The Ten Worst People in New York

An FBI agent scours Manhattan for a vigilante killer in Plass’s lackluster debut. After special agent Alex Bedford spends months probing mob-connected New York City councilor Tyrell Dixon, Dixon’s corpse is recovered from the East River. Police initially suspect a suicide, but Bedford expects to uncover something more sinister after she learns that Dixon was on local talk show host Rick Talon’s list of “the 10 worst people in New York.” The puzzle deepens when slumlord Luca Benedetti, who was also on Talon’s list, dies in a fall. Concerned that other controversial figures—including a cardinal implicated in an abuse scandal—could become targets, Bedford pursues the theory that she’s dealing with an ethically motivated serial killer. When the case is reassigned, she worries the perpetrator could be in law enforcement. Plass’s concept is strong, but awkward prose (“Spears of afternoon sunlight attacked the train”) and a gradual loss of narrative momentum mar the proceedings. Readers looking for something similar should check out Robert Pobi’s City of Windows.Agent: Dan Conaway, Writers House. (Mar.)

Correction: A previous version of this review used the wrong last name for protagonist Alex Bedford.