The Mayor of Lexington Avenue

Rudy Kelly is a loving, naïve 19 year old who is intrigued by the offer of Lucy Ochoa. The night does not go very well for Rudy and he has to abruptly leave Lucy's trailer. However, Lucy is murdered that night and the police seem to focus on only him as a suspect. Rudy is on death row for ten years. In steps Jack Tobin, a Florida trial attorney who was best friends with Mike Kelly, Rudy's Dad, now deceased. Skillfully interwoven in the narrative are stories about the old days with Mike, Jack, and Patricia. Jack fights for Rudy's life. He risks everything for Rudy and for Mike. Unique characters and divisive issues make this a gripping and emotional novel.

This is a great book to disappear in. The hectic pace in which we all move nowadays requires detachment and absorption in something outside of ourselves. This book gives that like a gift. It is compelling, interesting and "fun" to read in spite of the serious nature of the subject. The characters are real, the subject matter compelling and enough twists and turns that you won't have it all figured out, like some in this genre. Bravo Mr. Sheehan, keep em coming.

I just got this book as a gift and I loved it, I actually read the last 200 pages in one sitting! There are so many plot twists that it keeps you guessing until the very end.

Some of the elements of this excellent story are: naive young man accused of a brutal murder and facing the death-penalty; dedicated, single mother with few financial resources; heavy-handed, corrupt police action; vanishing witnesses; arrogant, mercenary attorney; incompetent lawyers; and ruthless political ambition. I suspect that mystery lovers are now thinking that this is an old story, and one that doesn't require much more for them to fill in the blanks. Wrong. The elements indeed are familiar but the way this author puts them together is both fresh and thought-provoking. There are many twists and turns to this story, and while some can be anticipated all this does is lull the reader into thinking that the next turn will be familiar - it is not. The murder occurs in a small town with a small police force and few murders. A young man, slow but not retarded, is enticed by a young woman to an assignation. He shows up at her home as planned, but things go awry and the woman later is found murdered. The young man is spotted coming from her home at about the time of the murder, and a rather dim detective is manipulated by a local politician to bring the case to a swift conviction. In fact, there doesn't seem to be much risk in concealing evidence and in railroading the young man as the local public defender is known to be a dedicated alcoholic with few remaining resources to devote to a client's defense. The young man's mother, however, is able to scrape together enough money to hire, at least initially, a prominent attorney. This attorney discovers evidence that convinces her that the young man is innocent and also reveals who she believes is the real killer. But that's the best news the book delivers for many, many pages. The story is multi-layered and includes, among other things, an abandoned but important childhood friendship, and a brief examination of the consequences of the death penalty. While this is the author's first published book, he writes as if a seasoned professional. The story is compelling, and flows smoothly and plausibly. The character development is well done, and I found myself caring deeply about the accused. This is in stark contrast to several other legal thrillers I recently have read with supposedly wrongfully-accused defendants who I found singularly unsympathetic and about whom I could have cared less. That definitely was not the case with this accused who, though "slow," is endearing and surprisingly insightful. The author even adds grace notes here and there. For example, in the first few pages he skillfully lays out the murdered woman's belief in her ability to control and manipulate men at will. (As it happens, she may have been overly optimistic.) As another example, one of the judges finds himself highly entertained as one of the less adept, though nevertheless supremely arrogant, attorneys flails deeper and deeper into quicksand of his own churning. I can't wait for the next book.

This book keeps your attention from page one. I found it to be an easy read, great well developed characters and a wonderful storyline. If you like legal thrillers I recommend you read this book. It takes place between New York and Florida so if you live in either place you'll enjoy reading about real places and if you don't it will definately take you there. The story is filled with so many twists and turns you'll be surprised in every chapter right up until the exciting conclusion. A must read!!!