A solid murder mystery based on high finance and so many billions rolling through the doors that ten million feels like stamp money. Someone murders the COO at a routine company get together, laying her in a canoe belonging to the chief legal counsel and slitting her throat. When police begin to investigate they find her blood smeared on legal counsel’s vehicle and the murder weapon in her home. Aghast at being so framed, she calls in assistance from her buddies in Comey’s first novel, who take leave from their government jobs to help her prove that some other dude did it. And from there, the reader is off to the races with a surfeit of bad actors with motives from being found out and threatened by the COO. Unlike most murder mysteries, this is more of a legal procedural than a police procedural, a genre of its own.

I thought this was really well written and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. I think it will find readers at our library, so we will definitely be purchasing for the collection.

After really enjoying James Comey’s first novel , Central Park West, I was looking forward to seeing what he had in store for us next. Westport was another great read, full of twists and unlikeable characters. While I did guess whodunnit early on, it did not take away from my enjoyment. This book can easily be read as a stand-alone book.

Nora Carleton returns in Westport, now the chief counsel for a hedge fund company in Westport. When here close friend and boss, Helen, is found murdered, Nora is the prime suspect. She is being set up but by who and why? a good thing Nora has friends in high places to help prove her innocence.

I loved the legal aspect of this story, obviously the author knows a thing or two about this world. It was an interesting storyline, and I loved tye character of Benny Dugan. Please have more of him in future books.

Thanks to Penzler Publishers for my advanced copy of this book to read. Publishes on May 21st.

It was a hard decision for Nora to leave the US Attorney’s office and enter the world of hedge funds. Becoming lead counsel for Saugatuck Associates meant she had to relocate her mother and young daughter, Sophie, from New York City to Westport, Connecticut. But it was a good move with an excellent school for Sophie, a move up the pay scale, and a new job that would utilize Nora’s investigative skills. But, then she becomes the primary suspect in the murder of her colleague and friend.

Mr Comey draws on his experiences in law enforcement to create an interesting plot that involves murder and hedge fund shenanigans. In particular I found the characters to be quite interesting and certainly varied and Mr Comey does a good job with character development. I particularly like Benny, a former police officer and now an organized crime investigator for the government. His give and take with Nora is one of the things I really enjoyed about this book. However, Nora, even though she’s supposed to be an experienced and savvy attorney seems to make several decisions that are foolish or, at the very least, somewhat hasty and not well considered. To some extent this diminished the book for me.

Westport is the second book written by James Comey and it features the characters from his first book, Central Park West. However, both books can easily be read as standalones and I believe I like Westport the best. The story is tight and, unlike the first novel, there isn’t as much extraneous information and unnecessary characters that only muddy the storyline.

I would give Westport 3.5 stars. NetGalley provided an advance copy.

Written as a sequel to Comey’s first thriller , Central Park West, Westport continues with major character Nora Carleton. Nora was a federal prosecutor in the first book, and now she has left her government job to become chief counsel at Saugatuck, , a huge hedge fund in the very wealthiest part of Connecticut.

When the story begins, a canoe is abandoned in the Saugatuck River, with the corpse of an unknown woman in the boat. The body turns out to be that of Nora’s friend andboss, Helen. Evidence is stacked against Nora, who claims her innocence and sets out to solve the murder. Luckily for Nora she has friends high up in the US Attorney’s office and her cry out for help brings her friend and former co worker , Benny Dugan, to her home in Westport Connecticut.

What ensues is a “ who done it?” a la Agatha Christie. Everything surrounding the death is suspicious. Everyone employed in the higher echelons of Saugatuck Associates might be concealing motivation to have committed the heinous act. Moreover, there seems to be a cover up in the high end finances of the company. Who is at the bottom of the murder and evidence that leads to Nora’s door? Did Helen uncover something illegal going on right under her nose? I didn’t figure this one out although I did find the ending underwhelming.

Many many characters come and go. Not all of them were well depicted. Yet the story line was interesting and suspenseful enough to keep me reading until the last page. I have read both of Comey’s investigative thrillers and although I liked his first book better than Westport, I still find Comey to have the experience and talent as an author to produce an interesting mystery. The publication date is soon, May 21, 2024. Readers who enjoy this genre will want to read this book. I look forward to the next installment of what appears to be a new series. My thanks to NetGalley and Penzler Publishers/Mysterious Press for an ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

Great book. Interesting concept and characters to match. Really enjoyed the interactions between Nora and Benny, as well as with some of the others. Looking forward to the next in this series.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy of Westport by James Comey in exchange for an honest review.

