I’ve just returned from a jam-packed and exciting visit to New York City. It’s a place that’s close to my heart and when I’m there I always hear a soundtrack of New Yorky songs running through my head. For this visit I even came up with a playlist!
But a trip to New York also gets my reading juices flowing too. We visited Hell’s Kitchen, home of the Nero Wolfe series, spotted a plaque commemorating the place where the New Yorker magazine was born and called in at the New York Public Library too. That last one isn’t unusual, as I make a point of stopping by every time I’m in New York City. The Rose Reading Room is so beautiful, and the NYPL also has a wonderful gift shop!
Probably the strangest moment (for my friend, who accompanied me on my trip anyway) was when I stopped stock still in the middle of the pavement near to the rear of a Broadway theatre. It wasn’t the stage door I was interested in – I was drawn to the sound of power tools, and to the sight of a workman sitting outside an open workshop doorway, enjoying the sunshine at break time.
The reason for my actions? The whole scene brought to mind a chapter in Jeffery Deaver’s The Steel Kiss. It’s a scene set in a very similar Broadway workshop, where the power tools are used to dramatic effect… I’ll say no more, but you can read my CrimeFictionLover review of the book here.
I’m now saving my pennies for my next visit to the Big Apple. In the meantime, I really enjoy reading books set there. As well as the aforementioned Jeffery Deaver novels, I really enjoyed Daniel Cole’s Hangman which has some amazing scenes set in the city and even Hull-bound DS Aector McAvoy was drawn to NYC for Cruel Mercy You can read author David Mark’s take on that change of setting in this fascinating article.
Do you have places that you love to read about? Why not share in the comments?