Half the Truth (Hardcover)

Amazon.com Review
In his Edgar-nominated first mystery novel, Fixed in His Folly, former priest and lawyer Walker introduced us to Chicago private eye Malachy Foley -- a sensitive, jolly guy who rides a lovely old BMW motorcycle and has a part-time job playing jazz piano in a bar. For his second appearance, Foley takes on a serious touch of sadness: his relationship with the woman he loves -- his ex-wife -- seems to be rapidly falling apart. Meanwhile, another beautiful woman enlists Foley's help in finding her brother, a talented young basketball player being menaced for reasons nobody can understand. Mal's most interesting side is his vulnerability: "I remembered one night, coming home from a camping trip in the Rockies, driving just this side of panic through a raging, endless snowstorm across the state of Nebraska. I was alone, except for Seth Green and a friend of his, both sleeping peacefully in the backseat. I wanted to holler at them, 'Wake up, damn it! Help me see where I'm going! Be scared with me!' But they were eight years old, and I just kept driving."

From Publishers Weekly
Chicago PI Malachy Foley is often too cute for comfort, what with his BMW motorcycle and his titled landlady and his part-time job playing jazz piano in a bar. While many series writers can make their atmospheric touches work effectively for many books, Walker comes close to wearing out this series' distinguishing marks in only the second entry (following last year's Edgar nominee Fixed in His Folly). On the other hand, his prose is lively, and Foley, with a mouth as quick as his hands, has some interesting edges. Here, Foley is hired by the sister of Jason Cooper, a talented college basketball player who's gone missing. Jason's coach doesn't know where he is; neither does a local crime boss on whom Foley often relies for information. It seems that Jason is on the run. But from whom? And why are people associated with him coming to untimely ends? Some dogged pursuit, characterized by a bit more guts than brains, leads Foley to Jason, and he soon finds himself hiding the kid, who either doesn't know or won't tell who is out to get him and why. But then Cass, the estranged wife Foley is desperately trying to win back, is kidnapped, along with Jason's sister, a switcheroo that puts the PI in a bit of a moral dilemma. Walker'