Los Angeles with rainy winter skies, abandoned plants, idle fishing boats, 'a slum that rivaled South Africa" and residents infected by a 'grievance they can't put their finger on, a disease of anger,' Los Angeles Times <ref>Los Angeles Times, June 2, 1996</ref> 2. The Cracked Earth, 1999 "The best L.A. scenes ever, the best private detective making love to an old movie star moments ever, the hands-down winner in the long-running 'Where is the Next Raymond Chandler Coming From?' sweepstakes -- all of these honors belong to The Cracked Earth by John Shannon," Dick Adler, Chicago Tribune 3. The Poison Sky, 2000 “The Poison Sky is a stunner of a book and will undoubtedly bring John Shannon the attention he deserves,” The Poisoned Pen 4. The Orange Curtain, 2001 "Readers who like gritty noir leavened by genuine heart and a healthy dollop of erudition will love Shannon’s fourth Jack Liffey mystery,” Starred Publishers Weekly One of the best mysteries of the year, Chicago Tribune One of the best mysteries of the year, Los Angeles Times Los Angeles Times bestseller 5. Streets on Fire, 2002 “Liffey doesn't have much left except his marrow-deep decency, doggedness, compassion, and courage. But that will be plenty for Liffey's current fans and the new ones Streets on Fire will surely attract,” Starred Booklist 6. City of Strangers, 2003 “The lost, mixed-up children of wealthy, mixed-up parents have a good friend in Jack Liffey, the private eye in a hard-edged, politically savvy series by John Shannon,” The New York Times, One of the 10 best mysteries year, Booklist > 7. Terminal Island, 2004 “Terminal Island is probably the most heartfelt book yet about the socially conscious, emotionally fragile, increasingly physically vulnerable Liffey--a most unlikely action hero whose feats of intuition, verbosity and personal empathy make an interesting contrast to the exploits of his hard-boiled peers,” Wall Street Journal 8. Dangerous Games, 2005 “Still, the real rewards of this novel are not in the rocketing, multiple plot lines but the quieter, gray world of wounded and searching souls caught up in the madness,” Boston Globe 9. The Dark Streets, 2007 “There's plenty of action to drive the plot, but we'll remember the book for its characters and their very human and sometimes heartbreaking predicaments. Shannon writes with compassion, as well as intelligence,” Denver Post 10. The Devils of Bakersfield, 2008 “With snippets of social history thrown into