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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Avery dynamic and exciting police procedural, December 4, 2004
This review is from: Murder in Alphabet City: A Manhattan Mystery (Mass Market Paperback)
After taking some time off to recover from her encounter with a serial killer, New York Police Department Detective First Grade Jane Bauer returns to duty in time to work a cold case with her two partners. Power broker Flavia Constantine wants the police to reopen the case of her brother Anderson Stratton who supposedly committed suicide eight years ago. She demands the police prove it was murder and find the perpetrator.
After doing multiple interviews, Jane discovers a link between Stratton, his social worker Erica Renzler and building superintendent Larry Vale. Jane assumes that Erica visited Stratton as an excuse to talk to Vale. Eight years ago Erica also supposedly committed suicide after she quit her job at social services; Jane thinks the two deaths are linked. When she finds Erica's secret postal box with hidden records hinting that she was involved in something illegal, both cases are officially reopened as murder investigations. Someone doesn't want the police investigating and someone named Bill Fletcher takes off with the daughter of Jane's partner. When that doesn't cause the detective to back off, someone tries to kill Jane.
This is a very dynamic and exciting police procedural. The author gives the audience a step-by-step insight into an ongoing investigation so that readers see how a case is solved. Jane is a remote individual so it is hard to warn up to her but nobody can doubt her dedication to solving the case especially after her two partners are deeply affected by one of the perpetrators. Lee Harris can always be counted on to give her fans an exciting mystery although her Manhattan mysteries are darker and grittier than the Christine Bennet tales.
Harriet Klausner
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Nice second entry in NY Detective Jane Bauer set -- interesting cold case solved!, October 9, 2005
This review is from: Murder in Alphabet City: A Manhattan Mystery (Mass Market Paperback)
We were delighted to see this second entry in the Jane Bauer series about a NYPD Detective and her two sidekicks that specialize on cold cases. As the author's ex-nun Chris Bennett series seems to sputter a little, this new character is a welcome change from Lee Harris; one that features a somewhat grittier storyline and less family machinations than the "holiday" set. As with other reviewers, though, we do agree that Jane's ten-year affair with a married man (Hack) seems out of character, and a rather unwelcome twist to what we presume to be the author's values on such matters...
In the fine storyline, a mentally troubled man (Stratton) is dead from apparent self-starvation. His prominent sister, with connections high up in the NYPD, wants the case re-opened eight years later, as she never accepted it as a suicide. When Jane and partners Defino and MacHovec start interviewing people and chasing now-distant clues, a suicide of the man's case worker is discovered, which seems way too coincidental to the cops. Eventually that latter death is ruled a murder, and that case is reopened as well. Most of the book then actually pursues that crime and its real circumstances, outcome, and perpetrators to a somewhat surprising conclusion that significantly endangers Bauer. Possibly the only dissatisfaction to the novel is the somewhat unresolved status of Stratton's death.
We seem to enjoy Harris' mysteries and feel she is on the right track to promote Bauer's exploits and maybe let the other series fade away. If she can dream up further interesting cases and maybe fix Bauer's love life while she's at it, we predict she can pump out another dozen or so stories in this set! Not bad for an author with some forty books (under various names) already under her belt!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Solving a cold case creates another case, April 25, 2006
This review is from: Murder in Alphabet City: A Manhattan Mystery (Mass Market Paperback)
Eight years ago, Andrew Stratton starved to death. That was the official cause of death of the cold case Jane Bauer, NYPD, and her two partners are assigned to investigate. His prominent sister has gotten the brass to reopen the case.
As they investigate and begin tracking down people in his past, they discover the suicide of his social worker. Things don't add up and soon they discover it was murder. They continue investigating and trying to discover what really happened to Andrew and his social worker. And what were they involved in.
I really enjoy this series by Lee Harris. Jane Bauer is a great detective and I like the way she works and thinks. Generally, I read more light mysteries (generally called cozies), but this is one police procedural that I always read. The characters are well written and the stories are interesting. There is enough police action but without all the gore of other authors.
I highly recommend this book and series.
[...]
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