Captain Daniel Patrick Mahoney, NYPD
(ret.) spent 25 years with the New York City Police Department, 17 of them as a detective. His assignments
included the Career Criminal Apprehension Unit, Manhattan Robert Unit and the 109 Homicide Assault Task Force.
At the age of 17, he enlisted in the
United States Marine Corps, serving as a machine gunner with the 9th Marines in Vietnam. After
his discharge in 1968, he applied to the New York City Police Department. Captain Daniel
Patrick Mahoney is the author of Detective First Grade; Edge of the City; Hyde; Once in, Never Out; Black and
White; The Two China Towns; The Protectors; and, Justice.
The Library Journal said of Once
In, Never Out, “Detective Brian McKenna makes his fourth appearance in this fast-paced audiobook. He is
asked to investigate the disappearance of a young Irish waitress, whose brother is the aide to the Cardinal of the Archdiocese
of New York. He tracks the woman to Iceland, where she was horribly murdered by a former New York City detective, now an outlaw
IRA bomber. McKenna then joins forces with a brilliant Icelandic detective investigating the bombing death of a British diplomat
and his wife. The story moves to Ireland, with McKenna receiving an introduction to the troubles between Briton, Irish, Protestant,
and Catholic, and climaxes with the final conflict back in New York on St. Patrick's Day. While not sparkling in plot
or characterization, this tale is enjoyable, and reader Adams Morgan does an excellent job presenting it.”
According to one reader of Once
In, Never Out, “This book grabs your attention and doesn't let go for a week after you finish it.
As a former Police Officer and someone who has been to Iceland and Northern Ireland I found this book to be very realistic
in every sense. Brian McKenna is the type of guy you want to be your partner, your friend , and the cop who comes when you
dial 911. He is Dan Mahoney's main character in all of his books, a NYPD Detective who in spite of past problems rises
to the task of solving the toughest cases that come along. In this book he travels to Iceland to find a missing girl and ends
up in a personal battle with the IRA's best bomb man. If you want a safe, predictable story then DO NOT buy this book.
But if you want a gripping, realistic story of intrigue, with heart stopping action thrown in. Then get off your chair and
go buy this book !”
Publisher’s Weekly said of Hyde,
“The overall mood of this police procedural about a serial killer of homeless AIDS sufferers in New York is, astonishingly,
upbeat and energetic, even chipper-as befits Mahoney's vision of New York as the kind of city where assistant commissioner
of the NYPD Brian McKenna (last seen in Edge of the City) can quit his job, take a salary cut and rejoin the ranks as a detective
in the 17th Precinct, all because he loves the work. Here, McKenna is assigned to investigate the demise of a homeless man
who apparently froze to death. Prodded by the suspicions of his partner, Maureen Kaplowitz, who is famed for the accuracy
of her hunches, McKenna uncovers a pattern of murder. His first surmise is that the killer, who calls himself Hyde in a note
sent to the cops, is avenging himself on those who gave him AIDS. But the real motive is as surprising as everything else
in this well-written tale-countless times, McKenna's initial judgments are proven wrong, usually because he has underestimated
everyone from Maureen to Heidi Lane, a sexy young TV reporter who has more on her mind than the news. Even the killer turns
out to be more than a maniac out for vengeance. This frequent exceeding of expectations gives Mahoney's tale the high
energy of comedy, boosted by sharp, fast-moving dialogue that advances the plot. The result is smart, brisk entertainment.”
According to one reader of Hyde,
“If you love PPs then relax with this novel. I love them and often try new writers in this genre. More often than not
I find that after a few pages I am reading a faux police procedural by an author (JA Jance comes to mind) who knows less about
the inner operations of an American police department than did Mother Theresa. The book moves and has a wealth of interesting
dialogue (If this book had any more dialogue it would outdo George Higgins, and we surely don't want that). Who is killing
all the homeless people, and why? That's the assignment given detective Brian McKenna. It's a good story where clues
lead to more clues, and finally we discover through some interesting toxicology work just how the homeless are being killed.
Mr. Mahoney is a retired NYC police captain, and thus knows how it all works.”
According to the book description of Justice, “New
York City. A wealthy businessman meets a violent fate in his elegant, carefully-secured home in Queens. Two drug dealers are
murdered in a Brooklyn no-tell motel room. Several men are found riddled with bullets and nails on a little-traveled road
beneath FDR Drive. And soon thereafter, a church, a synagogue, and a mosque find bags of cash waiting at their doorsteps-all
from a vigilante who signs himself "Justice."
NYPD Detective First Grade Brian McKenna
and his partner, Cisco Sanchez (the self-described world's greatest detective), are assigned to find the elusive killer
that all of New York City is rooting for, a man of supreme technical skills, physical power, and intelligence, who always
seems to know every move the police will make before they make it. Justice is executing drug dealers, helping the police close
unsolved cases, providing those in need with stolen drug money, and creating a nightmare for the police commissioner, the
mayor, and the two detectives. As McKenna and Sanchez work to try and outsmart the vigilante and discover his next victim,
they also must find out who is helping Justice in his quest for revenge.”