Like his first novel, Central Park, Westport follows protagonist Nora Carleton, former Assistant US Attorney turned corporate counsel for the world’s largest hedge fund located in tony Westport, Connecticut. The novel opens with the murder of Nora’s friend and supervisor, Helen Carmichael, and Nora becomes the prime suspect when Helen is found in Nora’s canoe, Helen’s blood is found smeared on Nora’s car and the murder weapon is found in Nora’s kitchen. Nora is almost certainly being framed, but why, and by whom? Former colleague and best friend Benny starts working to find out. The novel explores the world of high finance with a compulsively readable story featuring insider tidbits on the shady workings of finance and government alike, and a fascinating and disturbing cast of characters. 4.5 stars rounded up to five because I almost literally could not put this down for the final ten chapters. I’m looking forward to seeing the next installment in what has become a terrific series. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I'm still not sure how I feel about James Comey as a political human but damn the dude can write. I love the characters and the story kept me turning the pages.

Thanks to the good folk at NetGalley for the chance to read an ARC.

I live in Westport, CT, the town in which this book is set and loosely based on a local, global investment firm. The familiarity with the settings (many real!) and the "type" of characters featured were an added benefit to an already very enjoyable read. This book hooks you from the start and there are several good plot twists along the way.

After loving Central Park West by the author so much, I was really looking forward to this one. (It is not necessary to read that book first, by any means - this can absolutely be read as a stand alone.) I appreciated the premise and the propulsive storytelling. I also enjoyed Benny Dugan's appearance in this story. This was a *good* story. This was an entertaining story. This was not a *great* story. I had figured out the mystery by the halfway point - which wouldn't have bothered me if there had been a deeper reason for it being obvious to the reader. But, there wasn't? I think this one may have suffered from "sophomore slump." Perhaps, it was just written/edited too quickly? That said, it would make for good airplane/beach reading. And, I will still read his next one.

WESTPORT by James Comey caught my eyes as I have family connections to the town. I love to read books with familiar settings. This book apparently is a follow up to a previous novel (CENTRAL PARK WEST). Truthfully, I did not read that one but had no problems reading this as a standalone. We follow Nora who moved to Westport, CT to work at a hedge fund. She was hired to investigate a possible crime within the company. A co-worker ends up murdered and Nora became a prime suspect. This was a very well written thriller that takes us on the journey of the investigation as it unfolds to who-really-did-it. I found this very compelling, I’m tempted to read the first book now. Hope this won’t be the last! Thank you to NetGalley and Penzler Publishers | Mysterious Press for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Having read the first novel by James Comey, I couldn't wait to read his second! His books are in the same vein as Michael Connelly and John Grisham, good mysteries with a legal bent. This was no exception. We move forward a few years from the first, finding Nora living in Long Island and working for a hedge fund. When the murder of one of the hedge fund employees occurs, Nora is a prime suspect, bringing Benny to Long Island to prove her innocence. Comey keeps the pace snappy, building the characters along the way and setting the scene at the hedge fund. While I found the ending a bit anticlimactic, it was a fun ride and I look forward to reading more from him!

This book features most of the same characters as Comey's first book, Central Park West, but it can definitely be a standalone title. Great female characters with relatable, family-oriented problems are engaged in some high stakes stuff that keeps the pages turning. I liked this one even better than the first, and look forward to recommending it, especially to John Grisham fans.

Oh wow! Westport was a pretty good read. Even though I was able to figure out who the murderer was, I enjoyed getting to that point.

Nora was lead counsel for Saugatuck, a huge hedge fund company. Helen, her boss and good friend, was the person who was killed. She was found in Nora's canoe with her throat slit. The murderer could have been anyone because Nora's canoe was available to anyone at Saugatuck. The murder weapon was found in Norris kitchen and Helen's blood was found on Nora's car bumper. It was clear that Nora was being set up.

Nora had come from the US Attorney's office in New York. She had worked with an investigator named Buck and another attorney named Carmen. When it was clear that she needed council and an investigator, she enlisted Carmen and Buck to come to her assistance.

