Librarian Raymond Ambler finds himself involved in another murder case when his friend, bartender Brian McNulty is on the run from the police. In Murder Off the Page by Con Lehane, Shannon Darling had been doing research at New York Public Library's crime collection and she had been drinking in McNulty's bar.

One thing stood out about Shannon - she was a different person when she was drinking. Being the kind of guy he is, Brian stepped in when things got out of hand with a couple of his patrons and Shannon. He walked her home and one thing lead to another, but the next day another man is found dead in Shannon's room and she is missing. Brian finds himself an immediate suspect and he disappears as well.

A review of Murder Off the Page will be posted on MapYourMystery.com on November 11, 2019

Murder Off The Page, the third book in the series by Con Lehane is a book that keeps you guessing until the very end.

Description: A note from bartender Brian McNulty, Raymond Ambler’s friend, confidant, and sometimes adviser, sets the librarian sleuth off on a murder investigation, one that he pursues reluctantly until a second murder upends the world as he knows it. The second victim is a lady friend of McNulty’s—and the prime suspect is McNulty himself. As Ambler pursues his investigation, he discovers that the murdered woman had a double life. Her intermittent visits to the city—a whirlwind of reckless drinking and illicit liaisons with men she met in the cocktail lounges—had their counterpart in suburban Fairfield County Connecticut where, as Dr. Sandra Dean, she practiced dermatology and lived in a gated community with a doting husband and a young daughter. While Ambler looks into the past of Dr. Sandra Dean to understand the murder of Shannon Darling in the present, NYPD homicide detective Mike Cosgrove investigates the men in Shannon Darling’s life. She might have been murdered because she frustrated the wrong man. It could have been a jealous wife. In fact, any number of people might have murdered Shannon Darling. Or, as Ambler suspects, did someone murder Dr. Sandra Dean? Yet, no matter which way he turns, McNulty emerges as a suspect. Ambler’s dilemma seems insurmountable: Should he keep searching for the truth behind the murders if the deeper he probes, the more evidence he finds that points to the morally rumpled bartender as a murderer?

Raymond Ambler is pulled in to investigate a murder when his bartender friend Brian McNulty asks for his help. He agrees even though he is merely a librarian. The problem is the more he investigates the more the clues point to his friend. Is he guilty? And, to make matters worse, a woman Sandra is murdered next. Detective Cosgrove believes adamantly that McNulty is guilty. Can Raymond figure who is the real killer?

I was provided this book free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion. I definitely give this a 5 star!

This was a quick read! I enjoyed the mystery piece of it, as I was looking for something like Agatha Christie. It's not exactly like her stuff, but still a great story line that kept me guessing.

Raymond Ambler works at the 42nd Street Library in New York. He drinks at a local bar where Brian McNulty works. One evening Raymond observes a woman drinking alone, surrounded by a group of men who are being quite aggressive. McNulty takes the woman back to her hotel and soon after a man is murdered and Sandra Darling and McNulty take off together. Mike Cosgrove, Raymond's police friend is convinced McNulty killed the man, but Raymond knows his friend better than that. Than Sandra is murdered and McNulty is the prime suspect, again. Raymond has to work to convince the police in both New York and Connecticut that McNulty is innocent. The best part of this series are the relationships: Raymond; Raymond's grandson; McNulty; Raymond's on-again-off-again girlfriend, not to mention his work associates. If you like series set in libraries, this is a good one to follow.

This is a story about a librarian who dabbles in murder mystery. She goes to investigate the murder and ends upon a second murder. I love how you keep me guessing who it is. I was shocked at the end. This is the 3rd book in series. And just as good as the other 2. But if you never read this series start with first one.

This is the 3rd book in the 42nd St Library series and my favorite so far. How can you not love a librarian sleuth? This plot is pretty involved but well crafted and held me from page one. A fabulous ending and entertaining characters make this book an incredibly satisfying read. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.

This is the first I have read by this author. There are a lot of twists and turns throughout the story but I did think there was some confusion with the characters. I would read this author again due to the attention grabbing stories.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and netgalley for a copy to review.

Third in a terrific series with believablecharactets, including the popular protagonist from Mr. Lehane's first series. What reader isn't going to fall in love with a series that has a NYC library as its setting?

Third in this wonderful series I’ve looked forward to each new episode.Well written involving perfect for all lovers of thrillers.#netgalley #netgalley

This is a terrific book with a multi-layered plot, complex characters and an interesting setting beginning in the crime fiction reading room of the New York Public Library. Crime fiction curator Raymond Ambler notices a woman calling herself Shannon Darling researching the collection on Jayne Galloway, a relatively obscure writer and then sees the same woman at his neighborhood bar with his friend the bartender Brian McNulty. Later he receives a phone call from McNulty that a man has been shot in Shannon's hotel room and that he and Shannon are on the lam. Ambler is intrigued and starts to investigate Shannon Darling, learning that she is the estranged daughter of Jayne Galloway. When Shannon is later killed and McNulty arrested, Ambler and his friend Adele, along with their NYPD detective friend Mike Cosgrove, are determined to clear him and to do so by finding out as much as possible about Shannon Darling and the people in her life. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

This story captivated me from the very first page with its complicated, polished plot and interesting, intelligent characters. Ray Ambler is the curator of the crime fiction room at the New York Public Library and is interested when a woman comes in to research the papers of Jayne Galloway, an underappreciated mystery writer. Later that evening the same woman, who calls herself Shannon Darling, is in Ray and his friend Adele's neighborhood bar, where their friend the bartender Brian McNulty, appears to care for her. When a man is killed in Shannon's hotel room, and Brian and Shannon disappear, Ray goes into detective mode to try and figure out who Shannon really is. When he discovers Shannon is really Sandra Dean, the estranged daughter of Jayne Galloway, a woman with psychological problems, and then Sandra is found dead with Brian becoming a suspect, Ray is given information by Brian to help him find the true killer. This is a superior mystery story and I highly recommend it.

Murder Off the Page is the third in this series and the first I have read. Great characters and storyline. I will go back and read the rest of this series.

I love detective novels and this was exactly the type of novel I enjoy. Such an engrossing and engaging read. The amateur detective is the unlikely librarian who gets involved when his friend, a local bartender, is suspected of murder.

Like every good detective story, he has a female sidekick and a friendly cop. This story all comes together and multiple murders are solved by this group.

This is the first book in this series that I have read. I intend to get the first 2.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to discover this delightful detective and his crew.