Delving into the complexities of the legal system and with so many twists this is a fantastic read, not least because so much draws on personal experience- lending plausibility to the sometimes implausible!

This was a very exciting book to read. It was amazing how all the parts of the puzzle were found and put together in a believable and acceptable way. Great characters and not stop action. Loved the conclusion, a realy satisfying ending.

I enjoyed this book. Two cases, a mafia boss on trial and a disgraced former New York governor are murdered. The New York governor’s ex-wife on trial but is there a connection and can the Federal Prosecutor stop a miscarriage of justice. But even when things start to unravel there is a twist which leaves you thinking. Would recommend this book.

Being a massive fan of John Grisham, Central Park West sounded just up my street. This is the first book I have read by James Comey. Believe me, it won't be my last!

The fact that James Comeys experience of being the FBI's director definitely shines through in this book. It may be his fictional debut, but he knows how to weave a story. Its so authentic and kept me glued to the pages. Everything just sounded so realistic I could see it playing out in my head. It had everything I needed to make it such an fascinating read.

Mafia, murders and with enough twists to send me up a few blind alleys it's a thrilling tale. The characters of Nora and Benny where so well fleshed out and they had their unique parts to play within the story. I am hoping there is another book coming as I would be so interested to see what happens for everyone in the future.

A definite page turner with a multi layered and complex plot that I couldn't get enough of from start to finish.
Thanks to Andrew Knowles of Head Of Zeus and NetGalley.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love a good mobster book, and this one ticked all the boxes. Full of twists, suspense and intrigue you would expect. A recommended read.

Brilliant read. Cormey is the ex FBI and this book flowed with action and drama as you would expect from an author like this. Very satisfying escapism read.

New York - check
Mafia - check
Murder - check (x at least 13)
Courtroom drama - check
FBI investigations - check
Mistaken identity- check
Strong female leads - check (x 5)

This was so good! It ticked quite a lot of my boxes for books combined with a really good plot.
Bonus points for actually explaining all the terms and abbreviations! Written by James Comey who after some research i discovered is a lawyer and former director of the FBI obviously knows his stuff. There are a fair few twists and turns to this book so I don’t want to go into too much plot detail, for fear of spoilers but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Aria & Aries for my copy.

A good book leaving you unsure as to the truth from one page to the next.

A little long winded at times.

Absolutely fantastic. I can't remember the last time I read a book in one day - it has beena while - but given the hot weather and the fact I had no interest in moving anywhere I picked up the book and read cover to cover. It was an effortless read. Great characters and can't wait to read more.

Former FBI director James Comey makes a solid entry into the world of crime fiction with his debut novel Central Park West.

Kyra Burke is facing life imprisonment for the murder of her predator of a husband, disgraced, former New York Governor Antonio (Tony), Burke. The DA’s office think that they have a strong case against Kyra, but things are thrown off kilter when the concurrent federal case against a powerful mobster takes a strange turn.

Federal prosecutor Nora Carleton is looking forward to putting Dominic, “The Nose”, D’Amico away for good. The mobster, though, has other plans. After the convincing testimony from a federal witness concludes, a note is passed to the prosecution offering up information on the mob assassination of the former New York governor. Suddenly Nora finds herself caught up in two complex cases.

Central Park West is a really enjoyable read. The story flows smoothly and goes in some very unexpected directions. I enjoy courtroom dramas, and Central Park West has several really good courtroom scenes that really hold your attention and then deliver some neat twists at the end.

Presumably drawing on his many years in federal law enforcement, and as a mob prosecutor, Comey brings a good deal of interesting detail and credibility to the characters and the story, and the book bristles with authenticity.

I quite enjoyed the easy flow of Central Park West, but it does lack action and suspense. The resolutions to the various crimes are interesting, but there is never any white knuckle turning impetus to the plot. Nevertheless it is a good engaging read and I look forward to Comey’s next novel.

An insight into how the FBI works.

The story starts with the murder of Governor Antonio Burke. It looks like a slam dunk case, as the killer is his ex-wife, Kyra. The trial starts, and Kyra will be found guilty. However, an art thief comes forward and says that he’s heard that the Curfaro family (Mafia) has a woman assassin.

