Barb's Book Reviews: Review of "Westport: A Crime Novel" by James Comey

Thursday, June 6, 2024

Review of "Westport: A Crime Novel" by James Comey

This book is the sequel to Central Park West but it works fine as a standalone.

*****

As an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Nora Carleton worked hard to prosecute criminals.

Two years ago Nora left the U.S. Attorney's Office to become the general counsel for a huge hedge fund called Saugatuck Associates, located in Westport, Connecticut.

The high-paying job allowed Nora to buy a large house in Westport, where she lives with her 8-year-old daughter Sophie and her mother Teresa. Sophie's father Nick lives nearby with his wife Vicki, and the situation is convenient all around.

Prosecuting criminals is a far cry from being a hedge fund attorney, but Nora was hired for that very reason. Nora's boss, CEO Helen Carmichael, uncovered chicanery at Saugatuck, and she needs a talented prosecutor to find out who's 'front running' the company: selling or buying just before Saugatuck does to take advantage of the way Saugatuck's trades will move the price.

Finding out who's front running and how - corrupt broker, systems breach, or bad Saugatuck employee - is a difficult task, but Nora knows how to chase down criminals.

Nora settles in at Saugatuck, where a culture of 'total honesty' is demanded by the company's 70-year-old founder, David Jepson. Jepson insists that Saugatuck employees be truthful at all times - no lying or gossiping or backstabbing allowed. In practical terms, the lower echelon employees abide by these rules, but the Management Committee (MC) - the senior leaders of the company - not so much.

Nora is making progress with the 'front running' investigation when her boss, Helen Carmichael, is brutally murdered. Helen's body is found in an overturned red canoe belonging to Nora.....

.....and when Detective Demi Kofatos comes to Saugatuck to interview Nora, the cop spots blood on Nora's car.

Nora soon becomes the prime suspect for Helen's murder, and one cop in particular, Captain Tom Dunham, is CLEARLY out for Nora's blood.

Nora knows someone is framing her for Helen's murder, and she calls her long time friend Benny Dugan, a legendary Mafia investigator at the U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan.

Benny hustles to Westport with Assistant U.S. Attorney Carmen Garcia, and they quickly set out to prove Nora's innocence.

Meanwhile, Nora discovers that the victim Helen had secret files on all the members of the MC, with damaging information on each person. So Benny gets together with Saugatuck's chief security officer, Laslo Reiner, and together they interview the senior people at Saugatuck, to try to identify Helen's killer.

The MC seems loaded with churlish men, like Chip and Jeffey Jepson, the founder's sons, who think they can get away with anything;

Louis Lambert, who believes he should have Nora's job and angles to get it;

Arty Falcone - who has a reputation for groping women; and more.

There's some drama before the killer is unmasked, and this is the most exciting part of the book

I enjoyed James Comey's previous suspense novel, Central Park West, but this one was a little disappointing. The 'honesty' culture at Saugatuck Associates struck me as phony; I don't love modern suspense plots composed largely of questioning one suspect after another (though I'll admit it worked okay for Agatha Christie); and I thought the story lacked excitement.

I still consider Comey a talented mystery writer, and I'd read more of his books

Thanks to Netgalley, James Comey, and Mysterious Press for a copy of the book.

Rating: 3 stars

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Barb's Book Reviews

Thursday, June 6, 2024

Review of "Westport: A Crime Novel" by James Comey

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