New York crime-fiction librarian-and reluctant amateur sleuth-Ray Ambler investigates a puzzling murder that’s too close to home for comfort.

Raymond Ambler, crime-fiction curator at New York City’s prestigious 42nd Street Library, doesn’t 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 he’s guilty of the crime. It wasn’t just Professor Cartwright’s phone call he missed, but any sign that she was in danger.

Robin was researching accidental deaths she believed were murders-could her work have got her killed? Soon Ambler’s knee-deep 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 doesn’t catch a ruthless killer soon, it won’t 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.

Author Biography

Con Lehane is a mystery writer, living in Warrenton, Virginia. He is the author of the 42nd Street Library Mysteries, featuring Raymond Ambler, curator of the library’s (fictional) crime fiction collection. He’s also the author of three mysteries featuring New York City bartender Brian McNulty, historical PI novel The Red Scare Murders, and has published short stories in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine and Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine.

Over the years, he has been a college professor, union organizer, and labor journalist, and has tended bar at two-dozen or so drinking establishments. He holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in fiction writing from Columbia University School of the Arts and has taught fiction writing at The Writer’s Center in Bethesda, Maryland.

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