THE RED SCARE MURDERS is told in pure noir fashion and introduces readers to Mick Mulligan, a private eye who has an office in Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan, and an apartment in Sunnyside, Queens. Mick had been a successful Hollywood cartoonist, but he had to reinvent himself as a PI after being blacklisted during a communist witch hunt.

Con Lehane places readers directly at the heart of 1950 America, and the dialogue and scenes featuring Mick could have jumped out of a Ross Macdonald novel. Anti-communism was the furor that raged through the nation, spearheaded by J. Edgar Hoover and Joseph McCarthy. Mick is about to find himself thrust into the middle of all of this when a new case is presented to him.

"THE RED SCARE MURDERS is a slow burn of a novel that draws readers into a story that plays out like classic crime noir, where you can taste the grit flying off the pages."

New York City labor leader Duke Rogowski stakes him to a week of expenses with the task of looking into Harold Williams, a Black man who is on death row for the murder of Irwin Johnson, the owner of the cab company where he worked. There have been rumors that Harold is a Communist sympathizer and organizer, which he has always denied.

This is a dangerous assignment, but Mick needs the money and has a sense of justice that is superior to most other private eyes working the beat. Mick starts speaking with everyone connected to Harold in some way, from his coworkers to his mother and his wife. He learns that outside of Harold’s father once being part of the Southern Tenant Farmers Union, there has been no sign of any Communist activity. If this is true, then Mick must do whatever he can to unmask Irwin’s real killer before Harold’s execution. Who would set up Harold in this way, and why? The answer will not be an easy or a safe one for him.

When Mick visits Harold at Sing Sing, he slowly gains his confidence and realizes that the man is indeed innocent. After meeting with Harold’s young son, Mick is more engaged than ever in seeing that he gets his freedom. Of course, the people who are responsible for the murder and framing Harold are not to be trifled with. Mick finds himself in harm’s way more than once as he races against the clock to save his client before they both face a different form of execution at the hands of an unjust conspiracy.

THE RED SCARE MURDERS is a slow burn of a novel that draws readers into a story that plays out like classic crime noir, where you can taste the grit flying off the pages. With Mick Mulligan, Con Lehane has created a tough guy private eye with a heart who is a pleasure to spend time with and I hope we see again.