A murder and an investment firm full of suspects... the making of a great mystery novel!

Nora and Benny are back together in this curious case... she is the prime suspect.

I found this second book with Nora and Benny much better than the first. The dialog was better and we get to know Nora a bit more as well. I guessed early on who "did it" and I was not surprised to have guessed correctly.

My only complaint was the "gap" between the ending and the epilog... I would have liked more of the in-between part.

Thanks to Netgalley, Penzler Publishers, and Mysterious Press for the digital copy. It will be publish May 21, 2024.

A fast moving, exciting, and completely believable novel! James Comey has done it again! I've quickly become a big fan of his books, first Central Park West, and now this one. The man really, really knows what he writes about. And is able to put into words an outstanding plot and character development. I just could not put this one down. It's that good. I'm going to pat myself on the back a bit, I (luckily) figured out who the bad guy was about halfway through the book. But, even though I thought I knew, he managed to keep throwing in enough red herrings to make me doubt myself. I sincerely hope that Mr. Comey foregoes his legal and law enforcement careers and continues to write these great novels!

A well written book. I loved using the Saugutuck Hedge fund office as the basis for action as well as tony Westport, a very wealthy area in Connecticut. The book starts off with the murder of a high placed individual at the hedge fund. All signs point to one character as the culprit. It is a fun ride to find all the answers. I had correctly guessed the outcome very quickly but maybe I just got lucky. A little slow and tedious in places but overrall a good read. I look forward to the next book by Comey.

I am really enjoying James Comey’s books! Central Park West was great and Westport is even better. Lots of intrigue and mystery from the first page to the last. Add a bit of murder, scandal, romance, deception, family drama and odd business dynamics to build a very engaging story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penzler Publishers for the opportunity to read this ARC.

“Westport” by James Comey is a very well written mystery that keeps you interested until the end. The story takes place in Westport Ct. where the world’s largest Hedge fund is located. The main character who was a former US attorney becomes the primary suspect in her bosses suspicious murder. With the authors extensive expertise in financial crimes he creates a compelling story with lots of conspiracy, corruption & dander.

Thank you NetGalley & Penzler Publishers for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Westport by James Comey

Publication Date May 21, 2024

Some time ago, I read James Comey’s novel Central Park West, I found it to be “a fast-paced plot including lots of juicy tales of corruption, and terrific legal storytelling. There are also a couple of unexpected twists, and an ending I didn’t see coming…Four stars, almost five.” The protagonist, Federal prosecutor Nora Carleton, works to solve a complex storyline involving the murder of a former governor dealing with conspiracy, corruption, and danger. I noted that “A couple of things Comey knows VERY well are mobsters and politics.”

Thanks to Penzler Publishers/Mysterious Press and NetGalley, I received a copy of Comey’s second novel, Westport. Nora Carleton is back, but she has left her job as a federal prosecutor and gone to work for the world’s largest hedge fund. She was used to doing good and helping people, which seems to be lacking at the new company. She feels that most of the people at the hedge fund “…had never known what it was like to have a job where you were supposed to do good, to rescue the taken or stop evil people from harming the weak….many of the assets were retirement funds for teachers or firefighters, and making money for those folks was good, but even that moral bank shot required squinting past clients like Middle Eastern oligarchs and genocidal authoritarian governments.” (I love that phrase “moral bank shot.”)

When a co-worker is murdered, Nora finds herself as the prime suspect. With help from a couple of her former colleagues in the US Attorney’s Office who take leave in order to help her, Nora works to solve the murder and get her life back to normal. Just as Central Park West utilized Comey’s experience and knowledge related to politics and mobsters, Westport utilizes his extensive knowledge of financial crimes. This is another great job by Comey, and although it is sort of a sequel to Central Park West, it can definitely be read as a standalone. I’m looking forward to Comey’s next book! Five stars.

Westport is an intriguing novel which hooks the reader in immediately. When a body is found and an investigation commences, the reader is thrust into the world of high finance, family dynamics, corporate meetings and culture of truth and transparency. The book is full of surprises and compelled this reader to stay up late to finish it.
This book is wholeheartedly recommended for all who enjoy this genre, I thank NetGalley, Mysterious Press and, James Comey, for the opportunity to read and review this novel prior to publication and look forward to Mr. Comey’s next novel.

