CONTAGION OF THE NIGHT (The Dan Brady Mysteries) by Edward J. Leahy

This review was published in the February 2025 issue of Historical Novels Review

An attractive young woman is murdered in a New York City churchyard during World War II. No-nonsense Irish-immigrant detective Danny Brady takes the case, which quickly spirals in unexpected directions. Danny must deal with the victim’s secrets, her husband’s strange detachment, possible involvement of the Bronx rackets, roadblocks put up by his Lieutenant and an Assistant District Attorney, his partner’s marital strife, and his wife’s pregnancy and fears of her first husband’s reemergence. Whew! Scenes break with short and to the point, often clipped dialogue that propels Danny’s search through the evidence.

The story, based on the real-life “Cupcake Killing” in New York City, establishes Danny as a hard-nosed and solid, yet likeable, protagonist. The settings are well-researched, giving the reader a great feel for neighborhoods and haunts, shortages and living conditions that New Yorkers dealt with during the war, as well as gangster activities of the period. Suspense builds as Danny sifts through leads and tips from his law enforcement contacts, forcing him to question whether the investigation is delving too deeply into mobsters and “cops on the pad,” thereby putting himself and his family at risk.

A page-turning read sure to be enjoyed by fans of hard-boiled detective fiction with a historical bent. This is book two of the author’s Dan Brady Mysteries series, but it can be read as a standalone.