What do you think?
Rate this book
The Gateway to Hell: A Mike Shannon Novel
Mike Shannon is used to taking on the hard cases. He's a private investigator and ex-cop in St. Louis, and when the authorities throw up their hands, Shannon is there to bring the guilty to justice. But doing what's right doesn't mean keeping your hands he's stacked up quite a body count over the years-something he's not proud of-and it's beginning to take its toll on him. When a teenage girl goes missing, Shannon takes what he believes will be a simple case. But when he finds cocaine hidden in the girl's bedroom-cocaine that apparently came from the police department's evidence room-things begin to get complicated. Things get even worse when Shannon begins to suspect his own ex-partner, who was brutally murdered, may be linked to the girl's disappearance and the stolen drugs. Shannon's investigation of a possible runaway is shaping up into one hell of a case against police corruption and drug trafficking. As Shannon digs deeper, the danger escalates when he comes face to face with a dark figure from his past, a rogue CIA hitman known as the Sandman. Shannon might be in over his head, but that's never stopped him before. In all the confusion, Shannon is sure of one thing, he's not done killing yet. As Shannon's past catches up with him, his two worlds collide and the dead bodies begin to litter the streets of St. Louis, with a trail of blood leading downtown to the Arch, The Gateway to Hell.
- GenresMystery
260 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2012
1 person is currently reading
128 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 17, 2012
An entertaining read. PI Mike Shannon as ex-marine, ex-cop, and covert CIA operative is as tough as they come. With a contract out on his head, Shannon is hired to investigate the case of a runaway teenager and becomes involved in uncovering police corruption; bad cops, the FBI, the mafia, drug cartels are all intwined in the story. The bullets fly, and the body count increasingly rises ending with a particularly memorable exchange between Shannon and the corrupt chief cop Danko, with Shannon having the last word and shot underneath the St Louis arch. Mileur maybe over explains the technicalities in his narrative a little too much, but this does not detract from the fast moving plot.
April 18, 2012
Ray Mileur has totally hit it with this action packed book!
Gangster bosses, drug dealers, a missing girl, corrupt police, the CIA, they all play their part, and Mike Shannon plays the star part.
He is an ex-cop, now PI, and while the story unfolds its many layers and you are sucked deeper and deeper into Shannon's life, you get to know him and his way of doing things.
The writing in this book is excellent, the characters come to life and you fear and hope with them, suffer for their mistakes and failures.
So well imagined and so well written, I enoyed it from beginning to end!
Gangster bosses, drug dealers, a missing girl, corrupt police, the CIA, they all play their part, and Mike Shannon plays the star part.
He is an ex-cop, now PI, and while the story unfolds its many layers and you are sucked deeper and deeper into Shannon's life, you get to know him and his way of doing things.
The writing in this book is excellent, the characters come to life and you fear and hope with them, suffer for their mistakes and failures.
So well imagined and so well written, I enoyed it from beginning to end!
August 8, 2012
I received this book for free at Goodreads first reads. Wow! Great book that I didn't want to put down. Very well written with lots of action. This is the first book I've read from Ray Mileur. If his other books are as good as this one, Mr. Mileur just became another writer on my list of "must read" authors. I highly recommend this book!
July 23, 2012
Ray Mileur asked me to read and review The Gateway to Hell soon after I had expressed my general disdain for independently published books. I thought it took a lot of guts to do that, and after I decided to indeed read and review his book, it didn’t surprise me to find out that Ray is an ex-Marine, former police chief, and a private investigator. That explained a lot, and I was pleased to find the same gutsiness running throughout this first-rate novel.
Mike Shannon is a PI with a past. Like the author, he’s an ex-Marine and ex-cop that has just returned from a secret mission rescuing a U.S. Ambassador’s daughter from a Columbian drug cartel. Unfortunately, the mission wasn’t so secret after all, as Shannon’s face and exploits are soon plastered all over the news. To make matters worse, Shannon gets a tip that someone has put a hit out on him, with a million dollar payday to whoever kills him first. When a client asks him to locate his missing daughter Lori, Shannon's life gets even more complicated when he finds a brick of crack cocaine under the girl’s bed, sealed with an evidence sticker and signed by none other than his cop friend Steve Holland. Luckily, Shannon has a friend on the police force named Frank Taggert, who believes that Holland is being framed, and who knows Shannon is one of the good guys. What follows is a rollicking story through the mean streets of St. Louis, as Shannon shoots his way through a barrage of dirty cops and Italian mobsters while trying to locate Lori, clear Holland’s name, and stay alive long enough to rendezvous with his ex-wife Carol.
