MANHATTAN IS MY BEAT by Jeffery Deaver

 Finished Th 6/1/23

This is one of the books that I bought at the Rochester Book Sale on Su 4/23/23.

This was Deaver's first novel and I picked this book because I read his book about Internet hacking called 'THE BLUE NOWHERE'. This was more of a curiosity because it dealt with the '1999 Internet'. 

A young woman, Rune, works in a video store in lower Manhattan and she is friends with an old man who rents the same movie all the time. It's the title of the novel and concerns a robbery that happened in NYC and the million dollars was never recovered.

Rune tries to find out where the money is located, but mayhem ensues. 

A review from a reader at Amazon:

" He has created one of the most enjoyable lead characters here in Rune, a somewhat kooky, plucky 20-year-old with a vivid imagination and romantic ideals. She meets up with even more interesting characters in Mr. Kelly, Tony (her boss), Stephanie, Raoul Elliott, Sandra, Haart, Zane, Richard, etc. This is a classic in-the-wrong-place-at-the-wrong-time story as Rune accidentally interrupts the murderer of her friend, Mr. Kelly. Throw in some assumptions about the killing, some crime-solving techniques Rune has learned from movies, cops, bad guys and lusty roommates, and you have a formula for a light, fun mystery. And with most Deaver novels, you never really know who anyone actually is until the end.

I truly enjoyed reading this novel. As an earlier Deaver work, it's not as polished as some we've seen more recently. However, I liked that this one seems to be all about the joy of writing a good story rather than the chore of writing for the masses. I recommend this one; it's quick and it's fun. I, for one, vote for a series starring the very loveable Rune."

I felt the writing was on par with something by Baldacci or Coben, but nowhere near Connelly or Rankin. I liked the book, but almost like a YA novel.