Beware the Solitary Drinker
By Cornelius Lehane

Brian McNulty, at forty years old, is the night bartender at Oscar's on New York's Upper West Side. Brian is familiar with all the regulars who drink at Oscar's, but like good bartenders everywhere, he knows that people covet their privacy, and when you dig into their lives you may find things that are better left hidden.

When the beautiful, quasi-innocent Angelina shows up, Oscar's and Brian are changed forever. Angelina is seduced by the glitter that is New York. She stays at Brian's apartment in a sexless friendship, but has a succession of lovers whom she meets at bars. She ends up murdered and another unlikely soul is charged with killing her. Angelina's sister, Janet, shows up and asks Brian to help find the real killer.

Lehane has written a lively, colorful story of New York's seamy side with booze, drugs and sex in a culture with unwritten rules. His plotting is flawless; the characters believable and likable, and the setting feels like the real New York. Brian McNulty is an appealing hero, and the more he digs into Angelina's life, the closer he gets to the truth--and becoming another victim.

Beware The Solitary Drinker is Con Lehane's first novel, but it is a can't-put-down, exciting read. I hope he has more Brian McNulty adventures up his sleeve.
Lehane is an author to watch for.