Central Park West: the unmissable debut legal thriller of the year

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Kudos, Mr. Comey, for a great debut piece of fiction. I am eager to see where things go and how you will impress readers with your next published work. Intriguing criminal procedural mystery where the Governor of New York, Tony Burke, is found dead in his apartment supposedly killed by his wife. The doorman places Burk’s estranged wife Kyra at the scene shortly after his death.

COMEY: Oh, he can. And I think at least the accounts that I've read of the civil trial involving E. Jean Carroll against Donald Trump show that he can. But a jury was selected in that case that included one person in particular, as I call, who was a regular follower of right-wing media on radio and a lot of people who hadn't followed the news. Yes, he can get a fair trial. Now, of course, he'll take a flamethrower to it.

Central Park West

COMEY: Yeah. It's not a hobby for me. I need to have a job. And I found this harder than nonfiction but a lot more fun. And it would be wonderful if I could do this until I'm old and foolish, so I've already written the sequel. However, the definition of a thriller is a play, film or novel with an exciting plot involving crime or espionage. Well, we have the crime, we have a decent premise but the excitement gets lost for me as does the pace. Why? Well, first of all Mr Comey is very wordy and I mean very wordy to the point of being pedantic. He has clearly consumed a great deal of Alphabetti spaghetti with the amount of acronym after acronym which is laboriously explained so I glaze over. I think it’s a case of knowing too much and wanting to get it all in with painstaking precision. There are a lot of characters to get your head around and a couple of them feel like stereotypes. My eyes go to the ceiling on several occasions as he repeatedly gives us the style of characters pronunciation of certain words so it becomes ga-bidge. James Comey combines his insider knowledge of every level of the justice system with a natural storytelling voice to create a winning debut in Central Park West. More books, please." Alafair Burke Comey’s experience as a New York City mob prosecutor brings plenty of credibility to this fast-paced legal drama." Reader's Digest

The first sustained reading of fiction I did, in thinking about this, was Le Carré. Partly because I knew he had struggled with the question: how do I write about my work? The criticism of his early books was that he hewed too closely to the truth of his job: desks and files and so on. At some point, his letters reveal, he realised he needed to get the Berlin Wall and some barbed wire in there. I’m no Le Carré, but I’ve tried to do something similar in Central Park West. I don’t think my friends [from the FBI] are going to find significant unrealistic details. But I’ve tried to see if I can keep it real and entertaining at the same time… COMEY: ...To her being good on her feet. And she calls him Mr. Rough. I drew that from the regular routine that I had with Kenny McCabe. James Comey’s intimate knowledge of law enforcement makes Central Park West a winning legal thriller, but the book is so much more than an insider’s account. Memorable characters, a gripping plot, and breathless pacing combine for a truly outstanding debut—one that announces a bold new talent in the mystery genre." Harlan Coben Thus, Kyra Burke is put on trial for murdering her politician husband Tony Burke. However, prosecutor Nora Carleton and her team proceed to investigate the former governor's homicide anyway, in an attempt to identify 'the real killer', presumably a mob hitter. Nora's colleagues include: Benny Dugan - a six-foot-five, 250 pound detective who's been investigating the Mafia for 30 years;

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James Comey’s intimate knowledge of law enforcement makes Central Park West a winning legal thriller, but the book is so much more than an insider’s account. Memorable characters, a gripping plot, and breathless pacing combine for a truly outstanding debut—one that announces a bold new talent in the mystery genre.” I loved this novel. Could not put it down. Central Park Westis a smart, nuanced legal thriller that truly delivers. It’s a modern “good guys vs the bad guys”storyin which nearly all of thegood “guys” areactuallystrong, smart, steely women. It’s a smart and satisfying read that I could not recommend more highly.” It’s undeniable that [Comey’s] experience brings a plethora of realism to his first attempt at writing fiction.… This one will surprise a good number of readers with how good it is.”

