Sleepless City: A Nick Ryan Novel

Anthony Award winner Coleman (the Moe Prager series) introduces an intriguing lead with this timely and accomplished series launch. Following in the footsteps of his father, who blew the whistle on an entire police precinct that protected drug dealers, NYPD Detective Nick Ryan is devoted to serving the city even if it means alienating his corrupt colleagues. When Ryan spots fellow officers spiriting a Black man away from a march protesting the police shooting of an unarmed man, Ryan intervenes. That brings him to the attention of a shady character who identifies himself only as Joe and offers Ryan reassignment to a new unit charged with doing things “that can’t be done in the open” and has unlimited resources thanks to a mysterious benefactor. Ryan eventually agrees, but the assignment turns hazardous when a cop hangout is bombed and Ryan starts to question Joe and his benefactor’s motives. Coleman captures the racial tensions of present-day New York City perfectly and offers a memorable, complicated hero in Ryan. Robert Daley fans will be eager for a sequel. Shane Salerno, The Story Factory (July)