The Mayor Of Lexington Avenue (2013) - Plot & Excerpts
A review I did for the Rocky Mtn News• Plot in a nutshell: In balmy Bass Creek, Fla., a young convenience store clerk named Rudy, with an IQ of 75, bumbles into the life of loose and seductive Lucy Ochoa, hoping to get a little action. She invites him to her house - only to suffer fatal consequences when her jealous lover sees Rudy leaving, slits her throat and skips town.Police Detective Sergeant Wesley Brume arrives on the scene and, in his haste to make a name for himself, frames Rudy, who eventually ends up on death row. During Rudy's 10-year stretch on death row, those who try to work on the case turn up dead.Enter Jack Tobin, a wealthy Miami lawyer, who is coincidentally moving to Bass Creek. Tobin gets involved in Rudy's case after realizing that his best friend in New York, Mikey, was Rudy's estranged biological father. Jack owes Rudy's father a great debt because of indiscretions from childhood days. Thus, he's compelled to wade in to save Rudy. Soon Jack is fighting a criminal lawyer who is Mafia-connected and will do anything to get his clients off, including murder.Let the fireworks begin.• Sample of prose: "Cobb County was located at the northwest corner of Lake Okeechobee in the south central part of the state, where the word 'cracker' didn't refer to something you ate."• Author reminds me of: Early John Grisham mixed with a dash of David Baldacci's legal and character development and Patricia Cornwell's ability to move a story along at a brisk pace.• Best reason to read: Mayor tackles the controversial issue of capital punishment in a flawed legal system by putting a human face on it. Sheehan could have resorted to a didactic position, but instead has drawn a thoughtful narrative with engaging characters and an engrossing plot line. This is the kind of novel you want to curl up with and read straight through - a fast-paced, dandy debut.Justin Matott
This book is a prime example of why I don't read dust jackets.My favorite aspect of The Mayor of Lexington Avenue was trying to decipher how the two divergent story lines in the first part of the book would come together, and then enjoying how well the back-story given by those first two seemingly disassociated plots gives context to the rest of the book.Had I read the dust jacket first, I would've already known how they come together and that truly would've lessened the impact of this book for me.So: pick it up, skip the synopsis, and just start with page one: Lucy liked to fish in the daylight..Oh, and don't let chapter one throw you...it's not all like that. Keep reading.Four stars. (UCBC rating 3.75)
What do You think about The Mayor Of Lexington Avenue (2013)?
I really liked this story. It was an easy read and kept your interest until the end. About a man named Rudy, who is a little slow, how he is arrested for murdering a woman. The story goes back in time to Mikey and Johnny who are neighborhood friends and then comes back to present day. At first I didn't understand the back story, but all of a sudden its an ahh! moment. You know right away who has committed the murder so no secrets there. If you like a mystery; lawyer and police procedural stories please read this book.
—Judy
As soon as I read this debut novel by James Sheehan, I went back to my library and checked out the next two. He creates a world most of us can relate to, even if we don't remember exactly what it was like a few decades ago. We root for Rudy, who appeals to the good in all of us, and his angelic soul. Sheehan jumps between flashbacks and present day with an ease that never jars the reader out of the plot. The first half of the book lays the groundwork for the dramatic climax with several resolutions we never see coming. His frank wording entices the reader in a way many rookie authors never accomplish. Even someone who knows nothing about law can relate to "The Mayor." Four stars!
—Rebecca
I love the review from the Chicago Tribune ~ this novel is like To Kill a Mockingbird on steroids and since I just finished reading that before I started this book, I have to agree. Love the way Mr. Sheehan goes from the past to the present with his characters. At first you don't understand how these people will ever be connected then it all comes together. This book had me laughing and crying, true test of a great story. I've just started reading Book #2 in the Jack Tobin series, The Law of 2nd Chances.
—Kathy
