Mild-mannered children's book author Lyon Wentworth is caught in the middle of a bus hijacking in gritty 1970s New York in this taut psychological thriller.

There are three men in the bar at the Port Authority bus terminal. Lyon Wentworth, a Connecticut children's book author having a drink to celebrate his newest book, sits in the middle. He's harmless. The other men aren't. One is Willie Shep, a disgruntled supermarket employee who carries a Walther PPK and enough rage to burn Manhattan to the ground. The other is a bearded man with a .44 Magnum and a professional killer's ruthless calm. All three men board the same bus. It's doubtful they'll all get off it alive. The bus is halfway through the Lincoln Tunnel when Willie presses his gun into the driver's neck and tells him to stop. He shoots two passengers, killing one, and sends a message to the police demanding a million dollars and a private plane. An intricate dance is about to begin, and the most dangerous man on the bus may be the one who's not carrying a gun. This irresistible mystery from Richard Forrest begins with a hostage situation as tense as classic films like Dog Day Afternoon or The Taking of Pelham 123. Lyon Wentworth may stare down his share of evil men, but The Death in the Willows is a mystery novel unlike any other.

The Death in the Willows is the 4th book in the Lyon and Bea Wentworth Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

Death Under the Lilacs