When the mutilated body of a young man is found in an alley in the early hours of a winter’s day, events would be set in motion that would lead Matt Murphy into the world of a young woman’s twisted desire to find a love that could never be had and the betrayal of a father. As the bodies pile up, he is drawn into the delusional mind of a serial killer who is obsessed with young, handsome actors working the Off Broadway circuit of the Village. Why these men? And, why the mutilations? As Murphy delves further into the case, he knows he is moving closer to a confrontation: a confrontation that will stay with him for the rest of his life.

I received a free copy of this book courtesy of the author in exhange for an honest review.

A Role to Kill For is another journey into historic fiction with H. Paul Doucette. This time out we head to the seedy side of 1960s New York. A series of grisly murders of young men in the trendy, free and easy Village part of town. Only one thing seems to connect the victims – they are all actors or script writers with a love of the performing arts.

Private Investigator Matt Murphy is hired by the family of one of the victims to find out who killed him and why. He embarks on a case through the clubs and bars and neon lights and questionable substances of the beatnik hangouts of The Village. He works with his contacts in the NYPD and leverages less than scrupulous informants for help.

The case is an eye opener into a world Murph would never have imagined existed if he wasn’t used to seeing the worst of society. As the case unravels he uncovers dirty family secrets and illicit dealings with influence all the way to senior officials. Murph learns some distrubing things about those involved.

I’ve read a few books now by H. Paul Doucette and have to say this is probably my very favourite so far. Murph is a brilliant character and his relationships both personal and professional with characters such as his girlfriend Jane and his childhood friend and NYPD detective Abe Goldman are well crafted. Incidental characters such as hustler Crazy Pete and Gabriel the bar owner make for a brilliant, easy read. I would love to see more from Matt Murphy.

My rating: