No Immunity: Library Edition

Kiernan O'Shaughnessy #4

by Susan Dunlap, C.M. Hébert (Narrator)

Private detective and former medical examiner Kiernan O’Shaughnessy has been betrayed, framed for a death she is investigating. The true cause of death, a deadly and highly contagious case of Lassa fever, could have dire consequences for the public if it is unleashed. But the trail of clues she is following from her base in San Diego to the Nevada desert is agonizingly complex. Meanwhile, her houseman Brad Tchernak takes on a case of his own, investigating a hotshot geologist who has just returned from a potentially multimillion-dollar oil find in Central America. But his passion for this case may land him into mortal danger. As the seemingly disparate cases intertwine, Kiernan and Tchernak realize they had better find what they’re looking for fast, before they, too, become “bodies of evidence.”

Genres: Mystery

Audio CD

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!