What do you think?
Rate this book
Manhattan Mysteries #1
Murder in Hell's Kitchen
After twenty years of loyal service, Detective Jane Bauer is just two months and one case away from leaving the NYPD for a cushy desk job. Her last assignment: working for a special unit that tackles unsolved crimes. At a crossroads in her personal life, Jane relishes the chance to lose herself in a challenging investigation.
Four years ago, Arlen Quill was found dead in the entryway to his apartment building—leaving no clues, no witnesses, and no leads. When Jane decides to interview Quill’s old neighbors, she makes a startling discovery: Every single occupant at the time of the murder subsequently disappeared. Like any seasoned New Yorker, Jane knows that mere homicide isn’t enough to drive people from their rent-controlled apartments. In Hell’s Kitchen, where a cold case suddenly heats up—Jane soon finds herself face-to-face with a killer. . . .
Four years ago, Arlen Quill was found dead in the entryway to his apartment building—leaving no clues, no witnesses, and no leads. When Jane decides to interview Quill’s old neighbors, she makes a startling discovery: Every single occupant at the time of the murder subsequently disappeared. Like any seasoned New Yorker, Jane knows that mere homicide isn’t enough to drive people from their rent-controlled apartments. In Hell’s Kitchen, where a cold case suddenly heats up—Jane soon finds herself face-to-face with a killer. . . .
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 2003
101 people are currently reading
146 people want to read
About the author
Lee Harris
103 books77 followersA pseudonym used by Syrell Leahy.
Lee Harris is the author of the mystery novels featuring ex-nun Christine Bennett, who first appeared in The Good Friday Murder, an Edgar Award nominee. She also writes the New York Mysteries, which debuted with Murder in Hell's Kitchen. In 2001, Lee Harris received the Romantic Times magazine Career Achievement Award for her distinguished contribution to crime writing.
Lee Harris is the author of the mystery novels featuring ex-nun Christine Bennett, who first appeared in The Good Friday Murder, an Edgar Award nominee. She also writes the New York Mysteries, which debuted with Murder in Hell's Kitchen. In 2001, Lee Harris received the Romantic Times magazine Career Achievement Award for her distinguished contribution to crime writing.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
September 7, 2019
Random download. Never heard of Lee Harris--lots of other books though, I learned. I've read enough procedural/detective/mystery novels over my lifetime that I realize that it takes a certain skill to lay out and solve an engrossing crime in, say, 350 pages. This one really worked. I enjoyed the bobbing and weaving of characters and plotlines. And the resolution was satisfying. Good police work, street smarts, interagency cooperation, personal drama (have to have that too!)--all of it worked to just about the best effect. My TBR list/shelf is currently bulging, or I might be tempted to read #2 in this series right away.
May 10, 2024
This book was atrocious. I came so close to DNF ing it and I almost wish I did. The only reason it gets 1 star is because the case that they were investigating was pretty interesting. All the characters sucked, but especially Miss "First Grade Detective" Bauer. I was rooting for Wang to kill her cuz I COULD NOT stand that woman. It's absolutely insane that she was not only messing around with someone else's husband but everyone was fine with it????? She never felt ANY guilt or remorse for the fact that she was tearing this idiot's family apart, daughter included. Obviously, I hated the cheating husband too cuz he was disgusting. Why tf didn't he just divorce his wife and put her out of her misery?? After like 10yrs the poor woman obviously knew he was cheating on her. What I would love to see is a sequel from Mrs. Hackett's perspective of investigating the mystery of who her dirty, sleazebag husband is f*cking on the side and then she walks in on them and beats the shit out of them both. Even though those characters are extremely hateable, none of the other characters are likeable in comparison. Why you ask? Oh well, they're all a bunch of raging racists so there's that....Everyone is this weird universe feels the need to make everyone else immediately aware when they find out someone is black, even if they're not a suspect, and of course they never explain why and it's never relevant to the case at all. Then there's the really ugly ones who flat-out said racial slurs targeted toward Asians??? Wtf was that about? Maybe I'm missing something because I wasn't alive at the time when this book came out, but to my knowledge, adultery wasn't trendy in the early 2000s. I don't live in New York either so maybe they're more racist on the east coast?? Dunno but either way there was no reason to include it in the book. Would've been a great book if I didn't want to murder all the shallow, entitled characters. Especially Jane. I hate that stupid fictional b*tch. It could've been a less insufferable book if the entire thing wasn't from her annoying ass perspective of talking about the husband she was f*cking and all the other men she still wanted. Shocked she didn't try to get it on with Paul since she's clearly so into married men. What really pisses me off is that