New York crime-fiction librarianтАФand reluctant amateur sleuthтАФRay Ambler investigates a puzzling murder thatтАЩs too close to home for comfort.
Raymond Ambler, crime-fiction curator at New York CityтАЩs prestigious 42nd Street Library, doesnтАЩt consider it a big deal when he misses a call from visiting professor Robin Cartwright . . . until she turns up dead in a hotel room.
Who killed the quiet academic, and why? Ambler feels duty-bound to find the culprit, and not just because the police half-suspect heтАЩs guilty of the crime. It wasnтАЩt just Professor CartwrightтАЩs phone call he missed, but any sign that she was in danger.
Robin was researching accidental deaths she believed were murdersтАФcould her work have got her killed? Soon AmblerтАЩs knee-deep┬а in suspects, including a shady ex-husband, a slippery pastor, and at least one of his own colleagues. But the clock is ticking. If he doesnтАЩt catch a ruthless killer soon, it wonтАЩt just be his own life in danger, but those of his partner and newborn child.
The 42nd Street Library mystery series blends traditional mystery with a hint of noir, and is a great pick for fans of quintessential New York writers like Ed McBain and S. J. Rozan, along with those who enjoy traditional amateur sleuths and fair-play puzzles.