Eureka

Eureka is the generation tale of a frontier town that is tamed with the barrel of a gun. We meets Thomas Brodie Culhane (everyone calls him Brodie or Captain). Brodie grew up in Eureka, joined the Marine Corps, fought in the Great War and came home to become the town's sheriff.His mentor was Buck Tallman, a man right out of the old west, and we are told he was deputy for Wyatt Earp. While Buckman is a bit 2 dimensional, his presence lingers throughout the novel. Then there are Eli, Isabel and Del. Without spoiling anything, it is the stuff good sagas and generation novels are made of. By the time Mr. Diehl finished introducing Brodie, I really liked the character.The novel shifts to Zeke Bannon - a hardboiled detective working for the LAPD. He begins investigating an apparent accidental death that turns out to be a homicide and the trail leads him to San Pietro (Eureka's new name) and to Brodie. You see there is something dark and sinister in Brodie's past and while you really don't want something to be wrong. Mister Diehl continues to lay a body of evidence that points to Brodie.This is a very satisfying read, and it lives up to what I've come expect from this author. When my son asked me: "What was the best thing he has written?" I answered without missing a beat, "Everything."

This is one of the top three books I read this year.Whoops. It's January 5th. OK. If I had finished this book 6 days ago, I would have put it alongside of John LeCarre's "The Constant Gardner" and Lehane's "Mystic River." Forget any naysayers. "Eureka" is a eureka, a great mystery with wonderful conversations that smack of times gone by. An excellent novel.Growing up on the East Coast, I remember old guys who had fought in WWI. One fellow lived into his late 80's with one lung gone, having given the first one up to mustard gas at Belleau Wood. So there's a 'reaching' aspect of Eureka that transcends a number of years. And we really don't feel it. Diehl is able to interrupt conversations in the past, flash forward, come back chapters later to finish them. Very tricky; very well done. Diehl captures the chronology swiftly and smoothly. Sometimes he's writing of events a 100 years ago, sometimes 60, sometimes in between. "The bohunk got ironed out in a hit and run." The dialogue is crisp and seemingly accurate. Very timely. Great conversations.Everyone who reads the reviews knows the plot by now. Honest cop, diamond in the rough, investigating the accidental electrocution of a widow in a 1940 bath tub, with only two things out of order: no will and "100 large in the bank."A tough WWI veteran about to run for Governor, unanswered questions about the past igniting the future with a 40 year fuse. The quote from Gatsby, 'boats against the current,' is as prescient now as it was then.Some romance that might be too much but everybody finds someone sometime. The best dialogue is found in Elmore Leonard. Diehl gives him a run for his money in Eureka. Strongly recommended.

Having read all of Mr. Diehl's previous works (except the "Reign in Hell" series), I was overjoyed to see a new novel by him. I have been a big fan since "Sharkey's Machine" was published. "Eureka" does not dissapoint. It is an intriguing story with well developed characters and a feel of nostalgia for more simple times. With the story taking place in the first half of the twentieth century, the author does not have to bog down the story with a plethora of technical details. It is one of the few books I have read in quite awhile that was truly impossible to put down. It seemed easy to get caught up in the plot and the characters' lives. This novel is not as violent as some of his earlier works, but still has enough action to keep the reader interested. To me it was a good story and an enjoyable read. I hope to see more books more often from this author.

Wlliam Diehl redeems himself with Eureka. Every book he's written has been great, until his last one Reign In Hell. And lets just say it was terrible. With Eureka, he's back in top form. It's a mystery set in the early part of the twentieth century. A woman dies accidently in her bathtub. The hero, LA homicide cop, Zeke Bannon finds evidence that points to the woman being murdered. Bannon follows a trail of evidence back to a small town called Eureka. The town is run by Sheriff Brodie Culhane, a war hero, who is beginning a campaign for govenor.The characters are very real and likeable. Even the bad guys Nothing is as it appears in this great story, and you'll be racing to finish it and then sorry that you did. If you've never read Diehl before this is an excellant book to start with. And if you were put off by his last book, don't worry about it he is back at the top of his game.

"Eureka," according to Webster's, signifies the discovery of something that brings joy or satisfaction. Thus, it is an appropriate title for the latest from William Diehl, a master of storytelling and suspense. Broadway, film and television actor Cotter Smith offers a finely articulated reading of this multi-generational tale. When Zeke Bannon was sent to fight in World War II some unfinished business is left behind - the mysterious death of one Verna Wilensky who was electrocuted in her bathtub. Almost as puzzling as her demise is her hefty bank account, fattened by anonymous cashier's checks from a bank in San Pietro, a Southern California town once known as Eureka. A few years and one Silver Star later Zeke is recuperating in an L.A. hospital when he is visited by his ex LAPD partner who has been investigating the Wilensky case. As Zeke digs into old files readers are transported to the Eureka of 1900, a hotbed of graft and prostitution. It is also a place where many secrets were buried. Jump start to today and popular Sherif Thomas Culhane, who seems certain to become California's next governor until his bid for office is jeopardized by stunning revelations. Diehl seamlessly weaves past and present to craft a story that keeps readers spellbound until the last. - Gail Cooke