42nd Street Library Mysteries #04: Murder by Definition

- Blurb -

Crime-fiction librarian Ray Ambler gets more than he bargained for when he acquires the archives of a controversial hardboiled crime author in this contemporary twisty mystery set in New York City. Hardboiled crime writer Will Ford might be critically acclaimed, but he' s every bit as debauched and disreputable as the ne' er-do-well private eye in his novels. So when Ford offers Raymond Ambler - crime-fiction curator at New York City' s prestigious 42nd Street Library - a collection of his papers, Ambler wonders if the project will be more trouble than it' s worth. Still, the disgraced author is an important talent, and Ambler' s never been afraid of a fight. Ambler' s ready for the controversy that greets news of the acquisition. He' s not ready, however, for what he finds when he finally receives the papers: a gripping unpublished short story apparently based on a real case, with an explosive author' s note. If it' s true, there' s been a shocking coverup at the heart of the NYPD - and a cop has got away with murder. If it' s true. Ford' s not talking, and Ambler' s good friend Mike Cosgrove, a veteran NYPD homicide detective, is beyond skeptical. But as the pair investigate, they' re drawn into the sordid underbelly of 1990s New York, packed with renegade cops, thugs and mobsters . . . and they' ll be lucky to come back out alive. Gritty and fast-paced, this story of police corruption, murder and mayhem is a great choice for fans of traditional mysteries with complex plotting, atmospheric settings and red herrings a plenty!