Helen had kept personal files on several employees at Saugatuck. Her assistant found those files and turn them over to Nora. Nora in turn turned them over to Buck. The files contained very personal dirt on each employee. But Nora's file had nothing. Anyway, Buck and Lazlo, the Saugatuck investigator, did a deep dive on the files and decided to interview each individual in order to find out who actually killed Helen. It was clear to them that Helen had used the files to blackmail the individuals.

As the interviewing progressed, it didn't seem that there was a clear culprit. So they went back through the files again and decided to reinterview a couple of people.

As the saga was nearing its end, it became very clear who the murderer was. It was an anticlimactic ending. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the story, although I didn't like that it was so easy to figure out who had done it. I gave it three stars.

Thanks @netgalley and @penzlerpub for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I absolutely loved CENTRAL PARK WEST, and I was thrilled to see the return of some characters in this book. While I worked out part of the mystery early on, I did not figure out all of the details. I still found this book hard to put down. Some great relationship components in this book too. Definitely worth a read when released in May 2024. A ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read in my books. #avivaandfriendsrecos

Nora Carleton, the new lead corporate counsel for the world’s largest hedge fund, Saugatuck, left a job at the U.S. Attorney’s office prosecuting organized crime for her cushy new life in Westport, CT with her daughter, Sophie, and her mother, Teresa. When Nora’s boss is found with her throat slashed, floating in a canoe caught on a shoal of rocks in Long Island Sound, Nora begins to wonder if her new job in the private sector is actually any safer than her previous one chasing mobsters.

This book is the second in a series featuring Nora and her colleagues from the U.S. Attorny’s office, Benny Dugan and Carmen Garcia. I hadn’t read the first in the series, CENTRAL PARK WEST, which did not seem necessary for understanding the characters. Comey is actually fairly adept at creating memorable characters, even if some are a little flat. And, given his name brand status, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with how well written the novel is. I shouldn’t have been. Comey is an attorney by training, and attorneys, particularly those as successful as he is, need to be able to write well, telling a believable and clear story.

Westport covers a number of topics, including a concise description of the securities fraud known as frontrunning. The story builds in suspense toward a big twist, that was not very surprising to me, but the narrative was tight and the plot moved quickly, with a large cast of possible suspects who were mostly singular enough to remember.

If you are looking for a financial suspense story, this is a very solid story, which reads well. I definitely recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and The Mysterious Press for the opportunity to read this advance review copy.

Thank you NetGalley and Penzler Press for this ARC of James Comey’s upcoming release? Westport.

Although, there is often a sophomore-slump when it comes to a second book, that was definitely not the case with Westport. I enjoyed Central Park West and Westport equally. Both filled with good strong characters and great stories.

Nora, general counsel at a hedge fund company built on painful honesty and truthfulness, finds herself the suspect in a co-worker’s murder. Joined by her investigator friend, Benny, she’s finds there is a lot more deceit than truth at the company. About the business and the murder.

James Comey has written another hit you won’t want to miss. I loved Nora, Benny and Teresa, Nora’s mother. Loved the relationship between Teresa and Benny.

Wow, James Comey is becoming a favorite author! Loved his first book, and this 2nd one is every bit as good. These are standalones, so far. I highly recommend you read this one! (and the first one too!). This is about a woman accused of killing her co-worker and friend, and some of her friends drop everything to help prove she's not guilty. But it's soooo much more and it's really a great story. I couldn't put it down. Really grips to the end. Read this!

Westport by James Comey. I really enjoyed this novel. It is very fast paced and all the characters are fleshed out. I especially like Benny and his no nonsense way of doing things. But as I read the ending it just fell short for me. I felt that there is an error in how things played out with the timing. This took place 2 years after Holtzer (who had seen Helen’s files and the photos) the job and Nora took over. Why then did Helen wait two years to play that card? Anyway, thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this novel.

Well, Mr. James Comey's first book was not a fluke. This is book 2 and according to the synopsis you can read it as a standalone. Between you and me, I'd read both. They don't disappoint. I read the first book because I wanted to see what the man had going for him, I'd say a lot. He writes well, grabs your attention and knows what he's writing. The book(s) are face paced and both are enjoyable reads. I hope to see more of Nora Carleton in the future. I read a lot ... I love series especially if the characters are well developed. I always like murder, not sure what that says about me but I love a good mystery. I don't re-write synopsis. Thank you for the ARC.