Murder in Manhattan

by John Matthews

Murder in Manhattan

A historical crime thriller

Jack the Ripper’s murderous spree is over in London. But has it restarted in New York City? . . . A trail of murdered prostitutes leave a new breed of detective and forensic investigator in a race to find the ruthless killer, all against a backdrop of gangster violence.


***** “A compelling read with two fabulous lead investigators” - A Fantastical Librarian

New York, 1891: A prostitute is found brutally murdered – her body slashed and some of her organs removed.

Immediately fear starts to spread. The victim bears the same hallmarks as Jack the Ripper's recent killing spree in England.

Finley Jameson, one of the original English Ripper pathologists, is put on the case and teamed up with Joseph Argenti, one of the new 'untouchable' detectives, hand-picked by a New York Mayor eager to fight corruption.

Argenti finds himself in the toughest challenge of his career—while at the same time facing life and death battles with some of New York’s most ruthless gangsters.

With the body count rising and Jameson and Argenti being openly taunted by letters claiming to be written by the killer it seems the ‘Ripper’ rumours could be true.

Has he crossed the Atlantic to find fresh killing grounds? Are his taunting letters proof that the cases are linked?


Or could this be a deranged copycat killer?

Murder in Manhattan is the first crime thriller in the Jameson & Argenti Victorian mystery hard-boiled urban investigations into serial killers that are packed full of suspense.

“A thrilling tale of murder, corruption and trust” - Uncorked Thoughts

“An exciting, captivating, thrilling and believable read” - House of Books

“The story is well told; gritty and gruesome in all the right places, and with plenty of action. An interesting take on the Jack the Ripper theme and a solid historical crime fiction read” - Books Butterfly

“John Matthews ticked all the right boxes. From the interesting and odd coupling of Jameson and Argenti, to the characterisation of peripheral prostitutes and victims. Each element was three dimensional and invoked a sense of realism which helped transport me to the time where this heinous tale of bloodshed was splashed across the headlines” - Just a Guy That Likes to Read

this book was previously published under the title Letters from a Murderer by Exhibit A.

THE JAMESON & ARGENTI MYSTERY
BOOK Murder in Manhattan
BOOK Diary of the Dead.
BOOK 3: A Blood Red Diary.

378 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 17, 2022

About the author

John Matthews is an historian, folklorist and author. He has been a full time writer since 1980 and has produced over ninety books on the Arthurian Legends and Grail Studies, as well as short stories and a volume of poetry. He has devoted much of the past thirty years to the study of Arthurian Traditions and myth in general. His best known and most widely read works are ‘Pirates’ (Carlton/Atheneum), No 1 children’s book on the New York Times Review best-seller list for 22 weeks in 2006, ‘The Grail, Quest for Eternal Life’ (Thames & Hudson, 1981) ‘The Encyclopaedia of Celtic Wisdom’ (Element, 1994) and ‘The Winter Solstice’ (Quest Books, 1999) which won the Benjamin Franklin Award for that year. His book ‘Celtic Warrior Chiefs’ was a New York Public Library recommended title for young people.

Reviews

[Michael R. Zuelke · Rating 5 out of 5]

To say that I enjoyed this book is at the same time true and false. "True" because it is well written and researched and thus contains much background information regarding New York's "mean streets" and police procedures, especially early efforts at forensic science, in the late 1800's. "False" because it deals with the possible Jack the Ripper murders flowing out of London to the streets of New York. They are gruesome and hard to read. The pace is fast, and the characters well developed. If I had to put the book down for a while, I was anxious to get back to the story as soon as possible. This is one of my criteria for saying a book is a good read and well worth one's time. If you like the "Ripper" genre, then this is a must read.

[Ellen]

did not really like this - was hard to finish

[gwen graves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Totally interesting

What great take on the Jack the Ripper murders. I found the characters were really interesting and very well written.

[John Purvis · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Matthews is the author of more than a dozen novels. Murder in Manhattan was published in 2022 and is the first novel in his Jameson and Argenti series. It is the 54th book I completed reading in 2023.

I received an ARC of this book from the author with the expectation of a fair and honest review. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own! Due to scenes of violence, I categorize this novel as R.

It is 1891 when a prostitute is found brutally murdered in New York City. It leaves the city in terror. Residents are already familiar with the murders attributed to Jack the Ripper in London. The Manhattan murder is frighteningly similar. Has the Ripper crossed the Atlantic, or is New York merely plagued with a gruesome copycat?

English pathologist Finley Jameson is sent to New York to assist with the investigation. He has already gained plenty of experience with the Ripper case in London. Joining him in the search is seasoned New York detective Joseph Argenti. They must not only deal with the taunting letters they receive but also with corrupt police and organized crime.

I enjoyed the 9+ hours I spent reading this 378-page mystery. This is n enjoyable period mystery with plenty of action and suspense. I like the chosen cover art. I give this novel a rating of 4.4 (rounded to 4) out of 5.

You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).