This book had just about everything I look for in a good novel: well-developed characters, humor, perfect pacing and a page-turning story. Shannon is a battle-hardened, Dr. Pepper addict who has no qualms about leaving a slew of bodies behind wherever he goes. In his world it’s kill or be killed, and he’s got the shooting skills that will not only keep him alive, but give him the ability to take out all the bad guys by the end of the book. Shannon has an almost Clint Eastwood-like persona. Age-wise he’s on the older side for a hero (approaching fifty) and has the self-confidence and experience to practically save the day by himself, although he does have a crack team of employees that help him out. I also loved that he’s a man with weaknesses, his ex Carol for one. Even though he finds out that she’s also sleeping with a dirty cop named Danko, a truly awful character that eventually gets his comeuppance, he still loves her and cannot give up their post-marriage trysts. And he’s not infallible. He gets shot twice during the story and frequently complains about his aging body's aches and pains.
Shannon’s nemesis is a hit man named Morreti, an Italian connected with the New York mob. Morreti’s come to St. Louis to perform a hit on a cop, and during the course of the novel we discover the complicated relationship between the two. Both men have a grudging respect for each other and it shows in their brief but memorable encounters. I’d love to see Ray write another book with these two characters.
The two clashing groups of mobsters, one from New York and one from St. Louis, add a twist to an already exciting story. St. Louis crime boss Salvatore Salerno is as upstanding as a crime boss can get, I image, and I liked his character immensely. He clashes with the New York faction, a couple of Italian thugs who have come to town to collect the million dollars on Shannon’s head, and to work behind Salerno’s back with his nephew Joey to get a drug trafficking business going. Although blatant stereotypes, I loved the under-handed dealings of the two groups. Throwing Shannon and Morreti into the mix only made things more interesting.
Filled with authentic details and cop-speak, this is one thriller that you won’t be able to put down. I’m hoping for another Mike Shannon book soon.
Many thanks to the author for supplying a review copy.
My complete review can be found on Books, Bones & Buffy.
Mike Shannon is a PI with a past. Like the author, he’s an ex-Marine and ex-cop that has just returned from a secret mission rescuing a U.S. Ambassador’s daughter from a Columbian drug cartel. Unfortunately, the mission wasn’t so secret after all, as Shannon’s face and exploits are soon plastered all over the news. To make matters worse, Shannon gets a tip that someone has put a hit out on him, with a million dollar payday to whoever kills him first. When a client asks him to locate his missing daughter Lori, Shannon's life gets even more complicated when he finds a brick of crack cocaine under the girl’s bed, sealed with an evidence sticker and signed by none other than his cop friend Steve Holland. Luckily, Shannon has a friend on the police force named Frank Taggert, who believes that Holland is being framed, and who knows Shannon is one of the good guys. What follows is a rollicking story through the mean streets of St. Louis, as Shannon shoots his way through a barrage of dirty cops and Italian mobsters while trying to locate Lori, clear Holland’s name, and stay alive long enough to rendezvous with his ex-wife Carol.
This book had just about everything I look for in a good novel: well-developed characters, humor, perfect pacing and a page-turning story. Shannon is a battle-hardened, Dr. Pepper addict who has no qualms about leaving a slew of bodies behind wherever he goes. In his world it’s kill or be killed, and he’s got the shooting skills that will not only keep him alive, but give him the ability to take out all the bad guys by the end of the book. Shannon has an almost Clint Eastwood-like persona. Age-wise he’s on the older side for a hero (approaching fifty) and has the self-confidence and experience to practically save the day by himself, although he does have a crack team of employees that help him out. I also loved that he’s a man with weaknesses, his ex Carol for one. Even though he finds out that she’s also sleeping with a dirty cop named Danko, a truly awful character that eventually gets his comeuppance, he still loves her and cannot give up their post-marriage trysts. And he’s not infallible. He gets shot twice during the story and frequently complains about his aging body's aches and pains.
Shannon’s nemesis is a hit man named Morreti, an Italian connected with the New York mob. Morreti’s come to St. Louis to perform a hit on a cop, and during the course of the novel we discover the complicated relationship between the two. Both men have a grudging respect for each other and it shows in their brief but memorable encounters. I’d love to see Ray write another book with these two characters.
