CENTRAL PARK WEST

5 stars out of 5

Okay, I must 'fess up. When I opened this book on my Kindle, my first thought was this: Please, Lord, let this be good; I really, really don't want to be the one to tell the former director of the FBI - especially one who's at least a foot and a half taller than I am - that his first-ever fiction book stinks.

And it doesn't (whew). In fact, joking aside, I very much enjoyed it. It's a well-written, well-crafted story, but more than that, perhaps, it provides insights into the legal system, from both inside and outside the courtroom, that could come only from someone who's spent the lion's share of a professional lifetime working within it. The most important takeaway, though - at least for me - is if the FBI wants you, there aren't many places you can hide (not even a Starbucks).

The primary characters are U.S. Atty. Nora Carleton, a single mom struggling a bit to make ends meet while she takes on the world of organized crime, and her very personable (and formidable) investigator, Benny Dugan. Early on, a former state governor - one who keeps his lips zipped but articles of his clothing not so much - is found dead of a suicide that turns out to be murder. Maybe, just maybe, his permanent silence was a mob hit; but that's only conjecture, since his ex-wife Kyra has been charged with, and is on trial for, the killing.

The two trials - Nora's and the one against Kyra - play off each other as the investigations (and trial witnesses) begin to reveal in-common details. The back-and-forths also showcase the conflict among federal and state prosecutors, none of whom seem to much enjoy sharing (again, a nod, I'm sure, to reality but something I've never quite understood; if our goals are the same, why can't we all hold hands and play nice)?

Of course, I can't reveal any details without spoiling the whole thing for other readers, but I sure do recommend it to those who enjoy stories about crimes and courtrooms. If I must carp a bit, I'll say the transition could use a little improvement - in spots, it jumps around a bit. I also can't say I was thrilled with the ending, but that's not a negative - I'm pretty sure it reflects reality more often than not (sometimes bad people do good things, sometimes good people do bad things, sometimes neither gets found out). It also, it seems to me, makes great starting fodder for a next book - to which I'm definitely looking forward. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to dive into a pre-release copy of this one. Well done!

Central Park West by James Comey (Mysterious Press, May 2023); 384 pp.