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SUMMARY

A Death Most Quiet details the riveting criminal investigations of Captain Edward McCuen as he leads the NYPD’s Crime Scene Unit on a relentless pursuit of three elusive serial killers.

With the help of his team, McCuen follows a trail of mysterious murders alongside an eccentric mathematician named Anselm Winterbottom, who McCuen has secretly leveraged as an investigatory consultant. The two men have a turbulent friendship, and it soon becomes clear that Winterbottom’s ultimate aim is far from altruistic. While their alliance is tested, a crime reporter seeks to uncover the true identity of the man who is helping McCuen.

As the hunters become the hunted, this three-part crime thriller delves into the dark corners of human nature, murder, and madness, staged amidst the landmarks of New York City, and the cultural treasures of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

REVIEW

Ed McCuen is a New York Detective who is willing to do whatever it takes to stop criminals from killing in his city, no matter the cost. He has solved his share of cases and seen his share of action but on occasion there are cases that pop up that even he can’t solve. In those situations he teams up with Anselm Winterbottom, an eccentric mathematician who has seen his own share of tragedy. Winterbottom’s mind works like no one else’s and he can find clues others miss. When McCuen asks for Winterbottom’s help on three unusual cases, secrets are revealed, lives are lost and saved and both McCuen and Winterbottom have to ask themselves what doing the right thing really means.

While this book is a murder mystery it would be more accurate to say it is three murder mysteries in one book. The mysteries are all inventive and leave the reader guessing as to who the perpetrator is and whether or not they will be caught.

At the same time, the book does a nice job taking the reader into the emotional journey of both McCuen and Winterbottom as the two of them come into inevitable conflict. While it would not be fair to give major plot points away in a review, I can say the answers in all three mysteries surprised me and had me guessing all the way until the end.

It could be argued that the character of the crime reporter was a bit underdeveloped but this is only a minor complaint. It was difficult to find plot holes in the mystery and the pages keep turning to find out the conclusion.

If you like Sherlock Holmes but with a modern spin or books by authors like Harlan Coben consider giving A Death Most Quiet a try. I don’t think you will be disappointed.