Blonde Ice: A Gil Malloy Novel

Belsky’s fast-paced third novel featuring intrepid New York Daily News reporter Gil Malloy (after 2015’s Shooting for the Stars) entangles the aging journalist in two front-page stories unfolding simultaneously. One revolves around an exclusive on the upcoming mayoral race, while the other concerns a female serial killer who’s torturing and murdering men for the thrill of it. The killer—tagged Blonde Ice by the media—is a beautiful and extraordinarily intelligent woman who seems to have a penchant for targeting promiscuous men. Malloy, who’s trying to stay relevant in the quickly changing newspaper industry, attempts to stay on top of the disparate stories and is stunned when he begins finding connections among the deputy mayor, a popular politician, and the killer. Insightful and genuinely interesting characters, gritty atmospherics, and a wry sense of humor power the plot, which is filled with enough bombshell twists to keep readers guessing until the very last page. Agent: Nalini Akolekar, Spencerhill Associates. (Oct.)