San Francisco author has local connections
FRANK BRADLEY Publsiher

Courtesy of Katheryn Maleeny Phill Zinn and nephew Tim Maleeny share a moment at Maleeny's book signing.

Hayesville resident, Phil Zinn, recently surprised his nephew, Tim Maleeny, at a reading and book signing for Maleeny's mystery thriller Stealing The Dragon.

The event was held at the Passages Book Store in the lobby of the Ferry Building which houses the Clock Tower on the wharf in San Francisco. This store was not only appropriate for the event but also very significant as the Clock Tower is the location of a scene in the first chapter of Stealing the Dragon.

The novel begins with Cape Weathers, a San Francisco Detective and one of the main characters of Maleeny's mystery thriller series, lying on his back looking up at the Clock Tower as he is being crushed and strangled by a huge a Russian Gangster. An excerpt from that first chapter reads as follows:

"Broken ribs stabbed as he tried to breathe. His vision started to fade and Cape knew he'd black out any minute. Then he'd be dead. But he could still see the clock tower jutting upward into the fog, and he couldn't help himself. He wanted to hear the bells ring one last time.

He also wanted to kill the son of a bitch that was strangling him, but Cape had learned to set realistic goals."

Stealing the Dragon, released in March and named "Killer Book of the Month" by the Independent Mystery Bookseller's Association (IMBA) is about a container ship smuggling Chinese refugees that runs aground on Alcatraz, its crew murdered with deadly precision. While the police and FBI search for clues, private investigator Cape Weathers suspects a professional assassin was involved, someone like his partner, Sally. But she's gone missing, and when Cape starts asking questions about her past, it's not long before he has a dead body in his trunk and a price on his head. From the back alleys of San Francisco to the secret societies of Hong Kong's criminal underworld, Cape soon discovers that sometimes the only justice is revenge."

Maleeny's writing style, which combines the macabre with a sharp wit, has been compared to that of Dashiell Hammett by other eminent authors. Mark Haskell Smith, (author of Moist and Delicious) "Dashiell Hammett's San Francisco gets diced, spiced, and served up like a kung fu fever dream in Tim Maleeny's riotous debut Novel." David J. Montgomery (Fiction writer/reviewer, the Chicago Sun- Times), "San Francisco comes alive in Tim Maleeny's engaging and confident debut thriller, Stealing the Dragon, a dark but witty book that showcases a new talent that is likely to please many readers. Stealing the Dragon is an entertaining story that combines a gumshoe mystery in the tradition of Dashiell Hammett with the exotic action of Trevanian." Midnight Ink, (a Llewellyn Imprint), "Tim Maleeny's debut novel, successfully captures not only the bright atmosphere of San Francisco but also the darker aspects of its soul, in a manner perhaps previously matched only by Dashiell Hammett."

On a personal note, some of the characters and plot twists bring back memories of Ian Fleming's 007 series for me. It was a thrilling ride and I found it very difficult to put the book down. The next Cape Weathers Mystery in the series Beating the Babushka is due to be released in October followed by Greasing the Piñata in the spring of 2008. As you can no doubt tell, I have become a Maleeny fan, having also read some of his other stories such as Til Death Do Us Part in Mystery Writers of America's anthology of the same name, which was edited by Harlan Coban. Check out Tim's killer website http://www.stealingthedragon. com If you are looking for a great read, the books can be ordered on Amazon.com. You are sure to see more of Maleeny's name in the future as his new novels are released. I look forward to reading more about Cape Weathers and his side kick, Sally, and hopefully seeing them on the BIG screen.