According to one reader of Justice,
“A good police procedural. Dan Mahoney's story telling seems to be made for the big screen, but in his writing you
get a much better idea of a character's true self. The story moves at a good pace, while the action and drama will keep
you going to the very last page.”
Booklist said of The Two
Chinatowns, “Cisco Sanchez, who considers himself the best detective in the NYPD, is in Toronto for an
interdepartmental boxing tournament. He's smart and tough, but that isn't enough to prevent tragedy when his lover,
Sue Hsu, is murdered by members of a street gang as the couple dines in a Chinese restaurant. Sanchez kills the two men directly
responsible, but he wants revenge on the gang leader who ordered the hit, to which he and Hsu were innocent bystanders. Despite
his personal stake in the case, Sanchez becomes a key member in a joint Toronto-New York strike force charged with dismantling
the two key gangs involved in trafficking illegal aliens. One by one, Sanchez and his crew arrest the street soldiers until
eventually they find someone willing to turn on the well-protected superiors. Mahoney, who retired as a captain after 25 years
in the NYPD, knows the nuts and bolts of a sweeping multijurisdictional police operation. He is also able to portray complex,
believable characters struggling mightily with their own muddled lives. Fans of William Caunitz, Robert Daley, and Ed McBain
will savor this top-drawer procedural.”
According to one reader of The Two Chinatowns, “This
is well written by an author who knows his subject. Dan Mahoney worked as a policeman for 25 years before retiring as a captain.
This novel is written carefully with the smallest detail covered. It is a tragic adventure that covers two cities in two different
countries in America with the exciting final in Hong Kong, Singapore and Guam. Cisco Sanchez the star in the story claims
to be the best detective in New York. Besides, he is a boxer for the New York police team and an actor in the ring who has
never lost a fight.
Cisco saw Sue Hsu the woman he wanted to marry. She was an airline hostess. As
usual he planned every move to meet her under the best of circumstances. He even took a flight she was working before introducing
himself. Everything worked as planned except she was killed by a group of Chinese, part of the `Born to Kill' street gang.
She accidentally got in their way on the way to the ladies toilet. Sue had taken Cisco to visit her Chinese Uncle's restaurant
in Toronto when it happened. Cisco swore that he would not rest until all the people concerned with her death were taken down.
Cisco discovered that The Chinese gangsters
who contracted the `Born to Kill' street gang were heavily involved with smuggling illegal Chinese into New York and Toronto
by way of containers ships from China. The novel grows from there to the climax at the end in Guam. For ones who are interested
this book has some very interesting part facts about smuggling Chinese and other Asians into America. It is a very dangerous,
interesting and a lucrative business. Life is very cheap in this novel.”
Publisher’s Weekly said of The
Edge Of The City, “Former Marine and former NYPD detective Mahoney first caught our attention with Detective
First Grade, his tough and funny debut thriller about an unusually interesting cop named Brian McKenna. In that book, McKenna
led the NYPD in a five-day war against a decidedly nasty bunch of terrorists -- using somewhat unorthodox methods which didn't
please certain superiors. In his second outing, just reprinted in paperback, McKenna has been forced into an early retirement
in Florida. But when another band of determined villains (from Peru this time) try to hold New York hostage, guess who gets
the call to report back to work. Good, dirty fun.”
According to one reader of
The Edge Of The City, it “is an amazing book. It makes all the character's come to life
and it was something I easily related to. Since I live on Staten Island, and take the ferry very often I got a really vivid
picture of the dilemma. Even the characters seem real. The mayor in the book is a lot like Mayor Giuliani and the police commissioner
is very much like former Commissioner Bratton. Overall the book is a must to any mystery/action lover and hopefully Mr. Mahoney
will continue to write for many more years. To be honest I bought the book because Mr. Mahoney was a graduate of John Jay,
which is the school I am attending now, but now I am hooked!”
The School Library Journal said of
Detective First Grade, “Veteran NYPD detective Brian McKenna has a knack for spotting concealed weapons,
so when he spies a suspected gunman in a Brooklyn housing project, he gives chase. This leads to a gunfight, and the suspect
is killed. The trail from the dead man leads to Cuban drug dealers and a hushed-up hostage/ ransom negotiation. Kidnapping
and international terrorism are the basis for this fast-paced police procedural. The story is tightly written with realistic
situations and colorful dialogue. It abounds in strategic details, but subplots involving McKenna's desire for promotion
and his friendship with the Chief of Detectives enrich the plot and rescue it from being too tedious. The only flaw is a lack
of well-drawn female characters. The token women are minor-role police officers, occasional wives and girlfriends, and one
tough, vengeful terrorist.”
|