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City of the Dead

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City of the Dead

By: Herbert Lieberman
Narrated by: Michael Butler Murray
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Winner of the Grand Prix de Litterature Policiere: As chief medical examiner of New York City, Paul Konig has one of the world’s most difficult jobs - and when his daughter goes missing, he must take on his most wrenching case yet.

New York City in the 1970s is a dark, dangerous, and threatening place. One of the bright spots in this decaying metropolis is Paul Konig. As the city’s chief medical examiner, he has developed an impressive reputation for his skills in forensic pathology - skills that will be put to the ultimate test when a dangerous psychopath kidnaps Konig’s daughter.

Herbert Lieberman takes his readers on a gruesome journey through the ten most difficult days in the life of a man at the very end of his rope. In addition to being awoken to phone calls featuring his daughter’s desperate screams each night, Konig’s professional life is in danger. Between the case of a serial killer who leaves a trail of severed body parts in his wake; the investigation of questionable forensic work on an alleged prison suicide under Konig’s watch; and the naked ambitions of a deputy medical examiner, it will take every ounce of Konig’s strength to save his own life - as well as his family’s.

©1976 Herbert Lieberman (P)2013 Audible, Inc. Crime Fiction Horror Suspense Thriller & Suspense Scary Crime Fiction New York
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Best book I’ve listened to for a long time. Excellent story. Excellent performance. Great on every level. Highly recommend.

Superb

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An interesting portrayal of police procedure in 1970s New York—by now, it almost reads like a historical novel. Unfortunately, given the time it was published, there are quite a few uncomfortable scenes and slurs scattered throughout. It also feels like the author did thorough research and then decided to cram every bit of it into the book. As a result, the narrative is frequently interrupted by scenes involving random crimes and their pathological analyses, which disrupt the overall flow.

Both main plotlines were compelling, but they got somewhat buried under heaps of infodumpy content. I went into this with high hopes because I really enjoyed Crawl Space by the same author, but this novel didn’t come close to living up to that one.

Could live without it

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wonderful story. superb descriptions of setting, character, and ambience. expertly narrated - narrator bought the story, characters, and settings alive.

what a narrator!

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It took me a while to get into this but it gets more engrossing. The main character is well drawn but quite unsympathetic and clearly a man of no emotional intelligence at all, for which he pays a high price. Maybe it is his job of pathologist that has given him this carapace, or maybe that’s why he’s so good at the job. The supporting characters are engaging and the reading by Michael Butler Murray is absolutely excellent.

Very enjoyable

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Author has amazing knowledge of pathology so much detail great story and perfectly narrated would recommend to anyone who enjoys a good crime novel

gripping novel really enjoyed listening

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