Book review of Night in the city by Michael McGarrity
Name of Book: Night in the CityAuthor: Michael McGarrity
ISBN: 9781324066279
Publisher: W.W. Norton
Type of book: Detective, mystery, 1950s, New York, murder, lawyers, mafia, life threatening, ex boyfriends,
Year it was published: 2025
Summary:
When Sam Monroe’s former lover is found dead in her Manhattan penthouse, he must fight to clear his name.
In this exhilarating New York noir, Assistant District Attorney Sam Monroe, a Korean War veteran, quickly becomes the prime suspect in the murder of socialite Laura Neilson and is forced to risk his career and reputation to find the killer before the world comes crashing down around him. As Sam uncovers information about the men in Laura’s life, he suffers a series of attacks from rogue cops and is targeted for elimination by members of a well-known Mafia crime family. Forced to operate in the shadows, Sam becomes entangled with private investigator Deborah Jean Ryan, who offers to help for reasons she refuses to disclose. As surprising revelations about Laura’s steamy past emerge, mounting obstacles put them at deadly risk. Set in the vibrant, brilliantly evoked world of New York City in the mid-1950s, Night in the City is crime fiction at its best.
Main characters would be Deborah "D.J" Ryan and Sam Monroe as well as the dead socialite Laura Nielson. Sam is a Korean War Vet turned lawyer who is perhaps looking for something long term and has high hopes in getting back with Laura. He is methodical, a risk taker, and often impulsive. He also desires to do things himself and involve other people as little as possible. D.J Ryan definitely matches Sam in stubbornness and is good at looking possibilities as well as providing necessary resources and money. Laura, well, I can't talk a lot about her without spoiling the story, but there is a whole ton that she hides underneath, namely trauma and how trauma has affected her.
Theme:
Do you really know that person beyond their labels?
Plot:
The story is in third person narrative from Sam's point of view. While I enjoyed the mystery and intrigue, I definitely felt that the character of Laura needs to be worked on a little more. She is a strong and well written woman but I felt something lacking, especially when it came to her personality. Or more like Laura let's certain part of her dominate her legacy after her death, and I think I wanted to see her beyond the label assigned to her in a book. The scenes between Sam and Deborah are definitely sweet, especially as Sam struggles to accept help from Deborah, and Deborah also has a big role in the book instead of just a side character as expected.
Author Information:
(From goodreads)
With the publication of Tularosa in 1996, Michael McGarrity turned to writing full time. Many of his novels have been national best sellers. He holds a BA with distinction in psychology and a master's degree in clinical social work. As an undergraduate, he held a Ford Foundation Scholarship at the University of New Mexico. Additionally, he is an honor graduate of the New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy.
His career in criminal justice spanned over twenty-five years and included creating treatment programs for drug offenders, supervising outreach services for at-risk juveniles, and re-establishing mental health services for the Department of Corrections after the infamous 1980 riot at the New Mexico Penitentiary. As a Santa Fe County deputy sheriff, he worked as a patrol officer, training and planning supervisor, community relations officer, and was the lead investigator of the sex crimes unit, which he established. Additionally, he taught courses at the New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy, served as a caseworker and investigator for the Public Defender's District Office, and conducted investigations for a state government agency. In 1980 he was named New Mexico Social Worker of the Year and in 1987 was recognized by the American Legion as Police Officer of the Year.
In 2004 he received the New Mexico Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts -- Literature. He is also the 2015 recipient of the Frank Waters Exemplary Literary Achievement Award and the 2015 Santa Fe Mayor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts – Literature. He has been instrumental in establishing the Hillerman-McGarrity Creative Writing Scholarship at the University of New Mexico, the Richard Bradford Memorial Creative Writing Scholarship at the Santa Fe Community College, and the N. Scott Momaday Creative Writing Scholarship at the Institute of American Indian Arts.
He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico with his wife Emily Beth (Mimi).
From the first sentence, this book promises an awesome and memorable read, which it has delivered in spades, from the memorable characters to the setting of 1950s New York, which I have been intrigued by. For a read with intriguing characters and memorable setting as well as the "good old days", then this should fit the bill. I definitely am crossing my fingers for future sequels.
This was given for review
4 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)
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