 2019
When a beautiful NYU student is first reported missing, then found murdered over Thanksgiving weekend, New York Police Detective Darlene O'Hara recognizes it as the case that could make her career. But she's just a lowly detective in the Seventh Precinct, not yet a Detective First Grade with the homicide squad, who take over the case while she's still working on it. So while the homicide guys follow one theory – their suspect a boyfriend whose resemblance to Darleen's college student son tugs at her heartstrings – she chases down leads they don't consider important enough to waste time on. After a certain point in her investigation, she starts to get in trouble with the brass just for following her own leads when it's no longer her case. She increasingly has to hide out, adopt disguises and skive off from work to follow a trail of clues that involve sexual exploitation, academic fraud and at least one more death.
O'Hara, aided and abetted by her detective partner Krekorian, runs an outlaw investigation that, if she's right, could show up those homicide guys. But she's digging into things people don't want her to find out. Even when it seems she's solved the case, she continues to turn over stones concealing even nastier buried things until you wonder when the breathtaking twists are going to end. Ultimately, O'Hara heeds the voice of a police friend in an internal dialogue (in her mind only), telling her that if she doesn't stop somewhere, the chain of cause-and-effect could lead all the way back to the trees from which the first hairless apes descended.
As I mentioned, this is a mystery that packs a lot of twists into relatively few pages. The large-print edition I read (because that was what the library had on offer) wasn't all that thick, and I guess the regular-size paperback would be quite a bit smaller. In spite of that, the mystery provides an ample field of activity for the main act, which is the character of Darlene. A high school dropout with a smart mind and an even smarter attitude, she drinks too much, thinks about her kid a lot, lusts after a nerdy medical examiner, picks and chooses the rules she'll follow, holds her immediate supervisor in contempt and identifies passionately with the victims of the crimes she detects – even when their identity comes into question. She has a warm, funny, down-to-earth voice and feels like good company, though her judgment isn't always the best. I've already read her second adventure, Buried on Avenue B, but I'm looking forward to more.
Peter de Jonge is also a member of James Patterson's coterie of co-authors, with about five books to their shared credit including Miracle on the 17th Green and The Beach House.
O'Hara, aided and abetted by her detective partner Krekorian, runs an outlaw investigation that, if she's right, could show up those homicide guys. But she's digging into things people don't want her to find out. Even when it seems she's solved the case, she continues to turn over stones concealing even nastier buried things until you wonder when the breathtaking twists are going to end. Ultimately, O'Hara heeds the voice of a police friend in an internal dialogue (in her mind only), telling her that if she doesn't stop somewhere, the chain of cause-and-effect could lead all the way back to the trees from which the first hairless apes descended.
As I mentioned, this is a mystery that packs a lot of twists into relatively few pages. The large-print edition I read (because that was what the library had on offer) wasn't all that thick, and I guess the regular-size paperback would be quite a bit smaller. In spite of that, the mystery provides an ample field of activity for the main act, which is the character of Darlene. A high school dropout with a smart mind and an even smarter attitude, she drinks too much, thinks about her kid a lot, lusts after a nerdy medical examiner, picks and chooses the rules she'll follow, holds her immediate supervisor in contempt and identifies passionately with the victims of the crimes she detects – even when their identity comes into question. She has a warm, funny, down-to-earth voice and feels like good company, though her judgment isn't always the best. I've already read her second adventure, Buried on Avenue B, but I'm looking forward to more.
Peter de Jonge is also a member of James Patterson's coterie of co-authors, with about five books to their shared credit including Miracle on the 17th Green and The Beach House.
July 4, 2017
A fast paced book about the killing of an NYU student over the thanksgiving break. Darlene O'Hara, a respected detective, catches the case. Later when Francesca Pena is found murdered, Darlene hopes to solve it before Homicide gets involved. Homicide becomes involved because this becomes a high profile case of a student with a checkered past who seems to have turned her life around. Although Darlene is off the case, she continues to work it even though she has been warned off it. It compels her so much that she risks her job to find the answer.
As she searches for the answer, Darlene learns there are no clear answers to the problem, that life and a person's Motivation is complex, and sometimes there are no answers to the why something happens.
The characters are interesting, gritty, and complex in a world where we hide who we are. The plot twists and turns and a good mystery is created.
As she searches for the answer, Darlene learns there are no clear answers to the problem, that life and a person's Motivation is complex, and sometimes there are no answers to the why something happens.
The characters are interesting, gritty, and complex in a world where we hide who we are. The plot twists and turns and a good mystery is created.
May 29, 2025
This was probably a 2.75. I didn't really connect well with this writing. I feel like it was too procedural without the procedure, then the random sex scene really came out of no where for me. Like I guess I get it by showing that she was more than just a robot detective but the timing was strange. She's currently hiding from her own department just to invite someone associated with the precinct to her hiding location, I was convinced he was gonna rat on her because we had to knowledge that they were that close.
As for the actual story and conclusion. I agree that the result was relativly surprsing but then after wrapping it up it kept going in unraveling everything that was just accoplished just for her to "give up" and finally go see her son that was brought up every other chapter. I likely won't be reading more from this author and will donate this book to the library.
As for the actual story and conclusion. I agree that the result was relativly surprsing but then after wrapping it up it kept going in unraveling everything that was just accoplished just for her to "give up" and finally go see her son that was brought up every other chapter. I likely won't be reading more from this author and will donate this book to the library.
July 11, 2017
While the word "gripping" is grossly overused when describing books of the mystery and thriller genres, I can be sincere in applying it to this one. When you strip it down to the bare bones, there really isn't a whole lot about Shadows Still Remain that makes it unique. It contains a lot of the formulaic elements of the mystery genre, a lot of cliches, but manages to weave a compelling plot line that doesn't involve sharks, ghosts, asteroids, aliens, or radioactive peanut butter. There's something economically admirable about a story that reads like a work of art built with plot devices taken from a junkyard.
