The Devil's Daughter, Greisman - B

                  This is fun novel set in Manhattan in the late 1950's featuring private investigator Jack Coffey. He's from Hell's Kitchen, fought in the war, seems to know every barkeep in the borough, and somewhat incomprehensibly is buds with Thelonious Monk and Marlon Brando. A wealthy Wall Streeter hires him to find his teenage daughter. Soon, he's on a wild goose chase with all sorts of folks trying to knock him off. He brings the missing daughter home, and uncovers that her dad is a grotesque child molester and pornographer who is blackmailing very important people. But the bad guys keep coming, and anyone he spoke to while looking for the daughter is getting killed. Things get a bit preposterous with people dropping like flies in the finale. That said, there are occasional interesting insights into the big city.