Librarian/archivist detective works at NY Public Library. Raymond Ambler is the detective fiction curator and as a well read librarian sees connections and clues that others might miss. This is second in the series and there are references to his first case but they don't really interfere with enjoying this title. The characters are interesting and there is sexual tension. The series does run the risk of having the library become "Cabot Cove" where bodies pile up and most are known to the detective but this was fun to read.

"Murder in the Manuscript Room" is the type of fun, witty mystery I love to read. An extra bonus it has great, well-developed characters and a librarian as to crime solver. It is also set in a world renowned library. What more would a Librarian want?

This is the second in a series, the 42nd Street Library Mysteries. Raymond Ambler is a librarian in the crime fiction section of the New York Public Library on 42nd Street in NYC. After so many years working with the mystery books in the collection, Ambler thinks of himself as an amateur detective and likes to help solve mysteries.

He was organizing an exhibit of mystery books that took place in NYC over 150 years when an NYPD detective, Mike Cosgrove, brought Paul Higgins, a retired detective, to meet with Ambler. Higgins, who also had written a couple crime novels, said he wanted to donate his collection of newspaper articles, tapes of conversations, notes from old cases during his 30years as an undercover officer to the NYPL.

Shortly after the boxes are dropped off by Higgins and before he could sign a release certifying the donation, one of the researchers in the Manuscript division turned up dead on a shelf in Ambler’s office. Ambler’s friend and co-worker, Adele Morgan, had befriended the dead woman and decided to go to her funeral in Texas. Adele discovered that the dead woman, who she knew as Leila Stone was really Susan Brown, an undercover informant working in counterespionage at the library. The subject of her surveillance was a Palestinian college student who did his research in the Manuscript and Archive reading room of library.

Ambler and Adele join forces to help solve the mystery of Leila’s death as well as the other deaths that seem to be connected to the intelligence division of the NYPD.

This is a quick read that will keep the reader interested.

This mystery is rich with complexity and a joy to read.

The second in the 42nd Street Library series, this adventure kept the pages turning through the night.

Ray Ambler, curator of the library's crime fiction, is juggling personal issues with professional challenges and tries to minimize any overlap.
A boyhood friend confessed to a murder he didn't commit and wants Ray to help him get free after years in prison.
Ray has a somewhat unusual relationship with Adele, a fellow librarian who has been thwarted in her attempt to "adopt" his newly found grandson.
A newly hired librarian, actually a police undercover agent, is killed.
Another undercover policeman wants to donate his professional papers to the library.
The policeman Ray usually "helps" solve crime is Cosgrove and he is trying to find out who murdered the undercover police woman and his efforts are blocked by another agency involved in the undercover operation.
Ray is in the middle of a custody dispute with the other grandparents of his newly discovered grandson.

As stated earlier, a complex, multi-layered mystery. However, the story is well organized and moves along effortlessly. The characters are interesting and relationships seem to unfold naturally. In fact, the author has done a remarkable job creating characters that seem real and somewhat flawed like most people.

This adventure is extremely well conceived and executed.

This was a great mystery and I was guessing through the entire book. I never did figure out what was happening until it was revealed to me. This was a well written mystery.

My thanks to netgalley and Minotaur Books for this advanced readers copy.

This book confirmed my secret belief about librarians - they lead exciting lives, fraught with intrigue and danger. At least, the librarians in Murder in the Manuscript Room do. Ray and Adele find themselves mixed up in a tremendously twisty murder investigation after their co-worker, Leila, is found dead in Ray's office.
As Ray and Adele begin digging into the case, they find connections that go back decades and lead them into a shadowy world of police intelligence, confidential informants, and covered up executions. For a good chunk of the book, I worried about whether or not they would survive the investigation, never mind solve the murder.
Murder in the Manuscript Room is a well-written mystery that kept me guessing right up to the end.

Fans of the series will enjoy this latest offering.

I enjoyed the characters as much as the plot! I look forward to the next in the series.

It was good to return to the New York Public Library for another visit with Ray Ambler. Overall the book was well written and held my interest. The story was filled with twists and turns. However,I felt that too many characters and false leads overly complicated the story line. Also, I found the relationship between Adele and Gobi, and Adele's sudden trip to Texas to be unrealistic.

Liked the characters, but some parts were confusing as I lost track of who was talking. This may have been because I was reading an ARC and the spacing was off.

I was delighted with this backstage glimpse of life at the New York Public Library. As a New Yorker I have often walked past the beautiful Beaux Arts building with its iconic lions Patience and Fortitude but I never was able to know what it was like to work in such an historic and imposing setting until this book. Ray Ambler is the curator of the Crime Fiction collection which he feels makes him qualified to investigate crimes himself. When an employee of the library is murdered his friend Adele Morgan gets him interested in finding out more, and Ray finds himself in the midst of a murder investigation. This is an excellent mystery with interesting characters and plenty of plot twists. It kept me captivated from the very first page until the last and I highly recommend it.

Con Lehane is, in my opinion, a sadly underrated author. We don't hear as much about his work as we should. His new series is excellent, the second better than the first. And I love that he's brought his protag from his earlier series along for the ride. Mr. Lehane writes terrific characters with NYC as a perfect backdrop.

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