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MURDER AT THE 42ND STREET LIBRARY
by Con Lehane
Minotaur, April 2016
307 pages
$25.95
ISBN: 1250009960


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

The book opens when Dr James Donnelly, a writer, enters the office of the Director of the 42nd St Library's Private Collection and is killed almost immediately as the startled director looks on. The killer rapidly escapes. The curator of the crime fiction collection is Ray Ambler, an amateur sleuth who can't help but look into this murder on his turf. He does so, on and off, with his friend, homicide detective Mike Cosgrove, who is the main investigator. Together and apart, they work at finding the culprit, in doing so unravelling several situations and airing numerous secrets, mostly personal.

After this dramatic opening, the story unfolds as if the reader had stepped into a library. Although the body count is rather high - seven deaths - the telling of the story is filled with descriptions, muted settings, calm characters, verbal interactions rather than actions. There is a sort of dated, musty feel to the writing, much like visiting the less frequented sections of a library.

The plot is intricate and interesting, based on numerous characters and their complex relationships to one another. At first, I found the characters difficult to distinguish but soon realized that my problem resided more in who was what to whom. Once I drew up a chart, it was smooth sailing.

The book's forte is the author's obvious love for New York and its main library. If you know the city, you will enjoy roaming it and if, like me, you have never been there, you will have the opportunity for a great visit. Here, Lehane lets loose his emotions, to the benefit of the reader.

The investigation is well done and realistic. Mostly because, although they are friends, Cosgrove doesn't consider Ambler as his sidekick. Ambler will divulge what he learns but at his own pace and then lets the cop do his job. We are privy to some of their private lives. While Ray's imprisoned son helps the story move along, Cosgrove's has the opposite effect, stopping the flow without real purpose.

The ending is very Hollywood, with every loose end neatly tied and a happy ending as a bonus. Despite the sappy ending, I recommend the book and look forward to the next entry in this beginning series.

§ Nicole Leclerc is a native Montrealer, avid reader, long time reviewer and a moderator of the 4MA online discussion group for a number of years.

Reviewed by Nicole Leclerc, March 2016

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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