An Honest Living by Dwyer Murphy
An Honest Living
by Dwyer Murphy
was published on 21st January 2024 by Bedford Square Publishers.
My thanks to the author and the publishers for sending me a copy to review and to Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part on the tour.
Synopsis
Brooklyn, mid-2000s. After leaving behind the comforts of a prestigious law firm, a restless attorney attempts to make ends meet by picking up odd jobs from a colourful assortment of clients. When the mysterious Anna Reddick turns up at his apartment with ten thousand dollars in cash and asks him to track down her missing husband, he trusts it will be an easy case. That is until the real Anna Reddick shows up - a magnetic but unpredictable literary prodigy - and he finds himself out of his depth and drawn into a series of deceptions involving Joseph Conrad novels, unscrupulous booksellers and seedy real estate developers. Set against the tail end of the analogue era, An Honest Living is a gripping story of artistic ambition, obsession, and the small crimes we commit against one another every day
My Review
This debut novel had me hooked from the beginning, though I wasn't one hundred percent sure as to whether I was reading a novel or an autobiography as it seemed to follow a lot of what Dwyer had done in a previous life. Consequently I kept asking myself is this fact or fiction, and surely this can't be faact !!!!!
Anyway to put things straight, yes it is a novel with a detective side you will warm to and understand some of the predicaments that he gets himself into, as well as learning more about how the legal system works, or doesn't work depending on your point of view. as the story progresses you will possibly recognise some of the well known characters that occasionally turn up within the pages, making a brief appearance before drifting off again.
I loved the setting of New York and the second hand and vintage books which, for a reader, draw you in. This isn't your typical Detective, love story book and the title of the book certainly fits with common perceptions as to whether a lawyer earns an honest living or not !!!!
All I want to know now is when the sequel is going to be released as I , for one, would like to read it in the not too distant future.
About the Author
Dwyer Murphy is the editor-in-chief of Crime Reads, Literary Hub’s crime fiction vertical and the world’s most popular destination for thriller readers. He practised law at Debevoise and Plimpton in New York City, where he was a litigator, and served as editor of the Colombia Law Review. He was previously an Emerging Writer Fellow at the Centre for Fiction.
Thanks for the blog tour support x
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