Review: Murder at the 42nd Street Library by Con Lehane

A Mysterious Review of Murder at the 42nd Street Library by Con Lehane. A Raymond Ambler Mystery.

Review summary: This first in series mystery seems to take on more than it is capable of delivering. The storyline tends towards being convoluted though does move along at a good clip. On balance, it is not particularly strong but is intriguing, enough so that it will be worth taking a look at the next crime the series lead finds himself involved in. (Click here for text of full review.)

Our rating:

Murder at the 42nd Street Library
Con Lehane
A Raymond Ambler Mystery
Minotaur Books (April 2016)

Publisher synopsis: Librarian and reluctant sleuth Raymond Ambler, a doggedly curious fellow, uncovers murderous secrets hidden behind the majestic marble façade of New York City's landmark 42nd Street Library. With his partners in crime-solving, they track down a killer, shining a light on the dark deeds and secret relationships that are hidden deep inside the famous flagship building at the corner of 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue.

In their search for the reasons behind the murder, Ambler and his crew uncover sinister, and profoundly disturbing, relationships among the scholars studying in the iconic library. Included among the players are a celebrated mystery writer who has donated his papers to the library's crime fiction collection; that writer's long-missing daughter, a prominent New York society woman with a hidden past, and more than one of Ambler's colleagues at the library. Shocking revelations lead inexorably to the traumatic events that follow ― the reading room will never be the same.