Review: Dan Fesperman's The Letter Writer brings a world of intrigue to 1940s New York

Once again, the brilliant Dan Fesperman takes us into a world of intrigue. This time, instead of Guantanamo prison or Dubai, as in previous novels, the setting is New York in the early days of 1942. The attack on Pearl Harbor has just taken place and the United States is at war. North Carolina cop Woodrow Cain gets his first sight of the Big Apple's harbour as the French luxury liner SS Normandie, which caught fire while being turned into a troop transport, burns in the water. Fear of spies and sabotage is everywhere. Cain is a great character for Fesperman, who loves outsiders. He has both a dead wife and a dead partner – who was also his best friend and whose death was, possibly, his fault. He's come to New York to work as a detective, a job he landed through wealthy family connections, which doesn't endear him to the squad room. Meanwhile, there's a murder that needs to be solved, as well as a strange old man who supports himself writing and translating letters for newcomers to the city, who says he can help, but who has ties to organized crime. Don't miss this one – it's sure to be on my list of the year's best books.