Nora Corleton is an Assistant US Attorney for the Southern District of New York. She works in the Violent and Organised Crime Unit alongside Benny Dugan and FBI Special Agent Jessica Watson. Jessica had been brought into the team to support Nora and Benny in the trial against “The Nose” D’Amico (Mafia boss). However, once the team hears that Kyra Burke might be innocent, Nora and the rest of the team concentrate on finding if there is a woman assassin associated with the Mafia.

It was a long novel. A bit clunky in places and needed quite a lot of concentration to work out the various threads—more a court procedural storyline than a murder mystery. I learned a lot about how the FBI set about tracking down criminals and how cases work in the USA.

Rony

Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of the book to review.

So... Nora is a prosecutor and on the cusp of putting a bad guy away for a very long time. Until however it all goes a bit south when the defendant, Dominic D'Amico, offers up an 11th hour plea bargain pertaining to information on the murder of a disgraced ex-Governor. Although he points the finger in a different direction, there is already someone else on trial for that crime, his ex-wife Kyra Burke, and it looks to be a slam dunk. And then D'Amico is murdered.
But that ball had already started rolling and Nora, and her crack team of investigators, join forces with Kyra's lawyer Andrew Parker to act on D'Amico's information and prove Kyra's innocence.
So... a book by the former director of the FBI. Ok so he should know what he is writing about. Which I am happy to say, he does. Well, within my limited experience! But where it falls down a little is in the delivery. It might just be my inexperience with the genre as a whole but it didn't flow quite as much as I would have liked it to have. That said, it was both interesting and intriguing and kept my attention nicely throughout, culminating at the end with a satisfying ending.
I loved the characters and really hope that this is the start of a series, which I suspect it might be as there is a lot of groundwork laid down and I would be surprised if not. And I'd like to read more from the characters. If it is then my one piece of advice to the author would be that we know he knows his stuff, there is no need to keep proving it. Maybe dial back the superfluous information not relevant to the actual plot. I think it would make the narrative flow better.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Thank you Netalley and Aria & Aries for this eBook to review

Central Park West is a little slow in places and you can get lost in the acronyms. Otherwise it is a great legal thriller with a great cast of characters. You get a good sense of how they all work well together as they investigate a corrupt Governor, his murder and the Mafia. It is very detailed in depicting the court/legal aspects and I do think they detracted somewhat from a great story

I like a good courtroom drama and this was not quite there. The story, whilst an enjoyable enough read, didn't have that much excitement to it.

An enjoyable book once it got going. Comey is obviously trained to look at everything in detail. In a book, the reader does not need to know every detail including how to get between various government buildings or extended details of acronyms. After about 25% of the book and the story really got going, I really enjoyed it. The end was predictable but I had the satisfaction of being right. I'm sure his next book will be even better.

An excellent insider’s account of the US criminal justice system and a coruscating legal thriller with a twists and turns throughly.

The characters are well drawn and the plot credible and written with authority and authenticity.

All in all this was a real page turner which I thoroughly enjoyed.

More please I hope.

Was alright but not my favourite
I liked the writing style so I think I’ll try another from the author .

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. Nora and Benny are prosecutors in New York, reporting to Carmen, and are joined by Jess, a new FBI recruit to help them build a case against the killer of a disgraced former governor, after a mafia snitch hints that the case isn't what it seems..
The story involves the governor and his family, multiple murders, the mafia, police and politics. The investigation and the courtroom drama are gripping and exciting. the team members have a great rapport and are supportive of each other, and the story includes their personal lives and families, so you really want them to succeed. Highly recommended

James Comey comes to debut novelist from the formidable role as previous director of the FBI and this thriller is very much him bringing his work home. It is extremely detailed in terms of procedure and roles so if you like court room drama- then this is for you. The main character is Nora Carleton who is the Federal prosecutor and there is no faulting the details and intricacies of the US legal process. The story feels formulaic with the Mafia, the corrupt Governor, the cheeky thief and the slighted wife. It is peppered with every New York and Mafia cliché and as he was born in Yonkers, this is not surprising. Unfortunately this type of thriller has been done to death (pun intended).

This book is at it's core a court procedural one. There are side issues of State versus Federal jurisdiction and also the involvement of organised crime.
It features a very strong cast of mainly female characters. The storyline is very clever, yet subtle and I found it really drew me in.
There is a massive twist at the end which lifts the story to a whole new level.
I was informed, entertained and surprised by this book. What more could a reader want?