Cliff Walk

Liam Mulligan, Book 2

By: Bruce DeSilva

Narrated by: Jeff Woodman

Prostitution has been legal in Rhode Island for more than a decade; Liam Mulligan, an old-school investigative reporter at a dying Providence newspaper, suspects the governor has been taking payoffs to keep it that way. But this isn’t the only story making headlines… a child’s severed arm is discovered in a pile of garbage at a pig farm. Then the body of an internet pornographer is found sprawled on the rocks at the base of Newport’s famous Cliff Walk.

At first, the killings seem random, but as Mulligan keeps digging into the state’s thriving sex business, strange connections emerge. Promised free sex with hookers if he minds his own business - and a beating if he doesn’t - Mulligan enlists "Thanks-Dad", the newspaper publisher’s son, and "Attila the Nun", the state’s colorful Attorney General, in his quest for the truth. What Mulligan learns will lead him to question his beliefs about sexual morality, shake his tenuous religious faith, and leave him wondering who his real friends are.

Cliff Walk is at once a hard-boiled mystery and an exploration of sex and religion in the age of pornography. Written with the unique and powerful voice that won DeSilva an Edgar Award for Best First Novel, Cliff Walk lifts Mulligan into the pantheon of great suspense heroes and is a giant leap for the career of Bruce DeSilva.

©2012 Bruce DeSilva (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"[A] sterling follow-up to 2010's Rogue Island, which won Edgar and Macavity awards for best first novel.... Look for this one to garner more award nominations." (Publishers Weekly)

Expected more after Rogue Island

After enjoying Rogue Island so much I had high hopes for Cliff Walk, but it just didn't quite measure up. Having the story revolve around horrific crimes involving children made it a difficult read, and going into detailed anatomical descriptions of what goes on in the legal and criminal sex trades made it even more difficult. If the investigations into the various crimes had been conducted with more vigor and outrage, it may have been more worthwhile. Unfortunately, Mulligan, the police and "Atilla the Nun" (the Attorney General) all seem to be helplessly mired in depression, halfheartedly looking into leads if they came across them, but not aggressively chasing them. Some characters were obvious red herrings, seemingly placed to offer opportunity for the author to make political commentary. Mulligan's obsession with attorney Yolanda and with the stripbar dancer/prostitutes was a major distraction to him as an investigator and to us as readers. Jaunts to jazz concerts and poetry readings were self-indulgent opportunities for the author to show off his cultural interests (with an obvious nod to his wife's poetry). It took the story nowhere. The wrap-up held no major surprises and unlike Rogue Island, offered no ironic satisfaction. Even Mulligan seemed let down.

On the positive side, there was still enough of Mulligan's wisecracking humor and glimpses of previously introduced quirky characters ("Thanks-Dad", ex-wife Dorcas, "Whoosh" the bookie) to add much needed shots of humor. Gave enough life to the story to keep listening and to grant 3 stars and a faint recommendation. Jeff Woodman's reading was very good, although in a few places it was a little difficult to distinguish characters.

Bruce DeSilva: have you listened to this?

Jeff Woodman's incredible narration was the perfect topping to this great story. The plot, characters, dialog, quirky setting and atmosphere???and the narration???were all outstanding! Deep as I was into the unfolding story, there were numerous times when I just marveled at the narration [like the calls from Dorkus, for example]. Thank you, gentlemen.

Decent hard-boiled detective story

Fair hard-boiled detective novel, where our protagonist Mulligan investigates the seedy underworld of adult film making, prostitution and child pornography.

I like the way DeSilva pays frequent homage to the authors who paved the way, Dashiell Hammett, Robert B. Parker and others.

I am inspired by Mulligan's clever individual ringtones, and will try to spice mine up a bit.

And I like the angle of his being a journalist in a time when traditional journalism is dying, newspapers shutting down. Journalism was going to be my field of choice, until I took a programming class and got the bug (so to speak). While I think I would have enjoyed the job, I often wonder what it would be like to have done well in the field only to be pushed out by the internet and global communication. This novel offer a sad glimpse at the possibilities.

The narrator did a wicked good Rhode Island accent.

Great story, characters and narration!

I have to like most the main characters in a book. There's no way not to love Mulligan and his cast of cronies at the Providence paper he works for. The narration is brilliant. It's just a really fun book and series.

second as good as the first (Rogue Island)

Where does Cliff Walk rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Among the best - have listened to it three times.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Cliff Walk?

The last day of yet another reporter as the newspaper struggles to survive.

Which scene was your favorite?

Can't choose.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Not only in one sitting but more than once.

Any additional comments?

The narrator is this character - wonderful.