The Red Scare Murders

This wry, big-hearted noir brings 1950s New York to life, from the tenements of Hell's Kitchen to the mansions of Riverdale, from Sing Sing to City Hall, with a gripping murder mystery laying bare the explosive conflicts between its big wheels, its working stiffs, its gangsters, and its dreamers. This wry, big-hearted noir brings 1950s New York to life, from the tenements of Hell's Kitchen to the mansions of Riverdale, from Sing Sing to City Hall, with a gripping murder mystery laying bare the explosive conflicts between its big wheels, its working stiffs, its gangsters, and its dreamers. July 1950- Mick Mulligan has just hung out his shingle as a private investigator in New York's sweaty Hell's Kitchen. A former Hollywood cartoonist who was blacklisted during a communist witch hunt, Mick is broke, divorced, and in need of a paying gig to make his child support payments. But maybe not this gig. First off, it's impossible. Worse, it's liable to get him killed. Last year, universally reviled cab company owner Irwin Johnson was murdered. One of his drivers, an African American Communist Party member named Harold Williams, was arrested, tried, and found guilty, despite scant evidence. Now his execution date is two weeks away. New York City labor leader Duke Rogowski asks Mick to find fresh evidence that might buy Harold a stay of execution. Lots of people might have wanted Irwin Johnson dead-anyone from his betrayed wife to his jilted mistresses' jealous husbands to the mafiosi he was stealing business from. But no one has any reason to help Mick exonerate Harold Williams, and some of Irwin's former associates are happy to take a blunt object to the head of anyone asking awkward questions. Yet Mick can't abandon a potentially innocent man to the electric chair. Can he pull off a miracle?

About the Author :
Con Lehane's books include the 42nd Street Library mysteries, featuring Raymond Ambler, curator of the library's (fictional) crime fiction collection, as well as three noirish mysteries in which bartender Brian McNulty muddles his way through the crime-infested streets of New York in the 1980s. Con has published stories in Ellery Queen and Alfred Hitchcock mystery magazines. Over the years, he's been a community college professor, union organizer, labor journalist, and has tended bar at two dozen or so drinking establishments. He holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from Columbia University School of the Arts and has taught fiction writing and mystery writing at The Writer's Center in Bethesda, Maryland.

Review :
Praise for The Red Scare Murders “PI Mick Mulligan is an engagingly dogged and wry protagonist, his murder investigation’s supporting cast varied and interesting. But the real star is New York City in the summer of 1950, with a cab strike led by duelling communists and mobsters, and ordinary people still expecting a fair shake. A picture of America which these days feels like ‘fake history.’ But isn’t.” —David Downing, author of Zoo Station “Lehane’s pacing and hardboiled dialogue are hard to beat, and he makes the jittery paranoia of the period jump off the page. Fans of James Ellroy will get a kick out of this.” —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review “On par with the works of Kate Quinn and James Ellroy, the latest historical murder mystery from Lehane, author of the ‘Bartender Brian McNulty’ books, is not to be missed. It showcases a postwar United States where paranoia, cynicism, and polarizing division are alive and well, yet there is a lasting hope in the prospect of justice.” —Library Journal “Leaving behind the quiet yet murderous settings of Murder at the College Library (2024) and its predecessors, Lehane’s most impassioned and ambitious novel plunges into the anti-communist frenzy of 1950.” —Kirkus Reviews “A terrific period mystery. Lehane, who mystery fans probably know best for his series about librarian/amateur sleuth Raymond Ambler, makes readers feel as though they're visiting the New York City of the 1950s, and the race-against-time structure of the story allows the author to keep the plot moving at a brisk pace . . . Another winner from a writer who always delivers the goods.” —Booklist “[Lehane’s] gritty portrait of 1950s New York rings true . . . A treat for noir and historical mystery fans.” —First Clue Reviews Praise for Con Lehane “Top-shelf fiction, a Crown Royal ride into the heart of Night and New York. Con Lehane’s work is reminiscent of the best of Lawrence Block, which is to say that this is very good stuff, indeed.” —George Pelecanos, author of Hard Revolution “A masterful tale of intrigue, jealousy, and revenge in the grand tradition of Ross Macdonald. Not to be missed.” —Megan Abbott, author of Beware the Woman “In this vivid depiction of the wiseguys and poor sods who drift through his flawed hero’s bar, Con Lehane also shows us their modest hopes and dreams.” —Margaret Maron, author of Bootlegger’s Daughter “Con Lehane has the whole package here: characters the reader cares about, plot twists like a grand slalom course, and in the middle of it, a story utterly relevant to the real-life horror story unfolding in America’s immigration politics.” —Sara Paretsky, author of the V.I. Warshawski series “A dark emerald, lit by old glory . . . a true masterpiece of slow burn.” —Ken Bruen, author of The Dramatist “Like a marathon pub-crawl with a world-class raconteur, only without the skull-cracker of a headache the next morning. Con Lehane is a first class writer with a real command of character and a rare sense of place.” —Scott Phillips, author of The Ice Harvest "As cruelly charming as those Irish saloon storytellers who make sure you’re laughing before they flatten you with the sad stories of their lives. For all the sentimental trimmings he hangs on this tale, Lehane has an honest feel for the working-class life of New York. And he’s clear-eyed about those crimes of the heart that have nothing to do with class.” —Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times “Should particularly appeal to those of a bookish or historical turn of mind . . . Witty.” —Michael Dirda, The Washington Post “A nicely constructed murder mystery with an air of espionage. The past and present are nimbly woven into an intriguing tapestry.” —Mystery Scene “Much more than a linear mystery . . . Lehane knows this world. He was a bartender and a union organizer and is a natural storyteller.” —William McKeen, St. Petersburg Times “Intriguing . . . Lehane molds a tight plot that spins on believable twists . . . A page-turner.” —Oline H. Cogdill, South Florida Sun Sentinel