Murder at the 42nd Street Library

A new mystery series has been launched by Con Lehane.  Ray Ambler, amateur detective and the curator for the mystery and crime fiction collection of the New York Public Library joins forces with NYPD homicide detective Peter Cosgrove to solve the murder of a fellow employee at the iconic library.

Con Lehane, who has written a series of mysteries that features Brian McNutley, an Irish bartender, who is along with mixing great drinks and telling Irish stories is a good listener.  He solves crimes in his own series and now appears in the neighborhood where Ray Ambler goes for his after work drinks.  Ambler calls on McNutley for his listening skills and assistance.

In this first mystery novel we are introduced to Ambler and some of the colleagues at the Library. The story begins when Harry Larkin, library supervisor who is sitting at the entrance to the second floor of the library narrowly escapes being shot as a murder is taking place right at the door.  Word spreads through the Library employees and Ambler who enjoys reading crime fiction decides to help investigate.  There is also Adele who works at the library and seems to be a romantic interest for Ambler.  She also is someone who gets involved with solving the mysteries presented in this book.

A new acquisition recently donated to the library of a famous writer's papers has many characters who are necessary to this particular plot line coming to the library to do research.  There is a controversy over who should be allowed to write the author's biography and the candidates for this position are arguing and using different methods to get access to the materials donated to the library. Could this be a incentive for murder?  The plot is further complicated by the disappearance of the famous writer's daughter many years ago and a search by these biographers to reach her first for added material for their books.  In the meantime, Adele has moved to a new apartment and is getting involved with a young boy and his mother and asks Ray for assistance helping out this young family.

This is a complicated set of events to follow, with many characters who are intertwined and a bit hard to keep straight.  Who is married to whom and who knew who in college?  There were a few times where as the reader I thought I had the mystery all figured out,  my killer was murdered.  Though I did realize one piece of the puzzle before it was explained the book itself and the main characters are interesting enough to make me want to see where things will develop in the next book of the series. So I am looking forward to meeting up with Ray Ambler, Adele, McNulty and Mike Cosgrove again.