she KNEW before she even started messing around with him that he was married. She figured it out the first time they met bc he told her about his daughter and she still f*cked him anyway????? And then she's all like "omg I'm so in love with him I wanna talk to him he just /gets/ me" and all that BS every 5 seconds and never once acknowledges how f*cked up it is to be this dude's side-chick and help him hide his secret life from his wife and he's out buying gifts and flowers and shit even while he's on vacation with his wife. He said her name in his sleep too?? Like yeah she knows about it, you idiot. Idk what you mean about "There won't be any trouble". The cheating is never justified, never explained, they don't say why he won't divorce his wife or why Jane couldn't love someone who wasn't already taken. They just talk about their "relationship" like it's the most normal thing in the world and like his daughter won't be heartbroken when she realizes her dad doesn't love her mom and he's been lying to them both for 10yrs. They're a match made in hell fr and I hope somebody kills them both. 🤮🤮
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 23, 2020
Picked this up at a thrift store and I am so glad I did! Good characters And plot. I look forward to the rest of this series.
September 10, 2007
MURDER IN HELL’S KITCHEN – VG
Harris, Lee – 1st of Series
When investigating a murder which took place in a NY apartment building four years ago, Det. Jane Bauer finds that all the residents at that time have subsequently disappeared. While there were some convenient plot elements, I felt the story was well though out and particularly liked the twist at the end.
Harris, Lee – 1st of Series
When investigating a murder which took place in a NY apartment building four years ago, Det. Jane Bauer finds that all the residents at that time have subsequently disappeared. While there were some convenient plot elements, I felt the story was well though out and particularly liked the twist at the end.
December 5, 2016
This was a real page turner--perfect for a Sunday afternoon post baseball season read.
June 11, 2023
Murder in Hell's Kitchen introduces Detective Jane Bauer, a veteran cop coming up to 20 years of service and recently assigned to a new cold case task force. With her team of three, Jane finds herself caught up in the four year old murder of Arlen Quill - a case which only seems to be getting hotter the more they investigate.
I enjoyed this. The characters are somewhat bland but I liked the plot and the cold case they investigate. I'm not sure why it's necessary to make all female cops (or at least most) absolute messes in their personal lives but Jane is apparently no exception to the rule. She's in the process of moving, Honestly I could have done without the backstory. It didn't add anything to the story and mainly just made Jane feel like every other female detective out there. The romance in particular was pretty cringe, although thankfully not too excessive.
That said, I liked the plot. I was fairly invested in the mystery by the end. I wanted to know who and why and what and I was flicking through pages to find out. This is a typical procedural though - slower paced and more focused on unfolding the mystery rather than action packed thrills. But this was exactly what I was in the mood for and I was thoroughly entertained. 3 stars.
I enjoyed this. The characters are somewhat bland but I liked the plot and the cold case they investigate. I'm not sure why it's necessary to make all female cops (or at least most) absolute messes in their personal lives but Jane is apparently no exception to the rule. She's in the process of moving, Honestly I could have done without the backstory. It didn't add anything to the story and mainly just made Jane feel like every other female detective out there. The romance in particular was pretty cringe, although thankfully not too excessive.
That said, I liked the plot. I was fairly invested in the mystery by the end. I wanted to know who and why and what and I was flicking through pages to find out. This is a typical procedural though - slower paced and more focused on unfolding the mystery rather than action packed thrills. But this was exactly what I was in the mood for and I was thoroughly entertained. 3 stars.
August 3, 2021
This one's a cold case mystery and it's the first time I've read one. Altogether, the whole book seemed ambivalence. Just like how Det. Jane felt throughout in her life. All the characters were used as essential as they can. Bauer and Defino seemed to work nicely together haha. The fact that Hackett has a wife and a daughter... I kind of hated the character of Jane on that part. But then she, too had an own story background which is understandable. She's full of courage and that's what I liked about her. I also hated how the book ended, like a cliffhanger on getting her and her child (which was adopted) real close. Anyway yeah they were bright and brilliant on giving the justice on the error murder of Quill. Poor him. Soderberg became an important character as well even though his ashes were already thrown off the sea. And honestly speaking, being a person living far away from New York, I didn't get clearly those streets and some of the terms. The plot was not that I was expecting, good work though! :)
Read
September 13, 2025This just didn't work for me. I abandoned at 14%.
