“A welcome addition to this tough genre.” The New York Times Book Review“In recent years women private eyes have become big business, as anyone who’s been following the fortunes of Sue Grafton and Sara Paretsky can attest. Thanks to their success, the way has been opened for many other women to write mysteries uniquely their own. A fine example is Janet Dawson.” The Denver Post“Janet Dawson’s new … Post
“Janet Dawson’s new kid on the block, Jeri Howard, another Californian, is a kindred spirit of Dashiell Hammett’s Continental Op character.” USA Weekend
Filipino-American professor Lito Manibusan is dead, murdered in a San Francisco parking garage. His body was found by a fellow Cal State history professor – whose daughter is Oakland private eye Jeri Howard.
Several months after the funeral, mystery woman Dolores Cruz shows up on campus, claiming to be the dead man’s widow. Dolly wants the professor’s papers, but they’ve already been turned over to Dr. Manibusan’s next-of-kin.
Jeri discovers the pattern of death and deception leads from the Bay Area’s Filipino-American community all the way back to the Philippines and World War II.
After all, the past never dies. It’s just covered up.
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A good story.
Great author if you like CA private investigators and good procedurals. Not a “romantic suspense” but a real, very well written mystery. Can’t wait to read the rest of the series.
didn’t like it
Till the Old Men Die is a smart, well-written book that involves a segment of the American population and history I knew little about: the Filipino community. Unlike what seems like way too many mysteries I’ve read lately, Jane Dawson has mastered the art of seamlessly including background information that’s relevant to the plot when its needed. I find this much more useful than someone pontificating for several pages about regional history or politics without any context.
Dawson’s detective, Jeri Howard, is also refreshingly normal in an era in which many protagonists seem to carry around so much emotional baggage it takes over the whole book. Like all of us, Howard has her quirks. But she doesn’t allow them to define her or interfere with her ability to do her work. Put another way, she’s a grown-up in what sometimes seems like an era of detectives whose main activity appears to be floundering around trying to find themselves while solving mysteries on the side.
Interesting view of immigrants having a foot in each world.
This is a well-developed series, plots are very believable and a number of viable suspects get weeded through, until the final one, which is something of a surprise, as a clever “cover story” is in place. Main character Jeri Howard is extremely likable.
needs some editing
ENJOYED THIS VERY MUCH. HARD TO PUT DOWN.
couldnt get into it
Readers should know that this is an older book — people have VCRs but no cell phones, Corazon Aquino is President of the Philippines [1986-92] — but one rich in historical context and full of Bay Area references, both of which I appreciate. This first person crime drama, told from the perspective of a female PI, is also well written, with realistic characters and a driving plot ending with a resolution that actually makes sense … all characteristics not always found in crime dramas.
I enjoyed this book as a fast read. I always enjoy book with San Francisco as the location. It was fun reading little more about the suburbs.
Loved this book. It was a little hard to understand how the first part fit into the genre, but then it all came together. I loved it and learned, too!
Good on Filipino culture.
A good story & made me want to investigate WW2 Philipine history as my Dad was stationed there. What kept it from being a 5 star review was the almost reporting style of the day to day movements of the main character at the beginning of the book. I also wondered if you could actually cover all the distances in the time frame.
This was like reading a history of the Philippines and issues of WW II. The plot submerged in the middle was minimal and uninteresting. Got to the point I was skimming through the text to get to the end.
Wonderful author! Great characters and interaction, builds an intricate plot and ends with purpose. A genuine page turner.
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I thought this book was boring. I wanted to like it – it takes place in the SF Bay Area where I live – but I just couldn’t finish it.
Interesting enough I have checked out the next in the series. Will be interesting to see how the characters develop. It was interesting having the history of the Philippines intertwined with the plot.
Interesting history of WWII years, and Japanese invasion.