I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own. 

A detective must work to solve who was responsible for the car bombing that nearly took his life in author Dan Flanigan’s “On Lonesome Roads”, the third book in the Peter O’Keefe series. 

The Synopsis

SOME ROADS MUST BE WALKED ALONE

As private detective Peter O’Keefe continues to heal from the burns he suffered from the blast of a car bomb, neither he nor the police can prove who his assailants were. The media speculates that “The Outfit,” a mafia group in the city, is to blame. O’Keefe isn’t so sure, but he means to find out – and fast.

Terrified of another attack, O’Keefe’s ex-wife, Annie, won’t allow his eleven-year-old daughter near him except under the tightest security, including an armed guard. He can’t blame her. It isn’t safe for Kelly, or anyone else he cares about, to be near him while his attacker is on the loose.

In a desperate effort to keep his family safe and restore his life to some measure of normality, O’Keefe becomes consumed with solving the mystery of who is hunting him. Along the way, he’ll be forced to negotiate with The Outfit – a “devil’s bargain” that just might cost him everything.

The Review

The level of depth and development that this cast of characters took on was incredible to see come to life on the page. The intricacies of the corruption and violence that the protagonist came across both within the confines of The Outfit and the politicians that keep crime circulating were well developed and allowed the reader to feel the tension and heavy atmosphere the author created.

The complexities of the protagonist and his mindset were insightful and thoughtful. The balance the author struck between the investigation as a whole and the protagonist’s desire to repair his relationship with his family was remarkable to see come to life on the page. The suspicion and paranoia that come with an investigation like this and the personal nature of the case for Peter made this story fly by. 

The Verdict

Memorable, thought-provoking, and entertaining author Dan Flanigan’s “On Lonesome Roads” is a must-read entry into the Peter O’Keefe series! The twists and turns in the story and the thoughtful approach to the noir thriller genre made this a gripping narrative that readers won’t put down. Be sure to grab your copy today!

Rating: 10/10

About the Author

Dan Flanigan is a novelist, playwright, poet, and practicing lawyer. He holds a Ph.D. in History from Rice University and J.D. from the University of Houston. He taught Jurisprudence at the University of Houston and American Legal History at the University of Virginia. His first published book was his Ph.D. dissertation, “The Criminal Law of Slavery and Freedom, 1800-1868.”

He moved on from academia to serve the civil rights cause as a school desegregation lawyer, followed by a long career as a finance attorney in private law practice. He became a name partner in the Polsinelli law firm in Kansas City, created its Financial Services practice, chaired its Real Estate & Financial Services Department for two decades, and established the firm’s New York City office and served as its managing partner until October 2022.

Taking a break from the law practice for two years, he and his wife, Candy, founded Sierra Tucson, a prominent alcohol and drug treatment center located in Tucson, Arizona.

Recently, he has been able to turn his attention to his lifelong ambition—creative writing. In 2019 he released a literary trifecta including “Mink Eyes,” the first in what has become the Peter O’Keefe detective series, which was a 2023 Best Book Award Legacy Fiction Finalist, “Dewdrops,” a collection of shorter fiction, and “Tenebrae: A Memoir of Love and Death.”

“Tenebrae” is a bracelet of verse and prose poems dedicated to his wife, Candy, to honor her last illness and death and their 40-plus years together, a work that has been described as “celebratory” and “heartbreaking and exquisite.” It was a Finalist for both the 2022 IAN Book of the Year in Poetry and in the 2022 American Book Fest “Best Book” Award in the Legacy: Autobiography/Memoir category.

“The Big Tilt”, the award-winning second book in the Peter O’Keefe series, was published in 2020 and has been described as “deft, hard-boiled, but literary prose that’s reminiscent of Raymond Chandler’s best work.” The Big Tilt won the 2022 National Indie Excellence Award for Crime Fiction and was a Finalist for the 2022 Independent Author Network’s Book of the Year in Thriller/Suspense. Most recently, “The Big Tilt” was a Legacy Fiction finalist for the prestigious Eric Hoffer Award as well as making the 2023 Eric Hoffer Book Award Grand Prize Short List.

“On Lonesome Roads,” published April 26, 2022, is the third book in the series and continues in the award-winning tradition of its predecessor. Honored as a Notable 100 Book in the 2022 Shelf Unbound Best Indie Book Competition, “On Lonesome Roads” has more recently been a finalist for Crime Fiction in the 2023 National Indie Excellence Awards (after “The Big Tilt” won the award in 2022), a silver medalist for the 2023 IPPY Ebook awards, and winner of the 2023 American Fiction Awards in the Mystery/Suspense category.

Dan has also written stage plays including “Secrets” (based on the life of Eleanor Marx) and “Moondog’s Progress” (inspired by the life of Alan Freed), which was awarded the 2022 Honorable Mention in the 91st Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition for “Script.”

His novella, “Dewdrops,” was originally written for the stage and enjoyed a full-cast staged reading at the Theatre of the Open Eye in New York. The short story collection comprised of “Dewdrops,” “On the Last Frontier” and “Some Cold War Blues” was a Finalist in the 2022 Independent Author Network Book of the Year for Short Story Collection and a 2022 American Book Fest “Best Book” Award Finalist in Fiction-Short Story.

Dan serves on the Board of Directors of Childhood USA, the U.S. arm of the World Childhood Foundation, established by Queen Silvia of Sweden, working to end child sexual abuse and exploitation everywhere. He divides his time among Kansas City, New York City, and Los Angeles.