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Chapters (62)
  1. Cover
  2. Love best-selling fiction?
  3. Also by McGarvey Black
  4. Dedication
  5. Epigraph
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. 42
  48. 43
  49. 44
  50. 45
  51. 46
  52. 47
  53. 48
  54. 49
  55. 50
  56. 51
  57. 52
  58. 53
  59. Acknowledgements
  60. A note from the publisher
  61. Love best-selling fiction?
  62. You will also enjoy:

15

In spring 2020, New York City looked like a ghost town. Thousands of office buildings stood empty, a range of hollow mountains. Sirens echoed endlessly through the streets while the governor and the mayor told people to stay home. Emergency field hospitals had been set up in Central Park to handle the overflow of coronavirus patients. Healthcare workers were stretched to the limit and the general feeling in the city was dire. Infection levels had hit a new high and a vaccine was still off in the future. No one knew if or when it would be available.

Shuttered stores and restaurants were evident on every block. Restaurants that remained open ramped up their takeout service for deliveries and pickups in order to stay in business. The city streets were mainly deserted with few cars or people daring to venture outside.

Terrified citizens hoarded crazy things like toilet paper, paper towels and hand sanitizer. Most people wore face masks though some refused, believing the virus wasn’t real. The last thing New Yorkers needed was a murderous predator on the west side of Manhattan but that’s exactly what they had.

By May, a prolific serial killer on the Upper West Side had claimed his sixth victim. With thousands of new Covid-19 cases, people sick and dying and hospitals overflowing, it was unimaginable that New Yorkers had to shoulder one more thing. Eager to write about anything besides the virus, the press was all over the serial killer story.

THE NEW YORK ECHO—May 17, 2020

SIXTH STRANGLER VICTIM FOUND THIS MORNING

by Tommy Devlin