The Man Who Never Returned

Peter Quinn's The Man Who Never Returned is a noirish, stylized detective narrative set in 1950s New York. It follows Fintan, a retired detective turned private investigator who has been given the job of finding Judge Crater that just went missing. Based on a real story, it is quite an intriguing story that was even more so for people living at the time. The famous missing person case is comparable to the Amelia Earhart missing person case though it could have been an even more interesting one. It was alleged that the missing judge may have had information about underhand dealings in the New York Judiciary. It was believed that if such information came to light, Franklin Roosevelt then Governor of New York would have had a hard time becoming the President of the US. But There were also rumors that the judge who was a known ladies man had either decided to disappear, or fell afoul of the mafia. Featuring hard boiled characters and a beautiful recreation of New York from the 50s, it is quite a compelling read.