"Liars Dice was a game of guesses and bluffs, and there are no ties. Only one player would remain."

Liar's Dice by Gabriel Valjan is the fourth book in the Shane Cleary series. It takes place in Boston in the 70s where the Boston/New York mafia and the mob in Canada vie for dominance in the drug trade that is flourishing in Boston.

The book relives his time in Vietnam and Shane, who is a former police officer but now is a P.I., has a strict code of honor that he follows when it comes to investigating crime. A crime that the police don't want to deal with.

Shane receives a visit from Tony Two Times requesting that Shane find Sal who is the nephew of the local crime boss. Shane is also trying to figure out how and why a former vet is found dead in Boston Commons. But as he investigates, he finds that Federal agents and the police have their own agendas.

Shane and his girl Bonnie find themselves mixed up in the crime families, hopefully, able to solve the crimes he is taxed with solving. The reader learns more about Shane's relationship between Bonnie and the cat, Delilah.

I have read quite a few books by Mr. Valjan in different series and I always enjoy them. His knowledge of the '70s, Vietnam, and the crime families in Boston, Canada, and New York is impeccable. If you are looking for a gritty type of noir then you can't go wrong reading one of Mr. Valjan's books. I look forward to the continuing story of Shane Cleary!

I give it 5 stars! ( )

In Liar's Dice, book four in the Shane Cleary Mystery Series, author Gabriel Valjan takes the reader back to 1970s Boston to follow the latest investigative case of ex-Boston cop turned PI Shane Cleary.

In this installment of the series, Shane is asked to find Sal, the nephew of Mr.B., the mob boss of Boston's Italian North End. There is an undercurrent of a potential territory feud that has it's sights on Boston, and Mr.B. isn't pleased with this development, especially when it involves bringing distrbution of cocaine into the city by the Canadian mob, the Boston Irish Southie Winter Hill Gang, and the NY five families. And if that isn't enough, Jimmy Hoban, a Vietnam veteran and advocate for veterans, the mentally ill, and the homeless, has been found frozen on the street, which draws Shane's attention since he is also an Army Vietnam veteran. And to make matters worse, tension in the city increases when three Boston Police Officers are shot dead, and the Feds show up. Shane has a lot on his plate, but it just gets more intense when an old Vietnam Army buddy shows up, and Shane's memories of Vietnam surface when his buddy Hunter is in town on a personal mission. Shane gets caught up in a dangerous game of Liar's Dice, a game of guesses, bluffs, and deception. Can Shane put the pieces of the puzzle together, and solve the interwining cases that are wrecking havoc in Boston?

Liar's Dice 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 noir story has enough drama, secrets, deception, tension, greed, murder, and surprising twists and turns that keeps the reader guessing if Shane will be able to uncover enough evidence to solve the various cases that are plaguing Boston. Shane deals with hostility from his ex-police brethren, crooked cops, mobsters, and wealthy individuals who try to hinder his every move. Trouble always seem to find Shane, it's the hazard of his job and it comes with the territory, but it doesn't deter him from finding the truth.

This suspenseful storyline is about intertwining cases that Shane slowly puts the pieces of the puzzle together, uncovering the underlying mafia tension, drug deals, and corruption in Boston that will keep the reader guessing. With an intriguing cast of characters, a great description of Boston and the throwback to the 1970s decade, and flashbacks to Shane's military past, Liar's Dice takes the reader on one heck of a thrilling rollercoaster ride!

Liar's Dice is a well-written, fast paced crime thriller 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 from the author / publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Partners In Crime Book Tours.

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