Greasing the Piñata
A Cape Weathers Mystery
A former U.S. Senator disappears shortly after his son goes missing. When the son is found dead at the bottom of a water hazard on a golf course in Mexico, it falls to the Senator’s estranged daughter to find out what happened.
Private investigator Cape Weathers doesn’t want the case. He doesn’t know the terrain and he doesn’t like politicians. But he suspects the daughter won’t survive very long if he turns her away. He doesn’t know the half of it.
Cape unravels a conspiracy that leads from boardrooms in New York to places in Mexico never seen on any postcard. When his investigation gets the attention of a Mexican drug cartel, Cape asks his deadly companion Sally to watch his back. Sally confronts a killer even more dangerous than she is, someone determined to bury the past along with anyone trying to dig it up.
Miles away from home and nowhere near finding the answers, Cape manages to steal from the mob, piss off the DEA, alienate the local police, confound a computer genius, and somehow lose the client he’s been protecting all along.
Greasing The Piñata is a novel about family, politics, and the devastating effects of tequila on a private detective’s investigative abilities.
REVIEWS
“Maleeny smoothly mixes wry humor and a serious plot without sacrificing either in his third Cape Weathers mystery…an appealing hero, well-crafted villains, snappy dialogue and an energetic plot.”
—Publishers Weekly
“A cracking good mystery definitely not for the faint of heart but just right for readers who like a gritty crime novel with a labyrinth of plot twists.”
—Library Journal
“The Cape Weathers novels are smart, snappily written, energetic mysteries starring an engaging hero.”
—Booklist
Top Ten Bestseller, Independent Mystery Booksellers Association
The Lefty Award for best humorous mystery of the year
Next Generation Indie Book Awards, Best Mystery of the Year
“Picking up a Tim Maleeny novel is like walking into your favorite offbeat restaurant, one where the menu is a bit different every day but always reliably wonderful, entertaining and memorable.”
—Bookreporter
“Greasing The Piñata moves at a fast clip with enough action to please anyone’s desire to live vicariously. Cape Weathers is a fun, new protagonist with more courage than is good for him and a keen sense of humor.”
—Bruce Grossman, Bookloons
“You will definitely be rewarded by Greasing The Piñata”
—Paul Anik, I Love A Mystery
“Maleeny is a talent to watch and stick with.”
—Bruce Grossman, Bookgasm
“an intriguing political thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat…. This is definitely a must read for those that enjoy a story that has so many twists and turns that you feel like you are on a rollercoaster and aren’t sure what is around the next corner.”
—Leslie Story on Rebecca’s Reads
“Anything can happen in Mexico and in a book by Tim Maleeny…. Considering that this is the third Cape Weathers book, this book can easily stand alone since I was completely immersed in this novel without knowledge of the previous books.”
—Teri Davis
“Maleeny is the kind of writer that makes you want to jump in the passenger seat and go for the ride—okay, maybe with eyes jammed shut and your hands gripping the arm rest—but then you want to go again.”
—Bestselling Author Don Winslow
“Tim Maleeny nails it with this new installment from Cape Weathers. It’s an intriguing murder mystery crossed with a fast-paced political thriller. The whole thing is tied together with a witty protagonist and a finely tuned sense of humor. In Greasing The Piñata, just as in Mexico, anything can happen, and most of it does.”
—Bestselling Author Bill Fitzhugh
“Tim Maleeny holds a razor to your throat from page one through the final breathless chapter. Snarling, fast, and relentless, Greasing the Piñata rips open our cultural underbelly, spilling exotic characters around the incomparable Cape Weathers and his lethal sidekick, Sally.”
—Award-winning Author Brent Ghelfi
“A fast-paced tale starring a terrific lead detective supported by a kick butt Asian partner battling against realistic killers.”
—Harriet Klausner