The two clashing groups of mobsters, one from New York and one from St. Louis, add a twist to an already exciting story. St. Louis crime boss Salvatore Salerno is as upstanding as a crime boss can get, I image, and I liked his character immensely. He clashes with the New York faction, a couple of Italian thugs who have come to town to collect the million dollars on Shannon’s head, and to work behind Salerno’s back with his nephew Joey to get a drug trafficking business going. Although blatant stereotypes, I loved the under-handed dealings of the two groups. Throwing Shannon and Morreti into the mix only made things more interesting.
Filled with authentic details and cop-speak, this is one thriller that you won’t be able to put down. I’m hoping for another Mike Shannon book soon.
Many thanks to the author for supplying a review copy.
My complete review can be found on Books, Bones & Buffy.
April 8, 2012
Pacific Book Review
In the world of hard-boiled detective fiction, the story is generally not so much about solving a mystery as it is setting things up for the hero to take on the bad guys and win, usually with bullets flying and plenty of bloodletting. Unfortunately, too many writers have turned this into a template for a lot of bad stories filled with clichés, caricatures, and stereotypes, not to mention a lack of any shred of originality.
The Gateway to Hell is certainly a part of this genre. Thankfully, it manages to avoid many of the pitfalls of this type of fiction, and turns out to be an entertaining read. That’s not to say it doesn’t have its share of clichés, caricatures, and stereotypes. In fact, the private investigator at the heart of the story is introduced to us being very much an over-the-top, cliché of a detective.
Mike Shannon is a St. Louis’ private investigator who has made a career out of solving the cases the police couldn’t or wouldn’t take. He’s killed more men then he cares to remember. He’s fiftyish and his work is starting to wear him down.
Shannon is also a former Marine sniper, former St. Louis police detective whose exploits often landed him in the newspaper, and the leader of a covert CIA op team known as Sabre 6, who we learn has just rescued an ambassador’s daughter in South America from the Escobar crime cartel.
Shannon is one very tough, hard-to-kill, private investigator, uncorruptable and a boy scout at heart.
And if, by the bottom of page two of the book you aren’t convinced of this, well, you just haven’t been paying attention. Admittedly, the opening chapters don’t really get the ball rolling. But the fact is, author Ray Mileur is just using those early chapters to set us up for a great ride, as Shannon ends up having an assortment of bad guys-- the mafia, the Escobar cartel, corrupt cops—all out to kill him.
His rescue of the ambassador’s daughter has led to a $1,000,000 bounty on his head, and resulted in the New York mob, at the prompting of the Escobar family, sending hit men to St. Louis to do him in. On top of that, the “Sandman,” a former marine sniper—trained by Shannon and now a freelance hit man— is also in St. Louis to perform a hit. And while Shannon isn’t his target, the Sandman clearly wouldn’t mind having a shot of Shannon.
And when Shannon pays a visit to the local mob boss, Salvatore Salerno—a Don Corleone-type who wants nothing to do with drugs, the FBI turns up. Their agents initially arrest Shannon in a ruse to get information out of him to help in their investigations into a cocaine trail that leads to St. Louis.
In the middle of all this, Shannon is hired by a minister and his wife to find their missing 17 year old, runaway daughter, who may be linked to one of Shannon’s police buddies, Steve Holland. When Holland turns up dead, and appears to have been a dirty cop involved in the drug trade, the action amps up, as things get increasingly personal for Shannon.
What ends up setting Shannon apart from so many other similar characters, is that it turns out he’s not superman-- he manages to nearly get killed while trying to catch the runaway. Shannon gets hurt, physically and emotionally, and he makes mistakes, e.g., had he returned a phone call he might have been able to save Holland. He’s also got an ex-wife who manages to complicate things even more for him.
In the world of hard-boiled detective fiction, the story is generally not so much about solving a mystery as it is setting things up for the hero to take on the bad guys and win, usually with bullets flying and plenty of bloodletting. Unfortunately, too many writers have turned this into a template for a lot of bad stories filled with clichés, caricatures, and stereotypes, not to mention a lack of any shred of originality.
