It is the 1980s. A killer stalks the Gothic vestibules of northern Manhattan, preying on women and sending taunting letters to the police. Meanwhile, the city is being transformed by rampant development that wipes out its grand structures. Against this backdrop, Agnes Travertine, an architectural preservationist, tries to solve a murder after death strikes her close friend and roommate. Along the way, she falls in love, uncovers the secret of her childhood, and explores the topography of her native city. This intriguing story of how the lives of New Yorkers intersect in patters that bear the uncanny imprint of fate is only partially a mystery. It is also a tribute to New York at a particular moment in time, with characters and architecture deftly rendered. The plot twists will keep readers on the edge of their seats, and there is enough humor to make them laugh out loud. Recommended for all collections; no glitches with the format [Flynn is a native New Yorker whose essays have appeared in the New York Times, Newsday, and Daily News. This e-book original is his first novel.—Ed.]—Philip Santo, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York