Comey hits another home run.
Westport delivers on all the bases: great story, thrilling action, well defined character developments,
and a story with continuous action that never stops to let you catch your breath.
Nora is a former US Attorney who has come to work as lead legal counsel in a CT billion-dollar corporate firm that is suddenly under siege from within. She and a business coworker, who also happens to be her close friend, are working on trying to discover who might be the saboteur within their ranks, selling them out.
when Helen. her friend is found murdered in Nora's own boat and her blood turns up on the trunk of Nora's car,
it is apparent that someone is trying to framer her for the murder.
Fascinating look at the inside of a (imaginary) level 1 Corporate American leader with all the federal and local govt legal asides that only someone with Comey's own extensive federal background could adequately describe and bring the reader into without totally going over readers heads.
Just a great, smooth non stop thrilling read for his second foray into the world of writing.
Ready for #3.

This is the second Comey mystery and I love them both. Comey has taken his knowledge of the complicated financial markets and wrapped a compelling mystery around them. As he did in his earlier book, Central Park West, but Comey wrote this as a stand alone. Despite pulling some of the characters into this book, the reader will have no difficulty diving into this book. In fact, I’m sure many readers will return to the earlier novel since this one is so compelling and readable.

Though this novel takes place in the complex world of hedge fund billions, centered around a murder. Comey very quickly pulls the reader into the heart of the mystery with the suspicious death of a woman in the first pages. There are numerous red herrings, all of which make the reader think.

His characters are totally likable and I love the fact that there is closure. I know I am looking forward to revisiting them in the next Comey novel. This is a great read which I highly recommend.

Thank you Netgalley for this enjoyable, well written novel.

Westport by James Comey was a pleasant surprise to me. I haven't read the previous book, Central Park West, nor any other books by Mr. Comey and didn't know what to expect. What I got? A fast paced mystery with well developed characters and a story that kept my interest until the end.

Nora Carleton is a former US Attorney who has gone to work for a hedge fund in Westport, Connecticut. She becomes the main suspect in the murder of her boss and this is the story of how she helps find the real killer.

With the help of some great secondary characters, Mr. Comey weaves a tale that isn't predictable and kept me interested until the end.

I'm going to go back and read Central Park West and then this again to get the full story of Nora.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

My biggest surprise while reading the first Nora Carleton thriller, “Central Park West,” was how well written the female characters all were — intelligent, balanced, clever, brilliant, complicated, not petty or overly emotional, and engaging. It’s a talent that James Comey continues in “Westport.” (I was also amazed at the knowledge in “Central Park West” that a special frappuccino order can track you across the world; alas no frappuccino tracking in this book). Comey explains that he was a general counsel for a legal firm in Westport, Connecticut, which is why this thriller is now set 50 miles away from New York City.

It’s two years later and Nora is no longer at the Organized Crime Division of US Attorney’s Office for Southern Manhattan; she’s been recruited by CEO Helen Carmichael to be lead counsel (although mostly for her investigative skills) at Saugatuck Associates, the world’s largest hedge fund that prides itself on having more smart and truthful people than weasels, but whose insider secrets seem to be leaking out from a minority member. Helen is a major secret keeper herself and she is also the dead body in the first few paragraphs, with Nora becoming a suspect as the story unfolds.

Nora enlists the help of her former Mafia investigator, Benny, and attorney Carmen Garcia, also a former colleague from Manhattan. As mentioned, Comey excels in fair female representation and the lead detective, Demi Kofatos, is competent and believable instead of being an adversarial mope, although her male ex-NYPD boss might fit that description.

Comey’s FBI expertise is also on display again as he explains the evolution of forensic techniques and clarifies the legal ramifications of proper procedure in a murder case. His corporate experience is equally invaluable when explaining things like front-running trades. Comey is an author whose past life definitely helps him develop realistic plot lines. The story is action-packed and the character team deserves another future thriller! 5 stars!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO The closest are Helen’s hazel eyes.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO But city boy Benny complains about “too many trees” in rural Maine.

Thank you to Penzler Publishers/Mysterious Press and NetGalley for a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

This book was a murder mystery set in the small coastal town of Westport. Nora works for a large hedge fund- Saugatuck Associates. One of her colleges turns up dead and all the evidence points to her, but she maintains her innocence.
In the end there are a couple of surprises. Not a suspenseful page turner, but it kept me reading to see how it ended.

Having read and enjoyed Central Park West, I was happy to get the opportunity to read an advance copy of Comey's latest thriller, Westport, thanks to the publisher and Netgalley. I thought this book was even better than the first; I couldn't put it down. There were lots of twists and turns and red herrings, and it was a compelling read. Westport can absolutely be read as a stand-alone book, even though some of the characters carried over from the first book. The main character now works as an attorney for a unique hedge fund located in a wealthy Connecticut suburb, and her new company provided a very quirky cast of characters. The setting and her new job make the book quite different from the first, certainly not at all formulaic. I'm very impressed with Comey's transformation into a great writer of crime thrillers. I highly recommend this book.