The Concrete Pillow

Ronald Tierney's Seventyish private detective, Deets Shanahan, stands out not only for his investigative efforts but for his warmth and often vulnerable humanity. This fourth outing presents the Indianapolis private eye with a case involving the conflicts in a tragic family while at the same time Deets is facing a crisis in his own personal life. The four brothers in the wealthy Lindstrom family - Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John - were star basketball players in high school and definitely headed for stardom in the game and in life. But not only have they not lived up to their promise of all-round success, they now seem in their adulthood to have been destined for disaster. Matthew has been crippled in a climbing accident, Mark threw himself from the top of a skyscraper, Luke has become a paranoid heroin addict. Only John seems to have escaped - so far.
Meanwhile, Shanahan has a dread of his own: His grown son, who has been estranged from him since boyhood and whom he hasn't seen in many years, is arriving on a visit. It is Shanahan's live-in lady, Maureen, who provides the commonsense anchor that allows Shanahan to face his case, his clients - and, finally, his son.