A bit TOO formulaic to enter the echelon of my Five-Star club. But still glad I picked it up.
Oh, and yes, I like to mix metaphors. Deal with it.
A bit TOO formulaic to enter the echelon of my Five-Star club. But still glad I picked it up.
Oh, and yes, I like to mix metaphors. Deal with it.
February 12, 2018
Characters: 4 Stars. Dar is a determined street cop with alcohol and superiority issues.
Plotline: 4 Stars. Dar is a uniform cop. When a missing persons case is pulled from her and given to homicide it doesn't sit well. Dar defies her superiors, actively withholds evidence from the detectives, and begins a solo investigation.
Mystery Setup/Resolution/Plottwist: 2 Stars. The mystery is OK. The reader is slowly drawn into a shady world, and the suspect list slowly grows. While the plottwist was laid out OK, the reasoning behind the plottwist was poor. No plausible evidence, reason, or back story was given.
Conclusion: 2 Stars. The round up, and her return to the department were poorly done and unbelievable.
Plotline: 4 Stars. Dar is a uniform cop. When a missing persons case is pulled from her and given to homicide it doesn't sit well. Dar defies her superiors, actively withholds evidence from the detectives, and begins a solo investigation.
Mystery Setup/Resolution/Plottwist: 2 Stars. The mystery is OK. The reader is slowly drawn into a shady world, and the suspect list slowly grows. While the plottwist was laid out OK, the reasoning behind the plottwist was poor. No plausible evidence, reason, or back story was given.
Conclusion: 2 Stars. The round up, and her return to the department were poorly done and unbelievable.
March 25, 2017
This undiscovered gem sat on my shelf for eight years, somehow hiding among its peers. Now I will have to look around to see what else De Jonge has published in the meantime because this was a top notch effort.
It stars a fairly new NYPD detective who, like all the good ones in the fictional realm, is a bit of a maverick and quite headstrong. Alcoholic, of course. But you have to get with her vibe and the crime is a jarring one, and unraveling the whole thing takes us way down the path of evil and twists. We have not broken new ground here, but it is fertile still.
Recommended
It stars a fairly new NYPD detective who, like all the good ones in the fictional realm, is a bit of a maverick and quite headstrong. Alcoholic, of course. But you have to get with her vibe and the crime is a jarring one, and unraveling the whole thing takes us way down the path of evil and twists. We have not broken new ground here, but it is fertile still.
Recommended
October 15, 2017
An entertaining & riveting read with a strong female lead in the character of Detective Darlene O'Hara (gotta love her, she's a metalhead!)
O'Hara & her partner are on the hunt of the killer of student Francesca Pena but when the case becomes high profile & is taken over by the homicide unit, O'Hara strikes out on her own. The pace & tension build well & unlike most crime novels I didn't have it sussed! The reason for Francesca's death wasn't one I saw coming & I'll certainly look out for more in this series.
O'Hara & her partner are on the hunt of the killer of student Francesca Pena but when the case becomes high profile & is taken over by the homicide unit, O'Hara strikes out on her own. The pace & tension build well & unlike most crime novels I didn't have it sussed! The reason for Francesca's death wasn't one I saw coming & I'll certainly look out for more in this series.
September 26, 2020
There was no explanation for the motivations of any of the characters. The plot wasn’t cohesive — it was a string of events that were meant to shock the readers.
Both of the detectives were collections of cliches. The male detective comments that he was shocked he didn’t become “a fag” because he spent time with his mother as a child. Of another character, he comments “are you sure that’s a guy?” — ridiculously retrograde.
Both of the detectives were collections of cliches. The male detective comments that he was shocked he didn’t become “a fag” because he spent time with his mother as a child. Of another character, he comments “are you sure that’s a guy?” — ridiculously retrograde.
May 23, 2022
Страхотно криминале, пиперлив, скандален обрат на сюжета накрая: жертвата от добро, самарианско момиче се оказва алчна за пари психопатка, която не се спира пред нищо.... Препратки към класически рок парчета и групи (най-вече Guns'n'Roses)... 5 от 5 звезди, а и с радост откривам, че е част от поредица за жена-ченге, люта, червенокоса ирландка... Всичко каквото си трябва, колкото трябва ♥️ Бих чела книгите от поредицата, ако ги има издадени на български език 😍
December 15, 2025
Shadows Still Remain is a gritty, atmospheric crime novel that captures the tension and moral complexity of New York City policing. Peter de Jonge delivers a high stakes investigation driven by flawed, determined characters and a haunting mystery at its core. The story blends procedural realism with emotional depth, pulling readers into a dark world of obsession, risk, and secrets. A compelling read for fans of hard edged crime fiction.
February 11, 2019
I have to admit that was surprised to have enjoyed this book as much as I did. I at first wasn't very interested in where the story seemed to be going. After reading more pages the plot thickened and I found myself turning the pages more quickly that I imagined. The ending was one I did not see coming. I love it when that happens!
July 18, 2019
This is a very good story but if you are not looking for a portrayal of the inhumanity of man towards his fellow man, I advise you to maybe look for a somewhat less depressing tale. The author is good but the subject (although not putting my head in the sand) is something I would just not look for in my reading.
November 5, 2020
Really interesting book with maaaaany turns of events and surprises. For me it's original because we rarely see the victim as "the bad guy" but in that case I can very much say she is. Very unexpected plot full of twists I didn't see coming. Definitely a page turner, I couldn't leave it before i find out the whole truth!
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