The New York Detective

Set in 1883, when the Brooklyn Bridge opens, this swashbuckling tale of crime and sleuthing travesties the old dime-novel thrillers with its bravado and jingoist patriotism. At Niblo's Garden Theatre an aging stagehand is slain during a testimonial gun presentation to leading actor Quarternight (who will seek the U.S. presidency) while a holdup is foiled in the swank men's room--a porcelain folly of dolphins and seashells. City Det. Virgil Tillman and his strongarm sidekick, tippling Patrolman Ned Muldoon, get on the case. Amorous Flossie, when she isn't working at the bordello, visits with her cat to cheer Virgil. Australian-born Marshall, author of the Yellowthread Street and Manila Bay series, ably realizes period settings and offers rich lore in historic firearms. But much of the wit focuses on villains' mouthing slurs against blacks, Jews, Asians and Arabs; and the hunt tracks a Civil War photo to a group of gay men, the ``Sods' Unit.'' The novel's bloated exaggerations, with the cartoon characters' yelling their lines in caps and italics, finally, prove wearisome. (Dec.)