Westport by James Comey

WESTPORT by James Comey again features Nora Carleton, the U.S. Attorney prosecutor from his debut novel Central Park West. Nora has left government service in Manhattan and taken a new, well-paying job at a hedge fund in Westport, Connecticut. The new lifestyle is working well for Nora and her family (daughter Sophie and Mom, Teresa) until Nora’s boss, the Chief Operating Officer of the hedge fund, Helen Carmichael, is found murdered. Suddenly Nora seems to be the prime suspect and her friends, Benny Dugan, a mafia investigator with the U.S. attorney’s office, and Carmen Garcia, a lawyer and Nora’s former boss, are anxious to help her. Comey has provided another twisty mystery with involved family dynamics regarding relinquishing control and at the hedge fund and concerns about improper trading. The values of this hedge fund - where truth is a paramount virtue and almost all conversations are recorded – appear in sharp contrast to the discovery of a series of “private” files stored by Helen and suitable for blackmail. Nora, Benny, Carmen, and local law enforcement combine forces to solve a mystery which Comey keeps evolving. And critics keep praising: Publishers Weekly describes WESTPORT as a “crowd-pleasing blend of financial thriller and Agatha Christie-esque whodunit” while Booklist notes “this one is intricately constructed with plenty of surprises.”