THE COLD ROOM

The Cold Room, Knightly, Robert (Author), Jan 2012. 256 p, Severn, hardcover, $28.95. (9780727880857)

“Unorthodox,” “unethical,” and “unreliable” are among the kinder epithets bestowed on NYPD cop Harry Corbin by his colleagues, several of whom he has put behind bars following a major corruption scandal involving some of the top cops in the department. Exiled to low-priority cases, Corbin stumbles on the body of a young woman, naked, battered, and gutted. With nothing much on his agenda, Corbin vows to find the girl’s killer and bring him (or her) to justice, despite the fact that the higher-ups don’t want Corbin anywhere near the case. His investigation soon draws him into a complex web involving human trafficking, the Catholic Church, Eastern European immigrants, Chechen rebels, and one of New York’s richest families. Clever plotting, plenty of unexpected twists, high-octane action, taut suspense, and a hero who is as admirable and daring as he is rude and gutsy make this compelling new installment in the Harry Corbin series a must-read.

--BOOKLIST, December 1, 2011
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BODIES IN WINTER

Review

New York cop David Lodge is a drunk. His partners usually cover for him, but when he beats bad-boy pimp Clarence Spott to death after arresting him, his colleagues want nothing to do with him. Landed with a jail term, Lodge serves his time and is eventually released, only to be shot dead in a Mafia-style killing. Catching the case are Detectives Harry Corbin and Adele Bentibi--Corbin, a by-the-books career cop who's awaiting promotion to the Homicide Squad; Bentibi, with a strong need to achieve justice, whatever the cost. The pair concludes there's been a gross miscarriage of justice suggesting that those who should be the most trusted are the most corrupt. As they begin to ferret out the truth, their jobs and lives are threatened, but this only spurs the pair on. Knightly's more than 20 years as an NYPD cop lend a gritty authenticity to his book, and his deft storytelling, high-octane action, and genuinely surprising twists make the novel a gripping read from beginning to end. Joseph Wambaugh fans need to know about Knightly: he looks like the real deal.


--Booklist Starred Review, 15th October 2009


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QUEENS NOIR

Queens Noir

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The ethnically diverse New York borough of Queens is the setting for this solid entry in Akashic's noir anthology series (Brooklyn Noir, etc.). Rather than featuring big name authors only loosely connected to Queens, Knightly has brought in a crew of local writers that includes many unknowns. The result is a satisfying if unspectacular volume, with protagonists ranging from a young woman out for revenge (Denis Hamill's Under the Throgs Neck Bridge) to a trigger-happy cop protecting her cousin from an abusive ex-husband (Stephen Solomita's Crazy Jill Saves the Slinky). The husband-and-wife team writing as Tori Carrington (Sofie Metropolis) weighs in with a gritty whodunit set in a Greek diner in Last Stop, Ditmars. The standout by far is Hollywood Lanes by Megan Abbott (The Song Is You), a bleak and masterful story of passion and betrayal set in a Forest Hills bowling alley. There's plenty to enjoy here for Akashic completists and anyone who's ever cheered (or jeered) the Mets. (Jan.)
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Product Description

Brand-new stories by: Denis Hamill, Malachy McCourt, Maggie Estep, Megan Abbott, Robert Knightly, Liz Martínez, Jill Eisenstadt, Mary Byrne, Tori Carrington, Shailly P. Agnihotri, K.j.a. Wishnia, Victoria Eng, Alan Gordon, Beverly Farley, Joe Guglielmelli, and Glenville Lovell.
Includes the story "Bucker's Error," winner of the 2009 Edgar Award (Robert L. Fish Memorial Award)


Robert Knightly is a trial lawyer in the Criminal Defense Division of the Queens Legal Aid Society. In another life, he was a lieutenant in the New York City Police Department. President of the New York chapter of Mystery Writers of America, he was born and raised in New York City and lives in Queens.

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