I got the impression that this had been edited in sections, but that it wasn't edited overall for continuity.
The first chapter was engaging, with writing that put the reader in the scene. "At red lights, he edged forward, then shot across."
But further in the writing became tedious. "She boiled some water, measured out spaghetti, and reheated the meat sauce ... " "She poured the sauce over the spaghetti ... " "Jane started to get up from the chair ... " Uggh! I couldn't go further with this. It seemed like the writer was trying boost their page count with meaningless details that failed to advance the plot or develop character.
I'm glad I've given myself the gift of not finishing books I'm not enjoying.
I got the impression that this had been edited in sections, but that it wasn't edited overall for continuity.
The first chapter was engaging, with writing that put the reader in the scene. "At red lights, he edged forward, then shot across."
But further in the writing became tedious. "She boiled some water, measured out spaghetti, and reheated the meat sauce ... " "She poured the sauce over the spaghetti ... " "Jane started to get up from the chair ... " Uggh! I couldn't go further with this. It seemed like the writer was trying boost their page count with meaningless details that failed to advance the plot or develop character.
I'm glad I've given myself the gift of not finishing books I'm not enjoying.
May 30, 2019
I loved this book. I am a big fan of police procedurals and this one really delivered. Cold case files are always interesting to me (like Jussi Adler-Olsen's Dept Q books, which are great). The characters were really well drawn and interesting and the storyline was engrossing. I think I read the book in two days, could hardly put it down. I felt like I really got to know Jane, Gordon and Sean. I have already purchased book 2. This lady really knows how to tell a story!
June 17, 2019
Exciting story with an interesting mystery at its core. This is Manhattan Mystery #1 - I'm having bad luck lately in that way - found that there are only three in this series - but I did start the next one; Murder in Alphabet City, as soon as I finished this one, and will read the next, if this one is anywhere near as good as Murder in Hell's Kitchen was.
May 31, 2020
A well written story with al the police work of a good tv series. A gripping tale
A well written story with a the police tivity of any good ztV series. This book kept me up half the night. It really enjoyed the read.
A well written story with a the police tivity of any good ztV series. This book kept me up half the night. It really enjoyed the read.
August 24, 2021
Murder in Hell’s Kitchen
I followed a suggestion from Goodreads for this author. I haven’t read books written by Lee Harris until now. This is a great murder mystery story, the characters are interesting and the story well developed. I plan to read the second in the series.
I followed a suggestion from Goodreads for this author. I haven’t read books written by Lee Harris until now. This is a great murder mystery story, the characters are interesting and the story well developed. I plan to read the second in the series.
December 10, 2022
3.5
I'm not sure if I didn't really like the book or if I didn't like the fact that, reading on a Kindle, there was no "time left in chapter" or even "pages left in chapter" notifications. I'll try the second book in the series, but I'm not sure I care enough about the character to keep going.
I'm not sure if I didn't really like the book or if I didn't like the fact that, reading on a Kindle, there was no "time left in chapter" or even "pages left in chapter" notifications. I'll try the second book in the series, but I'm not sure I care enough about the character to keep going.
June 16, 2017
Fan of all Lee Harris books. Definite read if you are a fan of cold cases mystery.
June 2, 2019
Great book
There is something truly wonderful about stumbling across a wonderful book that you missed the first time around. This richly charactered book is a joy to read.
There is something truly wonderful about stumbling across a wonderful book that you missed the first time around. This richly charactered book is a joy to read.
November 14, 2019
Can't remember how I happened on to this; was prowling around looking for another mystery series and got lucky. First of 3? 4? and totally looking forward to the next. A real find.
February 9, 2020
First time reading this author and I thoroughly enjoyed the book. The book is quick moving and the characters believable. Can't wait to read the next installment in this series
March 24, 2023
As I loved this author's Christine Bennett series, I followed by reading this one. This series was a little more hard-boiled, but I liked it very much and was disappointed that it did not continue.
March 15, 2025
Lee Harris is a great writer and this first book in the new (for me) Jane Bauer series is thoroughly excellent. Tight prose. Strong, believable characters. Interesting and complex plot.
