Murder off the Page

Librarian Raymond Ambler finds himself involved in another murder case when his friend, bartender Brian McNulty is on the run from the police.  In Murder Off the Page by Con Lehane, Shannon Darling was doing research at New York Public Library's crime collection and she had been drinking in McNulty's bar. (Murder Off the Page will be released by St. Martin's Press on November 19.)

One thing stood out about Shannon - she was a different person when she was drinking. Being the kind of guy he is, Brian stepped in when things got out of hand with a couple of his patrons and Shannon. He walked her home and one thing lead to another, but the next day another man is found dead in Shannon's room and she is missing. Brian finds himself an immediate suspect and he disappears as well. 

When Ray discovers McNulty is a suspect, he begins to dig

into Shannon's background and is shocked at what he discovers. She was a doctor named Sandra Dean, was married and lived in Greenwich, Connecticut, not the bar fly she portrayed herself as. What caused her Jekyll and Hyde personality? Ray and Adele seek to learn the truth.

When a second death occurs, the bulls eye on McNulty draws tighter. Still Ray and Adele believe in Brian and they continue researching Sandra Dean. With NYPD Detective Mike Cosgrove breathing down his neck, Ray continues his investigation and unearths answers to the crimes. 

Ray is a quiet, dependable investigator and Adele never lets him give up. I enjoyed the pairing of these two and look forward to more in the series. 



Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley. 

Death in the Manuscript Room

Libraries are usually quiet, calm places, but add librarian Raymond Ambler to the mix and there is room for trouble. Con Lehane's Murder in the Manuscript Room is a taut, tense mystery full of secrets and lies where people's rights are infringed upon in the name of national security.

Caught in the middle of a custody battle for his grandson Johnny with his socialite grandmother, Raymond is in a foul mood when he reaches the library on 42nd Street. He is greeted by two people; one he knows - Mike Cosgrove, an NYPD detective, and another he doesn't - Paul Higgins, an amateur writer and former police intelligence officer.

Higgins wants to donate his papers to the library's crime fiction collection. Although Ray doesn't think there is much value in the papers, he is intrigued when Higgins wants some of the papers restricted from view. And when he mentions the name of a long-dead truckers union leader, Richard Wright, Ray is all ears. Ray's childhood friend Devon Thomas was accused of the murder and is serving a life sentence.


Days after the papers are brought to the library, research assistant Leila Stone is found murdered in Ray's office. The police leap to
arrest an Arabic doctoral student for the crime. Gobi Tabrizi is researching the origins and evolution of Islamic law, Sharia. He seems unassuming and not the least bit interested in murdering a library researcher.

Tabrizi is carted away by a mysterious government unit and Ray decides to get more involved. As he digs deeper he finds gains soe scary insights into the world of secrecy and political expediency.

When someone else dies, Ray feels himself in danger and worries about his grandson and his library colleague Adele. Murder in the Manuscript Room is an excellent puzzle with a frightening outcome.