Murder at the College Library -

 

Murder at the College Library is the fifth 42nd St. Library mystery by Con Lehane. Released 5th March 2024 by Macmillan on their Minotaur imprint, it's 240 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

The main protagonist isn't young, tough, or wisecracking. He's a mild mannered librarian with a melancholy background, trying to live his life honorably with a very challenging life situation (previously estranged son recently out of prison, grandson in his immediate nuclear family, partner who is expecting a baby, etc). It's very refreshing that he isn't a superhero. The characters are well written, with well plotted motivations and, in some cases, agendas. There's a lot going on: murder on a local liberal arts college campus for which MC Ambler's friend is a prime suspect, theft of potentially valuable first edition classic mysteries, more tie-in subplots involving a secondary character (McNulty the bartender) from the other books. Despite so many subplots, the author handled the complex storyline well, and readers won't have trouble keeping the story straight. The murders are bloodless and off-scene. The denouement is tense, action filled and satisfying.
 
One of the main characters in this book (McNulty) is also the protagonist in his own series of 3 books, making this book a tie-in/crossover. It works fine as a standalone. One of the best parts of these books is the name-dropping classic mystery title and author trivia and recommendations. Book lovers will always find at least a few titles to chase down after finishing this one. It's lovely to see the classic mystery authors of the 19th-20th centuries getting some attention.

The language in this book is rough (R rated), there's is potentially triggering discussion of sexual infidelity and abuse/abandonment. 

Four stars, entertaining, well written, and satisfying.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.