The Gateway to Hell is certainly a part of this genre. Thankfully, it manages to avoid many of the pitfalls of this type of fiction, and turns out to be an entertaining read. That’s not to say it doesn’t have its share of clichés, caricatures, and stereotypes. In fact, the private investigator at the heart of the story is introduced to us being very much an over-the-top, cliché of a detective.
Mike Shannon is a St. Louis’ private investigator who has made a career out of solving the cases the police couldn’t or wouldn’t take. He’s killed more men then he cares to remember. He’s fiftyish and his work is starting to wear him down.
Shannon is also a former Marine sniper, former St. Louis police detective whose exploits often landed him in the newspaper, and the leader of a covert CIA op team known as Sabre 6, who we learn has just rescued an ambassador’s daughter in South America from the Escobar crime cartel.
Shannon is one very tough, hard-to-kill, private investigator, uncorruptable and a boy scout at heart.
And if, by the bottom of page two of the book you aren’t convinced of this, well, you just haven’t been paying attention. Admittedly, the opening chapters don’t really get the ball rolling. But the fact is, author Ray Mileur is just using those early chapters to set us up for a great ride, as Shannon ends up having an assortment of bad guys-- the mafia, the Escobar cartel, corrupt cops—all out to kill him.
His rescue of the ambassador’s daughter has led to a $1,000,000 bounty on his head, and resulted in the New York mob, at the prompting of the Escobar family, sending hit men to St. Louis to do him in. On top of that, the “Sandman,” a former marine sniper—trained by Shannon and now a freelance hit man— is also in St. Louis to perform a hit. And while Shannon isn’t his target, the Sandman clearly wouldn’t mind having a shot of Shannon.
And when Shannon pays a visit to the local mob boss, Salvatore Salerno—a Don Corleone-type who wants nothing to do with drugs, the FBI turns up. Their agents initially arrest Shannon in a ruse to get information out of him to help in their investigations into a cocaine trail that leads to St. Louis.
In the middle of all this, Shannon is hired by a minister and his wife to find their missing 17 year old, runaway daughter, who may be linked to one of Shannon’s police buddies, Steve Holland. When Holland turns up dead, and appears to have been a dirty cop involved in the drug trade, the action amps up, as things get increasingly personal for Shannon.
What ends up setting Shannon apart from so many other similar characters, is that it turns out he’s not superman-- he manages to nearly get killed while trying to catch the runaway. Shannon gets hurt, physically and emotionally, and he makes mistakes, e.g., had he returned a phone call he might have been able to save Holland. He’s also got an ex-wife who manages to complicate things even more for him.
November 16, 2013
3.75 stars. I won this book so thank you to the author. Interesting mystery with an ex-Marine, ex-cop, turned private investigator being hunted by mafia assassins and trying to solve a few mysteries while staying alive. Mike Shannon reminds me of a cross between Jack Reacher and Mike Hammer.
It was very descriptive, but 25 pages into the story, I'm thinking the brands and details add to setting the scene, whereas I found the designer name-dropping in Blue Bloods annoying.
I really liked this book in spite of the typos and grammatical problems. I would've finished it much sooner, but I was reading a similar detective library book for a challenge and it took forever to finish and I couldn't read them concurrently because I was confusing the details. I would definitely read the next book.
Likes:
* Tough Mike Shannon, named after famous Cardinal baseball player
* Short chapters
* Crime noir, reminded me of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer or the like
* Great characters
* "Gentleman Gangster," old Mafia don, Salvatore Salerno's integrity and sense of honor
* Familiar St. Louis setting
Dislikes:
* Typos and grammatical errors - and I'm not picky, but when I stumble on wording then you've got a blatant problem. This is just the kind of lack of editing that annoys readers about self-published books
With-reservations:
dirty cops, violence, death, murder and attempted murder, drugs, underage runaway, high body count
I'm glad Mike Shannon survived to fight another day and I'm looking forward to it.
It was very descriptive, but 25 pages into the story, I'm thinking the brands and details add to setting the scene, whereas I found the designer name-dropping in Blue Bloods annoying.
I really liked this book in spite of the typos and grammatical problems. I would've finished it much sooner, but I was reading a similar detective library book for a challenge and it took forever to finish and I couldn't read them concurrently because I was confusing the details. I would definitely read the next book.