August 10, 2025
A little dry, good tie in at the end. Looking forward to book #2 in the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 22, 2010
New Lee Harris character solves cold crime from past...
We're familiar with solving old crimes from the author's ex-nun Christine Bennett series, now some 15 or so books in that set. As devoted fans, we were delighted when Harris set out to give us a new heroine, NYPD Detective Jane Bauer. Bauer is nearing her 20 years of service, with every intention of "pulling the pin" (retiring), but is given a special assignment with several other detectives to solve an old case from years earlier. When Jane discovers that in addition to the murder victim, a few other folks who lived in the same building are also dead, she launches a sequence of investigations that eventually flushes out the truth, mostly from clues that were never worked the first time around. Her male sidekicks Defino and MacHovek help her with much of the legwork, but it's Jane's trip to the Midwest that really brings things into focus midway through what turns out to be a fairly complex plot.
While much of the form of this book -- the cold case, the New York setting, and a female lead with both smarts and a winning way of dealing with people -- reminds us of the other Harris series, we have here more of a police procedural without having to rely on "helpers" to track clues from official sources. Jane is a likable gal, as a couple of men that warm up to her in the story find out. Meanwhile, all of Harris's skills are on display, including a plot with just enough intricacy to engage, enough characters to provide variety, and a solid writing style that pleases us from start to finish. We not only recommend this new entree, but will also no doubt anxiously await another outing with Bauer. Will she retire or not ?!
We're familiar with solving old crimes from the author's ex-nun Christine Bennett series, now some 15 or so books in that set. As devoted fans, we were delighted when Harris set out to give us a new heroine, NYPD Detective Jane Bauer. Bauer is nearing her 20 years of service, with every intention of "pulling the pin" (retiring), but is given a special assignment with several other detectives to solve an old case from years earlier. When Jane discovers that in addition to the murder victim, a few other folks who lived in the same building are also dead, she launches a sequence of investigations that eventually flushes out the truth, mostly from clues that were never worked the first time around. Her male sidekicks Defino and MacHovek help her with much of the legwork, but it's Jane's trip to the Midwest that really brings things into focus midway through what turns out to be a fairly complex plot.
While much of the form of this book -- the cold case, the New York setting, and a female lead with both smarts and a winning way of dealing with people -- reminds us of the other Harris series, we have here more of a police procedural without having to rely on "helpers" to track clues from official sources. Jane is a likable gal, as a couple of men that warm up to her in the story find out. Meanwhile, all of Harris's skills are on display, including a plot with just enough intricacy to engage, enough characters to provide variety, and a solid writing style that pleases us from start to finish. We not only recommend this new entree, but will also no doubt anxiously await another outing with Bauer. Will she retire or not ?!
March 2, 2014
This is an excellent mystery novel. I enjoyed Lee Harris's day of books but I really enjoyed this book. This book is about a female homicide detective assigned to a cold case. I really enjoyed the tale, the New York references, the mystery, the plot twists and what a great ending. Thank you ms Harris and I look forward to more....please!
August 14, 2015
I enjoyed it - I wasn't enraptured by it, but, I wasn't bored by it, either, until the end.
September 29, 2011
This is a very well written story. The police investigative detail as well as the New York City detail ring true. This is the first book in the Manhattan Murder Mystery series and it's a great start. And by the way, this could all actually happen.
January 25, 2016
This was the first book I read by Lee Harris. Very fast-paced, it took a few unexpected turns, and it left me looking forward to reading more about Jane and the characters around her. I'd read another one of her books.
October 11, 2009
This was my first book on Kindle. So easy to read!
I enjoyed the New York setting and the detective work they did involving NY lifestyles. I plan to read the rest of this series.
I enjoyed the New York setting and the detective work they did involving NY lifestyles. I plan to read the rest of this series.
February 13, 2010
This new series is very interesting. The storyline is fast paced and keeps the reader in suspense. I look forward to the next book.
February 17, 2013
Very well written - realistic characters and plot
August 30, 2014
I loved the book once I got into it, but found it difficult to start. I'm sorry there are only three books in this series.
April 6, 2015
Love Lee Harris. Both of her series are excellent. This series is not really a cozy, unlike her other 'Christine Bennett' series. Always a good read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews