Kelly is devastated by Garry’s death and Anna is shaken and turns to boyfriend Santos, who is an New York City police officer, hoping to learn who may have killed the young man. Looking through his personal effects, Anna finds that Garry was part of a group of four men in Iraq, one of whom was arrested for the rape of a local woman and was later shot to death while in prison. One of the other men is missing, and no one knows the name of the fourth man.

This lead seems to Anna to be a good, logical bet, then a young childcare worker is found dead in an alley, an NYU professor is found in Washington Mews and an NYU medical student is found dead in an alley. Anna isn’t sure if there is a serial killer on the loose or whether some of these murders were committed to make Garry’s death look unrelated to Iraq. 

 Dark Alley has an engrossing plot with several different threads, almost too many at some times, keeping things interesting and readers guessing. A quick resolution of a threat to Anna’s life is a little too rushed considering how the incident unfolds, though it does wrap up one part of the story. Drugs and shop-lifting are also added into Garry’s equation, offering more suspect possibilities, but again, sometimes a bit too much. 

Anna is an interesting character, the daughter of a multi-millionaire who not only doesn’t need to work, but does not need to work as a sanitation supervisor, but her crew does not resent her and respects her authority. Her parents are going through some difficulties in their marriage and Anna takes time out of her job and investigation to help them through the problems, being patient with her sanctimonious sister, making her almost too good to be true. 

Many readers will guess who killed Garry early on, but may not be able to untangle all the different threads to uncover a motive until the very end. Strong characters, for the most part, and a likable, if a bit too capable, heroine plus a solid plot with some lesser known areas of Manhattan (though one of the Mews is an invention) come together to make an enjoyable read.                                                                

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry