Murder in Coney Island

Bill Donovan #9

by Michael Jahn

It is now almost a year after the World Trade Center attacks, and New York City is still struggling with the horrible aftermath. For Captain Bill Donovan, Chief of Special Investigations for the NYPD, watching helplessly as his beloved city was torn apart was painful and heartbreaking.

Therefore, when the body of notorious real estate developer James Victor is found in the basement of a Coney Island candy store, Donovan throws himself into the investigation as a way to ease the pain. Victor certainly has not been endearing himself to the local blue-collar Coney Island crowd in the recent months - he is the driving force behind a multimillion-dollar urban renewal project aimed at tearing down the old charming buildings and storefronts near the boardwalk in favor of erecting lavish condos. Soon, Donovan and his friend and associate, Brooklyn's massively muscled Brian Moskowitz, enter a world where the financial stakes are high and the emotional stakes are even higher.

Genres: Mystery

320 pages, Hardcover

First published February 8, 2003

About the author

I'm a reporter, photographer, and professional novelist. A newspaperman's son, I began my daily newspaper career at The New York Times, where I was hired in 1968 to cover the music beat (folk, blues, and rock), making me the first full-time rock journalist for major media.

That made me well-enough known (or notorious, maybe) so that a few years on I switched to writing fiction, mostly detective novels, and have published 50 books, one of which won the prestigious Edgar Award.

In reviewing "Night Rituals" (1982), the New Yorker wrote that "Jahn writes with a flourish that is entirely his own." And they didn't say "and he can keep it too" so I've been using that quote ever since.

Right now (2012) I'm publishing Kindle editions of my critically acclaimed Bill Donovan Mysteries, which I published from 1982 to 2008. Up so far: "Murder in Coney Island," "Murder in Central Park," "Murder on Theatre Row," "Murder on the Waterfront," and "Murder at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine" (originally published as "City of God"). My Edgar winner, "The Quark Maneuver," also is up in Kindle.

I've begun writing a memoir, not so much of me but of my very unusual ancestors, who had this Forest Gumpian ability to find themselves standing next to fame or infamy. An ancestor on the Spanish side, a sailor, went to Japan with Perry, fought in the Civil War under Farragut (and, I like to think, was the man the Admiral was thinking about when he hollered "Damn the torpedoes ... full speed ahead!"), and later helped rescue a man-eating meteorologist who was frozen in the Arctic ice. My newspaperman dad survived a car chase with Dutch Schultz and drank bourbon on a transcontinental train with Harry Truman.

I'll write about all this stuff. Wouldn't you? The working title is "Told to Me by a Sailor who Died (I'll Never Know if the Bastard Lied)."

I live in New York City.

Reviews

[Egm · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was ok. It has the typical fun, quirky characters that you expect from a good mystery/ detective story and lots of lines that brought grins. However, the mystery story itself seemed a bit convoluted and I found the end result a bit unsatisfying. Perhaps if I had read earlier books in the series some of the plot aspects would have made more sense. Overall, though, it was a decent book. Just think there are better ones out there.

[Beth Egee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Based on the main characters and general location, I could not help but compare this to the Robert Tanenbaum series featuring Assistant District Attorney Butch Karp and his saucy private detective wife Marlene Ciampi. Sadly, it did not compare, in my opinion. The characters were not as well developed, and the story line was a little too simple for my tastes. It was ok, and the plot twist was an interesting concept, but it rang a little hollow.

[Robin Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like a lot of the Michael Jahn books because of the settings in NYC and Brooklyn but I also liked the character. This is one of the later books. His character has changed, all of the characters were stereotyped and the end of the story left you scratching you head along the novel moved along and there were a lots of suspects and hidden stories. I prefer his earlier work.

[Patti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jahn is a Brooklynite through and through, and showcases the changing face of Coney Island in another Bill Donovan mystery. Laced with great dialogue, great locations and memorable characters, this mystery left me guessing right to the end. Kudos!