No Immunity (Kiernan O'Shaughnessy Series) by Susan Dunlap

Kiernan O'Shaughnessy #4

by Susan Dunlap

Bestselling mystery author Susan Dunlap, acclaimed winner of two Anthony Awards and a Macavity Award, brings us a powerful new novel featuring private detective--and former medical examiner--Kiernan O' Shaughnessy.Betrayed and set up to take the blame for a death caused by a deadly and highly contagious case of Lassa fever, Kiernan gets more than she bargained for when she responds to a call from an old college "friend." She knows that the death she's investigating could have truly dire consequences for the public if its cause is unleashed, inadvertently or otherwise. And the trail of clues she follows--from her base in San Diego to the Nevada desert--is agonizingly complex.Not helping matters is her houseman, the usually affable Brad Tchernak. Tchernak may be a marvelous cook, companion, and dog feeder. But he's feeling overlooked as a detective, and that has created tension between him and his employer. While Kiernan pursues her case, Tchernak takes on one of his own, investigating a hotshot geologist who has just returned from a potentially multimillion-dollar oil find in Central America.Of course, Tchernak's passion for this case may land him in mortal danger. And, as Kiernan investigates the suspicious and alarming death that could portend international disaster, she must grapple with her own demons--especially the stubborn self-reliance that may be her downfall. As the seemingly disparate cases intertwine, it becomes all too clear to Kiernan that she and Tchernak had better find what they're looking for, and fast, before they, too, become "bodies of evidence."

Genres: Mystery

Mass Market Paperback

First published April 6, 1998

About the author

Susan Dunlap is best known for her Jill Smith detective series, but she is a prolific and much loved writer of crime and mystery fiction, including award-winning short stories.

Reviews

[Kristin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started and put down this book a couple times, I think because I hadn't read any other books in the series. Therefore, I wasn't sure at all of the backstory of the relationship between private eye Kiernan and her chef/assistant Tchernak, who she fires from both roles immediately. Kiernan is called to rural Nevada by a doctor she worked with in Africa during medical school, who believes the body that is in his morgue may be a victim of a hemorrhagic fever like they saw in Africa and wants her confirmation. At the same time, an oil baron who Kiernan and Tchernak have apparently worked with before calls her to help him find a missing employee, but she turns him down because she knows enough about him to not want to help him out. However, Tchernak knows the missing fellow and is more than happy to oblige, having just lost his steady employment. The two plots end up intertwined, though neither main character realizes it until late in the book.
The plots were OK, but without knowing anything about the characters beforehand, I felt a bit lost when it came to imagining them and figuring out why they did what they did. I saw a few of the plot twists coming, others took me by surprise. Overall, the best thing I got out of the book was a reminder that outside of Las Vegas, Nevada is rather barren desert land.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

The search for big oil, invasion of a lethal virus, disappearance of two deaf mute native Panamanians in the desert of Nevada, and the tricky relationship between female PI Kiernan O'Shaughnessy's cook, former football star and wanna be investigator, make for a gripping read.

[Jovdb · Rating 2 out of 5]

Audio book.

It was just okay. Lots of plot twists but too many incredulous bits to make it probable.

Just never go out in the Nevada desert unless you know a lot of people who will help you out!