Central Park West: A Crime Novel by James…

Central Park West: A Crime Novel (edition 2023)

by James Comey (Author)

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Fiction. Thriller. HTML: A Newsweek and Reader's Digest most-anticipated read of 2023. In the thrilling first crime novel from the former director of the FBI, a murder investigation reveals deadly connections between high-ranking politicians and the mafia. The gripping crime fiction debut from former FBI director James Comey takes readers deep inside the world of lawyers and investigators working to solve a murder while navigating the treacherous currents of modern politics and the mob. When a years-long case against a powerful mobster finally cracks and an unimpeachable witness takes the stand, federal prosecutor Nora Carleton is looking forward to putting the defendant away for good. The mobster, though, has other plans. As the witness's testimony concludes, a note is passed to the prosecution offering up information into the assassination of a disgraced former New York governor, murdered in his penthouse apartment just days before. It's enough to blow the case wide open, and to send Nora into a high-stakes investigation of conspiracy, corruption, and danger. Drawing from the author's decades in federal law enforcement, including his years in Manhattan as a mob prosecutor and later the chief federal prosecutor, Central Park West is a fast-paced legal thriller with an intriguing plot enriched by real-life details and experiences. That unique perspective gives the novel much of its allure, but it's the unforgettable characters, shocking twists, and courtroom scenes as authentic as they are dramatic that will leave readers looking forward to more from this bold new talent in the genre. .… (more)

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Member:	greenfieldpl
Title:	Central Park West: A Crime Novel
Authors:	James Comey (Author)
Info:	Mysterious Press (2023), 384 pages
Collections:	Your library
Rating:
Tags:	New Books 2

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Central Park West by James Comey

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morocharll | May 5, 2024 |

Good characters, plot, and timing. But some characters blended together.

Good read but not a stand-out.

Bookish59 | Feb 9, 2024 |

Former FBI Director James Comey's Central Park West is a good first novel. This legal thriller follows federal prosecutor Nora Carlson as she and her team investigate the murder of a former New York Governor. The investigation shifts from his wife to the possibility of this murder being mob related. This well written book is full of believeable characters. I would read another James Comey legal thriller. (

)

lewilliams | Jan 23, 2024 |

I was initially wary about reading this, worried that the hype around it might be deceptive. The author is, after all, James Comey, former head of the FBI, who was peremptorily dismissed in 2017 by President Trump. I wondered whether it was the back story that had really been behind all the plaudits strewn over the cover. Indeed, owing to my Jock parsimony, it was only because I was offered the Kindle version at a bargain price that I decided to take a punt on it.

In fact, my fears were unfounded, and this is a very enjoyable legal thriller, following the investigation and subsequent prosecutions arising from the murder of a former Governor of New York. Comey highlights the tensions between the local District Attorney’s office and its federal counterpart, and different investigative approaches adopted by the New York Police department and the FBI.

Comey does not waste much time developing his characters – this is a plot driven story, but none the worse for that. In the tradition of John Grisham and the recent flood of legal thriller writers, he keeps the story moving, but never compromises its plausibility.

I am a huge fan of Michael Connelly, and would have to say that this book lacks the polish of his novels featuring Mickey Haller, the ‘Lincoln Lawyer’. Still, Connelly has been writing novels for more than thirty years, while I believe this is Comey’s first. I hope it won’t be his last. (

)

Eyejaybee | Dec 27, 2023 |

I guess if you’ve been head of the FBI you’re going to write an incredibly authentic crime novel. I really enjoyed this and once I found time raced through it in a day. Political intrigue, money, power, crime, the law - it had it all. There were a couple of really charming characters - Benny, the long term FBI agent and Frenchie, the criminal associate of the NY mob who endeared himself to the jury and showed off his knowledge of the work of Marc Chagall. Although there were various crimes it was never gruesome or gratuitous. I appreciated that.
A funny twist was The Lucerne Hotel featured in the novel - the very hotel I stayed in on my 2014 trip to New York.
(

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secondhandrose | Oct 31, 2023 |

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Fiction. Thriller. HTML:

A Newsweek and Reader's Digest most-anticipated read of 2023.

In the thrilling first crime novel from the former director of the FBI, a murder investigation reveals deadly connections between high-ranking politicians and the mafia.

The gripping crime fiction debut from former FBI director James Comey takes readers deep inside the world of lawyers and investigators working to solve a murder while navigating the treacherous currents of modern politics and the mob.

When a years-long case against a powerful mobster finally cracks and an unimpeachable witness takes the stand, federal prosecutor Nora Carleton is looking forward to putting the defendant away for good. The mobster, though, has other plans. As the witness's testimony concludes, a note is passed to the prosecution offering up information into the assassination of a disgraced former New York governor, murdered in his penthouse apartment just days before. It's enough to blow the case wide open, and to send Nora into a high-stakes investigation of conspiracy, corruption, and danger.

Drawing from the author's decades in federal law enforcement, including his years in Manhattan as a mob prosecutor and later the chief federal prosecutor, Central Park West is a fast-paced legal thriller with an intriguing plot enriched by real-life details and experiences. That unique perspective gives the novel much of its allure, but it's the unforgettable characters, shocking twists, and courtroom scenes as authentic as they are dramatic that will leave readers looking forward to more from this bold new talent in the genre.

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