Dark Alley

Hidden Manhattan #3

by Evan Marshall

"An interesting bit of New York City architectural history along with an unconventional female detective.... Fans of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum will find Anna’s unconventional approach appealing."—Booklist

BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from CITY IN SHADOW by Evan Marshall.

The newest victim of Manhattan’s “Mews Murderer” is a troubled veteran with ties to New York City’s darkest secrets…giving someone a motive to commit murder…..

THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD

When the body of one of Anna’s employees is found dead after his early morning run, Manhattan sanitation supervisor Anna Winthrop wants answers. The victim, a troubled Iraq vet, had enemies to spare, with uncertain ties to the death of a teenage girl back in Baghdad, and links to New York City’s seedy underbelly.

THE MEWS MURDERER

But after two more bodies are discovered in Manhattan’s quieter and more off-the-beaten-path corners, it appears there may be a serial killer on the prowl. The “Mews Murderer,” as dubbed by the media, seems to pick the location of his or her crimes with special care. Anna, alongside her cop boyfriend Santos Reyes, butts heads with local investigators as the pair follows the scattered clues. But the more Anna sifts through the trash, the more treacherously close she comes to confronting the killer who is planning the perfect place for Anna’s murder…

MANHATTAN MYSTERIES
DEATH IS DISPOSABLE
EVIL JUSTICE
DARK ALLEY
CITY IN SHADOW
REVIEWS OF DARK ALLEY

3.72 average rating all editions, 18 ratings, 2 reviews, added by 51 people, 23 to-reads, 89% of people liked it.—Goodreads

4 out of 5 stars (1 review).—Amazon

"A fascinating tour of hidden New York...Marshall's series keeps getting better."—RT Book Reviews

***** 5 stars “I really enjoy Anna's grit; even though the author is a man his portrayal of Anna is spot on.”—Sonja about Evil Justice on Goodreads

“Marshall crams enough crime into Winthrop’s latest case to burst the strongest Hefty bag.”—Kirkus Reviews

ABOUT EVAN MARSHALL

Evan Marshall is president of The Evan Marshall Agency and author of The Marshall Plan® For Novel Writing, the international bestseller on novel writing now in its 20th anniversary edition. He is the author of 10 commercially published mysteries including Manhattan Mysteries and Jane and Winky Suburban Sleuths series, named “Miss Marple Lite” by Kirkus Reviews. His books appeal to fans of Janet Evanovich, Lilian Jackson Braun, Agatha Christie and Alexander McCall Smith. You can reach him at evan@evanmarshallagency.com.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction

224 pages, Hardcover

Published March 1, 2010

About the author

Evan Marshall is president of The Evan Marshall Agency and author of The Marshall Plan For Novel Writing (Writer’s Digest, 1998), an international bestseller on novel writing now in its 20th anniversary edition. He is the author of 10 commercially published mysteries, Manhattan Mysteries Series and Jane & Winky Series which was named “Miss Marple Lite” by Kirkus Reviews. His books appeal to fans of Janet Evanovich, Lilian Jackson Braun, Agatha Christie and Alexander McCall Smith. You can reach him at evan@evanmarshallagency.com.

Reviews

[Jasmyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sanitation worker named Garry is found murdered in an alleyway. His supervisor Anna decides that the police aren't doing enough and begins to investigate on her own. A few days later another body is found...then another...and another. The killer is nicknamed the "Mews Murderer" and the police seem to be chasing their own tails as Anna tries everything she can to discover who the killer is before they can strike again.

To start with, I have to say that I loved the character of Anna. She was intelligent and thought through the facts coming up with some interesting points of view...some of which lead her the right direction and which lead her away. Her cop boyfriend, however, seemed to be in the story only as a way for her to get into the crime scenes. It would have been nice to see more from him, he seemed to have a lot of potential that was never used.

The mystery itself was well laid out and presented. I managed to guess the murderer early on, but I think it was just a lucky guess. We follow Anna as she interviews persons of interest and looks for clues. There were a few spots where the dialog was a little choppy or drawn out as she was asking people the same questions one after another.

Even though I had somehow managed to guess the culprit, the reasons behind his actions do not become clear until the very end. The story wrapped up very suddenly, and I would have liked to see it take more than just a couple pages. I was a bit rushed for my taste.

Overall, the book was very enjoyable and I had a hard time putting it down. If you are a mystery fan you will enjoy the story.

3/5

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anna Winthrop is supposed to concentrate on her job as a sanitation department supervisor, but when one of her workers disappears, she finds herself plunged into another mystery. For a nice guy, Garry has accumulated a lot of enemies. Risking her own life, Anna crosses one, then a second, then a third possibility off her list. That leaves--um, nobody. And yet somebody is committing a series of murders, if she could only figure out who.