Rogue Island

Bruce DeSilva

Oct 2010 · Liam Mulligan Book 1 · Sold by Forge Books

About this ebook

2011 Edgar Award Winner for Best First Novel

Liam Mulligan is as old school as a newspaper man gets. His beat is Providence, Rhode Island, and he knows every street and alley. He knows the priests and prostitutes, the cops and street thugs. He knows the mobsters and politicians—who are pretty much one and the same.

Someone is systematically burning down the neighborhood Mulligan grew up in, people he knows and loves are perishing in the flames, and the public is on the verge of panic. With the whole city of Providence on his back, Mulligan must weed through a wildly colorful array of characters to find the truth.



At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Ratings and reviews

BOTTOM-LINE: A decent introduction of a new sleuth . PLOT OR PREMISE: A reporter, Liam Mulligan, investigates a series of arsons around his hometown. . WHAT I LIKED: Mulligan makes an intriguing sleuth, and he has lots of interesting characters running around the woodwork. He is far from Sherlock Holmes, nor is he Spenser for Hire taking on the tough guys. A bit more Donald Lam or Trace…slightly incompetent, but not Plum-funny. His partners-in-sleuthing are generally good. . WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: There are quite a few "foreshadowing" hints dropped, and it made me figure me well-in-advance sometimes when certain things were likely to happen and how. Although, to be fair, a couple never happened (red herrings). And I thought the bad guys were all relative obvious for the overall plot and motive. . DISCLOSURE: I received no compensation, not even a free copy, in exchange for this review. I am not personal friends with the author, nor do I follow him on social media.

DeSilva's gritty an grimy investigative procedural grabs the reader from the start with smart and stylish dialogue together with insightful descriptions of the rogue aspects of Rhode Island. An enjoyable quick read. J.P. Miller. Cambridge, MA

About the author

Bruce DeSilva recently retired from journalism after a 41-year career. Most recently, he was the Associated Press's writing coach, responsible for training AP journalists worldwide. He is now a masters thesis advisor at the Columbia University School of Journalism. He and his wife, the poet Patricia Smith, live in Howell, N.J., with their graddaughter, Mikaila, and a Bernese Mountain Dog named Brady.