Silent City: A Claire Codella Mystery

This well-crafted series launch from Smith (Forget Harry) introduces Claire Codella, a New York City detective back on the job after battling lymphoma for several months. Codella, who may look well but is still adjusting to her harrowingly close encounter with death, welcomes the distraction of a bizarre murder case. Someone posed the body of Hector Sanchez, the popular principal of PS 777, a public elementary school on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, on his apartment floor to resemble Christ on the cross. With little evidence and plenty of suspects—including certain PS 777 parents, teachers, and fellow administrators—the detective and her team find that every clue brings new revelations about the public and private life of the man touted as the savior of PS 777, which was a failing school until he took over. Codella’s ruminations on death and dying are thought-provoking and never maudlin, providing readers with an insightful glimpse into the emotions and consequences of being a cancer survivor. [em]Agent: Kathy Green, Kathryn Green Literary Agency. (Oct.) [/em]