Likes:
* Tough Mike Shannon, named after famous Cardinal baseball player
* Short chapters
* Crime noir, reminded me of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer or the like
* Great characters
* "Gentleman Gangster," old Mafia don, Salvatore Salerno's integrity and sense of honor
* Familiar St. Louis setting
Dislikes:
* Typos and grammatical errors - and I'm not picky, but when I stumble on wording then you've got a blatant problem. This is just the kind of lack of editing that annoys readers about self-published books
With-reservations:
dirty cops, violence, death, murder and attempted murder, drugs, underage runaway, high body count
I'm glad Mike Shannon survived to fight another day and I'm looking forward to it.
April 11, 2012
The Gateway to Hell (A Mike Shannon Novel) by Ray Mileur is a fantastically written detective thriller that keeps you guessing – and jumping – with each chapter. The Mike Shannon character is tough, smart and a good-hearted human being. I mention the human being thing because he isn’t superman – he is human both in body AND soul. The author makes sure you see Mike for who he is and who he isn’t.
Shannon is set up as an ex-Marine sniper who is proficient with his weapons as well as keen with his eyes and mind. When he has to chase a sniper that he trained, you see how Shannon’s mind works – as well as how his training has paid off for his new nemesis.
Add to that a mob boss mixed up with the FBI and a missing minister’s daughter and you’ve got a novel that just keeps on hitting you each time you turn the page. A solidly written crime novel – I highly recommend The Gateway to Hell.
Shannon is set up as an ex-Marine sniper who is proficient with his weapons as well as keen with his eyes and mind. When he has to chase a sniper that he trained, you see how Shannon’s mind works – as well as how his training has paid off for his new nemesis.
Add to that a mob boss mixed up with the FBI and a missing minister’s daughter and you’ve got a novel that just keeps on hitting you each time you turn the page. A solidly written crime novel – I highly recommend The Gateway to Hell.
April 11, 2012
I always enjoy crime thrillers (anything by James Patterson, Clive Cussler or Robert B. Parker) and I absolutely LOVED this book by a new favorite, Ray Mileur!!! I'm surprised that this is the author's first novel because it was such a great read. Mike Shannon makes a great hero, but the author hasn't tried to make him a super-hero, he sometimes makes mistakes, and his flaws make you root for him that much more!!! One of the things I loved the most was that there were some amazing twists in the plot/characters that I didn't see coming. I hope we don't have to wait too long for the next Mike Shannon book by Ray Mileur! (Note to the TV world: I really miss Spenser & Hawk and I could see a new PI series based in the mid-west starring Mike Shannon & his crew!!!)
December 17, 2012
I won this book on Goodreads First-Reads. I have read a number of books that I have one on Goodreads, that were poorly written and not very good. THIS IS NOT THAT BOOK. Ray Mileur is an incredible storyteller. I have always enjoyed crime thrillers, and I must say that Ray Mileur has been added to my list of authors that are a must in this category! I got so caught up in the story trying to figure out all the pieces before the book did it for me. It was intense, and I loved it. I absolutely cannot wait to hear from this author again, this will make a great series!
April 8, 2012
Great read. *spoiler* This book is about an ex- cop who helps out the st. Lewis polive by taking cases they have given up on. He takes a case about a runaway girl that seems relatively easy. That is until he uncovers some drugs in her room. The drugs appear to have come from the police evidence. *end spoiler* I could not put this down until I found out who was behind the murder and hwo it involved the police. I highly recommend!
June 29, 2012
Yay, I just won this book. I love winning a book with such great reviews, (signed) even better! I can't wait to read it. Eagerly awaiting its arrival.
There were some amazing twists in "The Gateway To Hell". I stayed up till the early morning reading because I just had to know how it ended. I'm hating myself now from the lack of sleep but the book was a fun read. I love playing the guessing game in my head who did it... haha!
There were some amazing twists in "The Gateway To Hell". I stayed up till the early morning reading because I just had to know how it ended. I'm hating myself now from the lack of sleep but the book was a fun read. I love playing the guessing game in my head who did it... haha!
April 12, 2012
Just got it in the mail today from Amazon.com...Haven't finished it yet but so far I CANT PUT IT DOWN!! (Except when I have to at work!) I'm sure it will be done by tomorrow! Such an exciting read. Put it on par with Harlan Coben (one of my fav's), James Patterson, Lee Childs and the like! Can't wait to read more Mike Shannon!!
April 16, 2012
I Loved it cant wait for the next in the series...
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews