Dirty Old Town

Shane Cleary Mystery #1

by Gabriel Valjan

“Valjan paints the town, and all the colors are noir.” - Tom Straw, NYT Bestselling author, as Richard Castle Shane Cleary, a PI in a city where the cops want him dead, is tough, honest and broke. When he’s asked to look into a case of blackmail, the money is too good for him to refuse, even though the client is a snake and his wife is the woman who stomped on Shane’s heart years before. When a fellow vet and Boston cop with a secret asks Shane to find a missing person, the paying gig and the favor for a friend lead Shane to an arsonist, mobsters, a shady sports agent, and Boston’s deadliest hitman, the Barbarian. With both criminals and cops out to get him, the pressure is on for Shane to put all the pieces together before time runs out. "Robert B. Parker would stand and cheer, and George V. Higgins would join the ovation. This is a terrific book--tough, smart, spare, and authentic. Gabriel Valjan is a true talent--impressive and skilled--providing knock-out prose, a fine-tuned sense of place and sleekly wry style." – Hank Phillippi Ryan, nationally bestselling author of The Murder List "Dirty Old Town hits every pitch out of the it's smart, funny and consistently surprising. A great read!" - Dennis Palumbo, author of the Daniel Rinaldi Mysteries

Kindle Edition

First published January 14, 2020

About the author

Gabriel Valjan is the author of The Company Files, and the Shane Cleary Mysteries with Level Best Books. He has been nominated for the Agatha, Anthony, Derringer, and Silver Falchion awards. He received the 2021 Macavity Award for Best Short Story and the 2024 Shamus Award forBest Private Investigator. Gabriel is a member of the Historical Novel Society, ITW, MWA, and Sisters in Crime. He lives in Boston and answers to a tuxedo cat named Munchkin.

Reviews

[Diane Hernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Down these mean streets, a man must go. It’s thirty years after the heyday of black and white film and book noir, when Shane Cleary walks the mean streets of 1970s Boston, the Dirty Old Town.

Shane is a private eye trying to survive after returning from the Vietnam Conflict. He gets “asked” to help an old friend, Braddock, who married Shane’s dame from under his nose, to locate his blackmailer. It seems Braddock’s shady real estate scheme has been discovered and photocopied by the blackmailer. Shane must brave the local underworld and mob types to find the solution.

Dirty Old Town genuinely gets the noir vibe. It also uses the perfect, but new, gritty 70s setting (think HBO’s The Deuce). My personal favorites are the tough PI quotes, which are pitch-perfect for the Marlowe-sque vibe the book is aspiring to.
• Why you shouldn’t let a dame change your life: “In my experience, the goat who thinks with his horn loses his place in the farmer’s yard to the ax.”
• A person can go far with an authoritarian voice: “He had a voice that would get him a drink after last call.”
• On why a name like Jimmy the C could mean a blue movie career or a skill with meat cleavers: “I couldn’t separate the yolk from the whites, the fact or fiction about Jimmy, but I had a hot case of nerves.”

Overall, I’ve missed this hard-boiled noir sense of hopeful hopelessness. Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett are applauding somewhere. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 stars!

Thanks to the author and Partners in Crime Tours for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book in the Shane Cleary series, a great new series set in the 1970's in Boston. Shane is a PI investigating a case of blackmail for a former schoolmate (who just happens to be married to Shane's former girlfriend). The plot brings you to many different neighborhoods in Boston, and has great colorful descriptions that give you a feel for the period and place and snappy dialogue. This is a fast fun read. Shane and his friends are an engaging group, and I can’t wait for the next book!

[Bruce Coffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this fast-paced Boston based PI novel. Valjan’s storytelling style is reminiscent of both Chandler and Hammett. Brilliant crime fiction.

[Richard Cass · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pitch perfect noir PI novel. All the grit and undertone of the Hub of the universe. Highly recommended for fans of the dark and sardonic.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this PI novel set in 1975 Boston. Shane is the kind of PI in novels from decades ago. He's tough but has a subtle soft spot. He is diligent and persistent, even in the face of others wanting him gone. (He did testify against a bad cop in his short police career.) He's street savvy and knows interesting characters to help him in his work and make this short novel more interesting. I like the period references to music, television shows and unusual words used. This is a good novel for people who like the hard boiled PI novel in the style of Raymond Chandler.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours. My comments are an independent and honest review.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, this has a character that is an ex-cop, down on his luck P.I. Hard as rocks and good and kind at the same time. The kind of character I just love. I must tell you, I never ever tire of this kind of character. This one, Shane Cleary, is as charming as many others but seems to have his own personality. The ability of the author to use a typical character and yet give he or she a unique personality is the “hook” here. Something a little quirky; something that gets your attention. The thing that always reels me in. And Gabriel Valjan seems to have this talent, catching the reader and holding on to us long enough to keep us reading. That’s what happened to me. I sure didn’t put this one down too often.

This almost reads like an old Philip Marlowe or Sam Spade novel. Shane is the kind of P.I. always looking for a job, scraping to pay his rent. Lo and behold...along comes a pretty, yet sultry lady he was in love with long ago. She married for money and she still is a vamp. You won’t like her. I guarantee it. I think that’s the way it’s supposed to be or maybe I was jealous of her looks:)
I did spend an amount of time doing the “who’s trying to get who” which Valjan draws out and hides well. Lots of twists and turns. I won’t say I wasn’t occasionally a tiny bit confused, but I think it was only because there are a few places the story slows down a bit.

If you like Philip Marlowe dialog, settings that are almost black noir with a little humor now and then, this is a book you don’t want to miss.

This is Valjan’s Book 1 in a new series titled “A Shane Cleary mystery”. While this may be the first in this series, Gabriel Valjan is most certainly not a newly published author. He has many books published, all with good reviews. Check him out.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Dirty Old Town, book one in the Shane Cleary Mystery Series, author Gabriel Valjan takes the reader behind the scenes of a riveting crime fiction as down and out ex-Boston cop turned PI Shane Cleary navigates the slippery slope of investigating a blackmail case and a missing person case, while trying to stay below the radar of the Boston PD brethren that he had betrayed.

Dirty Old Town is a riveting crime story that easily draws the reader in from the start. The author provides the reader with a fascinating and richly detailed crime thriller set in 1970s Boston. Told in the first person narrative by Shane, this gritty story has enough drama, secrets, deception, tension, and surprising twists and turns that keeps the reader guessing if Shane will be able to solve both cases, while dealing with backstabbing old friends, mobsters, and a variety of criminal types that try to hinder his every move. I loved the throwback to the 1970s decade, and I really appreciated reading about Shane's past. Dirty Old Town is a well-written, fast paced story that left me interested in finding out what Shane's next investigative adventure will be in the continuation of the series.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book via the author / publisher in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours.

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[L.C. Rooney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spare, atmospheric writing to thrill any fan of the noir genre. The time (1975) and the place (Boston) provide the perfect backdrop for this first installment in the Shane Cleary Mystery Series. In the best tradition of Chandler and Hammett, Gabriel Valjan creates a P.I. that will have you imagining the story unfolding as a black-and-white movie in your head. Next up in the series: Symphony Road. I'm salivating.

[Marilyn Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 9th book I have read by this author. I truly enjoy Gabriel Valjan's novels. This book, however, is different from the others. Previous books featured intrigue on an international scale and more politics and history. Dirty Old Town is instead a hard boiled mystery set on the tough streets of Boston in the 70's.

The main character is a private detective - a former police officer who had to leave the force for doing the right thing. He stood up for a victim's family instead of protecting the cop who killed an innocent teen. He is persona non grata to his former colleagues. They would be glad to see him dead. So he has to try to stay under the radar as he has no idea when they will strike.

Out of money and desperate for work, and against his better judgement, he agrees to take a case for his ex-wife's new husband, a man of questionable business practices. Right from the beginning, he has a bad feeling about this. The case is murky and there are many important details left out that he needs to find the truth. As the story progresses, the question arises - is he being set up to take a fall?

The plot is twisted and filled with all the elements you'd want in this genre - mobsters, crooked cops, hidden agendas, a sexy ex-wife, A shady sports agent, a secret sex club, a scary killer for hire and a pet cat with an attitude. A great escapist read.

[Marie Sultana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dirty Old Town by Gabriel Valjan is an exquisitely paced crime novel. It envelops the reader in 1970’s Boston with crisp word pictures that evoke the true essence of the town and the period. The line between the reality of 1970s Boston people and places and fictional characters and places is seamless.
It is written in the classic detective crime novel in the vein of Rex Stout, Dashiell Hammett, and Raymond Chandler. The puzzle that is presented is an extortion crime that ends up in murder with more twists than curly fries. It is a difficult puzzle for the reader to solve, making it an engaging read.
Although it uses standard detective thriller tropes, it does so in a way that is refreshing. Shane Cleary, the detective, is well read, charming, and loves his cat, the incomparable Delilah. He is also a Vietnam vet, and a former cop, giving him insights into the Boston community in a unique way.
This is either a book you clear an entire afternoon to read, or spend time savoring each delicious bite. The writing is thoughtful and intelligent. This is a thinking person's book. It’s a book that makes you smile.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Hardboild Detective in 1970's Beantown. Who could resist?

From the onset, Valjan creates the picture of a Sam Spade or Philip Marlow - including a fedora that shows up. But instead of 1940's we are in the mid 70's. I admit it took me a bit to piece the time together, but from mentioning Palmolive Madge and Mikey liking Life cereal, you put it together. Story is in Boston and as I went to college there - Green Line, Huntington Avenue and lived on the other side of the Fens, it was like visiting the early 80's and taking a trip through my college years.

The story - just good...as in, I need the next book asap! Wonderful characters, addressing social issues of the time, creating a lead characters voice that can be stereotypical PI and yet strong and confident. Side characters were fantastic, from the "broads" to the mobsters, the good guys and the bad, you wanted to know them. And you wanted to eat at Sylvia's!

I recommend and I'm excited to have the author sign this book when I meet him at Malice Domestic this week!

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I chose to read this book after receiving a free e-copy. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.

Dirty Old Town is a PI novel set in the 1970s. I liked the references to music and TV shows of the period because that’s when I was growing up.

Shane is a PI who is scraping by to make ends meet and accepts a job from an old “friend” because he needs the money. He knows he shouldn’t take the job, especially since an old flame is married to his client. There are a lot of twists and turns, some that I didn’t see coming.

Gabriel Valjan novels aren’t ones that I can sit down and read in one sitting. I thought that a PI novel might be different but it’s not. Because of his writing style, I have to slow down to read his stories to get everything out of them (not necessarily a bad thing).

If you’re a fan of hard-boiled PI novels, you’ll want to check out Dirty Old Town.

[Libby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read many novels by Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. The pace of this novel reminds me of those, even some of the vocabulary. It was a slow read at first as I had to reacquaint myself to that type of “gumshoe tells his story”. Clearly is a disgraced cop that has few friends left on the Boston Police force. This is because he testified against a BPD cop for the shooting of an unarmed Black kid, which puts him high on my list of good guys.

Clearly is unemployed but suddenly has a paying gig from an old friend. Unfortunately, the police are very willing to blame Cleary for lots of bad things, so he is in the run. He has a short amount of time to figure it all out before they catch up to him.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a difficult time getting into Dirty Old Time: A Shane Cleary Mystery when I started reading it. I struggled with words like K-hole of ketamine, might be apocryphal, brittle carapaces, imbroglio, and malfeasance. The further I got into the book, the more I got into Shane Cleary's adventure in 1970s Boston. I liked references to that decade like music by Donna Summer and Gloria Gaynor.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I heard about the author on First Chapter Fun. I Had to get this book through Inter Library Loan. It came from Utah! It arrived the same day I won the next 2 books in the series! I am happy I read this one first as I was able to get to know Shane Cleary and all of his friends and those who aren't really his friends! It is set in Boston in the 1970's. Boston has it's secrets and Shane wants to right some wrongs. The books are "stand alone", but I am happy I could start with #1.

[DonnaRae Menard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy cow crappers! Loved it. Got my start on bad boy books hidden in the stacks of Winooski Library with Sam Spade. Even today I'll watch Dragnet re-runs. Love this voice, the detail, the little fishes swimming away from what should be. Yeah, for Shane Cleary, ditto for Tony Two-Times. Ordering the rest of the series.

[Chantal Tseng · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haiku
...

Real talk with an edge
Breaking community ties
Allies on the lam
.
.
.
Nostalgia street smart
Generous in poverty
Filthy super rich
.
.
.
New alliances
Soft spots become so sacred
In Boston old town

4.5

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

More noir than my usual reading, but then a turn of phrase here, and a great character there, and I was caught in a satisfyingly twisty adventure with a wonderful ending, and I'll be reading more of the series . . .
Careful whom you trust. <3

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in the mid-1970s, author Gabriel Valjan’s P.I. Shane Cleary follows down those dark mean streets traveled by Spade and Marlowe, only in Boston. I thoroughly enjoyed this hard-boiled tale. If you like dark noir with wise-cracking dialogue this book, the first in a series is for you.

[Cheryl Masciarelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to be posted 04/20/20

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Appreciate all the 70’s references. Not sure Valjan has found his own voice rather than emulating other detective novels. I will continue the series.