Saints of New York

NYPD homicide detective Frank Parrish, the hero of this meaty, beautifully written crime novel from British author Ellory (City of Lies), has screwed up every aspect of his life. In a recent attempt to play hostage negotiator, Parrish was unable to stop a 24-year-old thug from cutting his girlfriend’s throat, and then his own. Parrish has a bitter ex-wife, a married son he seldom sees, and a nursing student daughter with whom he frequently argues. He drinks too much, can’t follow police procedures, and resents his work-mandated psychotherapist. But he still knows how to penetrate a mystery. When someone puts a bullet in the head of petty thief Danny Lange and the strangled body of his 16-year-old sister, Rebecca, is later found in Danny’s apartment, Parrish gets on the case. Frustrated by a failure to unearth probative evidence, Parrish does what he has to do. Equally compelling is the story of Parrish’s father, legendary cop John Parrish, and the Saints of New York, the corrupt cops who helped the mob in the 1960s and ’70s. Agent: George Lucas, Inkwell Management. (June)