COMEY: I read the indictment and the accompanying statement of facts, and I don't know much more than that. I don't have a view on the merits because I don't know the facts. But I think this is wonderful in the sense that the American people can see how the rule of law works, especially in the case of a person who's tried to take a flamethrower to the rule of law in America. Truly outstanding . . . Grabs the reader from the opening scene and doesn't let go.' Douglas Preston The gripping crime fiction debut from former FBI director James Comey takes readers deep inside the world of lawyers and investigators working to solve a murder while navigating the treacherous currents of modern politics and the mob.Central Park West” starts promisingly enough: The philandering former governor of New York, Tony Burke, is confronted by his estranged wife, Kyra, in their luxury apartment. At gunpoint, she forces him to write a brief suicide note, apologizing to all the people he’s hurt. Then she kills him with a syringe full of insulin. KELLY: ...And spoke to my colleague Ailsa Chang about your last book. And you told her the best thing that could happen to Donald Trump would be for him to be ignored, to be standing on the front lawn at Mar-a-Lago in his bathrobe, shouting at passing cars. Do you stand by that? I was very impressed with Mr. Comey's memoir, A Higher Loyalty. He proved himself to be a fine storyteller, with a life that had given him plenty of fodder for stories. Therefore, I find the assertion he's been making all over cable television fairly believable. In short, he was approached by an editor saying, " Give fiction a try." Name recognition and curiosity alone will sell enough books to recoup investment. First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, James Comey, and The Mysterious Press for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review. I do. My wife is my ideas person. Her view is that it’s too close to write about now. I have in mind doing a trilogy [of novels] based in New York. And I’d like to write a trilogy based in Virginia, where I was a prosecutor for many years. And then I’d like to take readers inside the White House and the FBI and the justice department of the CIA. I’ve spent a lot of time in those places.

This is the debut novel by the former Director of the FBI, James B. Comey, who we all got to "know" during Trump's presidency. Comey's special knowledge and abundant experience is evident in his writing. The beginning half of the novel is the best as it was fast paced and interesting....the characters are set up, we learn about the murder of a promiscuous governor and his accused ex-wife, Kyra Burke, now on trial, as well as a mob boss and other shady, unscrupulous people. The settings are New York, New Jersey, law offices, and courtrooms. real world jet off to private sex islands. Justices of the Supreme Court hobnob at the Bohemian Grove with weird billionaires who collect Nazi memorabilia the A mobster’s trial and the murder of a former New York governor reveal a possible intersection between the Mafia and politics. The governor has something in common with Andrew Cuomo, since they both had to leave office due to sexual harassment charges. However, the murdered governor has an estranged and disgruntled wife who has excellent motives for killing him. And maybe there are others with equally strong motives. I thought this was a very fast-paced, easily readable and unputdownable debut crime thriller from former FBI director James Comey.

Reviews

KELLY: I'll let people have that in their minds as I ask this next question. Can Trump get a fair trial in New York, in your view? - because he says he can't, that New York is politically biased against him. Both a fascinating procedural and a courtroom drama, there is much to like about this novel, and how it rings with authenticity." Manila Bulletin Central Park West is a truly outstanding debut novel, a sophisticated and engaging legal thriller that grabs the reader from the opening scene and doesn’t let go until the surprising ending. In between the author weaves an intricate and stylish story with vivid characters, playing out in a brilliant New York setting. Comey knows exactly how things work at the FBI and DOJ, and Central Park West opens a door into a fascinating and complex world of tradecraft, criminal investigation, political corruption, legal wrangling, and murder. I loved this book—highly, highly recommended!” After Nora drops Sophie off at school, she hurries to her office at Manhattan's St. Andrew's Plaza..... Desperate to stop the mobster walking free, Nora investigates the darker side of the city to find out how everything connects. The more she uncovers, the deeper the corruption runs. And Nora knows better than most that the truth is a fragile thing –especially in court.