The Edward X. Delaney Series

When a Manhattan psychiatrist is murdered, a retired detective returns to the job, in a thriller by the #1 New York Times–bestselling “master of suspense” (The Washington Post). On a rainy November night, Dr. Simon Ellerbee stares out the window of his Upper East Side psychiatry office, miserably wishing he could seek counseling for the problems in his seemingly perfect life. He hears the door buzzer and goes to answer it, but flinches when he sees his unexpected guest. Minutes later, he’s dead, his skull crushed by repeated blows from a ball-peen hammer. Once the doctor was down, the killer turned over the body and smashed in Ellerbee’s eyes.  With no leads and a case getting colder by the hour, the New York Police Department calls in former chief Edward Delaney. His search for the truth raises more questions than answers: Who had Ellerbee let into his office? Why were there two sets of wet footprints on the carpeting of the doctor’s townhouse? What caused Ellerbee’s odd personality transformation over the past year? And who murdered, then symbolically mutilated, the prominent Manhattan psychiatrist?

A police detective must find out who murdered a world-famous artist in a thriller by the #1 New York Times–bestselling “master of suspense” (The Washington Post). A month ago, world-renowned artist Victor Maitland was found dead in his Mott Street studio—stabbed repeatedly in the back. With no clear leads or suspects, the New York Police Department calls Chief Edward Delaney out of retirement. Delaney is still adjusting to life on the outside, and he’s bored by his free time. He welcomes the chance to put his well-honed investigative skills to the test once again. To investigate the case, Delaney plunges into Maitland’s rarefied orbit. Following a winding path of avarice, deception, and fraud, Delaney uncovers a long line of suspects that includes Maitland’s wife, son, and mistress. When a second murder rocks Manhattan’s art world, Delaney moves closer to the truth about what kind of a man—or monster—Victor Maitland really was. But which of the artist’s enemies was capable of killing him and leaving no trail?

The #1 New York Times–bestselling author introduces readers to “a great detective, a detective’s detective,” New York cop Edward X. Delaney (Kirkus Reviews). New York Police Department Captain Edward Delaney is called to the scene of a brutal murder. A Brooklyn councilman was struck from behind, the back of his skull punctured and crushed with an unknown weapon. The victim wasn’t robbed, and there’s no known motive. The commissioner appoints Delaney to head up a clandestine task force, but soon this effort ignites an internecine war of departmental backstabbing.   Distracted by the serious illness of his wife, Barbara, Delaney begins his secret investigation. Then the killer claims another victim—slain in the exact same way, leaving the strange puncture wound. As more young men are found murdered, Delaney starts putting the pieces together. Soon, he’s faced with a cop’s dilemma: He knows who the killer is, but the man is untouchable. That’s when Delaney lays a trap to bring a monster to justice . . .

New York Times Bestseller: A retired cop hunts for a female serial killer no one would suspect in this “first-rate thriller . . . as good as you can get” (The New York Times). By day, she’s a middle-aged secretary no one would look at twice. But by night, dressed in a midnight-black wig, a skin-tight dress, and spike heels, she’s hard to miss. Inside her leather shoulder bag are keys, cash, mace, and a Swiss Army knife. She prowls smoky hotel bars for prey. The first victim—a convention guest at an upscale Manhattan hotel—is found with multiple stab wounds to the neck and genitals. By the time retired police detective chief Edward Delaney hears about the case from an old colleague, the Hotel Ripper has already struck twice. Unable to resist the puzzle, Delaney follows the clues and soon realizes he’s looking for a woman. As the grisly slayings continue, seizing the city in a chokehold of panic, Delaney must stop the madwoman before she kills again.

New York Times Bestseller: A retired cop hunts for a female serial killer no one would suspect in this “first-rate thriller . . . as good as you can get” (The New York Times). By day, she’s a middle-aged secretary no one would look at twice. But by night, dressed in a midnight-black wig, a skin-tight dress, and spike heels, she’s hard to miss. Inside her leather shoulder bag are keys, cash, mace, and a Swiss Army knife. She prowls smoky hotel bars for prey. The first victim—a convention guest at an upscale Manhattan hotel—is found with multiple stab wounds to the neck and genitals. By the time retired police detective chief Edward Delaney hears about the case from an old colleague, the Hotel Ripper has already struck twice. Unable to resist the puzzle, Delaney follows the clues and soon realizes he’s looking for a woman. As the grisly slayings continue, seizing the city in a chokehold of panic, Delaney must stop the madwoman before she kills again.

New York City cop Edward X. Delaney solves a string of murder cases in these first two novels in the series by the #1 New York Times–bestselling author.   Lawrence Sanders’s first novel in the Deadly Sins series became a New York Times bestseller and was made into an acclaimed film starring Frank Sinatra as hard-bitten New York City homicide detective Edward X. Delaney. The Edgar Award–winning Sanders would follow up with three more Deadly Sins novels—each one a New York Times bestseller—proving himself again and again to be “a master” (The New Yorker).   The First Deadly Sin: New York Police Department captain Edward Delaney is called to the scene of a brutal murder. A Brooklyn councilman was struck from behind, the back of his skull punctured and crushed with an unknown weapon. No robbery, no known motive. The commissioner appoints Delaney to head up a secret investigation. As more young men are murdered in the same way, Delaney starts putting the pieces together, even as he’s distracted by the serious illness of his wife. Soon, he’s faced with a cop’s dilemma: He knows who the killer is, but the person is untouchable. That’s when Delaney lays a trap to bring a monster to justice . . .   “Breathtakingly exciting.” —Newsday   The Second Deadly Sin: World-renowned artist Victor Maitland is dead—found in his Mott Street studio stabbed repeatedly in the back. With no clear leads or suspects, the NYPD calls Chief Edward Delaney out of retirement. Following a winding path of greed, deception, and fraud, Delaney uncovers a long line of suspects that includes Maitland’s wife, son, and mistress. When a second murder rocks Manhattan’s art world, Delaney moves closer to the truth about what kind of a man—or monster—Maitland really was. But which of the artist’s enemies was capable of killing him and leaving no trail?   “Sanders is a pro!” —Los Angeles Times

The final two cases in the series by the #1 New York Times–bestselling author—plus the Edgar Award–winning debut novel that introduced Edward Delaney.   Lawrence Sanders’s first novel in the Deadly Sins series became a New York Times bestseller and was made into an acclaimed film starring Frank Sinatra as hard-bitten New York City homicide detective Edward Delaney. Sanders would follow up with three more Deadly Sins novels—each one a New York Times bestseller—proving himself again and again to be “a master” (The New Yorker). This collection also includes Sanders’s first novel, completed at age fifty, The Anderson Tapes, which introduced Edward Delaney and won an Edgar Award, and was made into a film starring Sean Connery.   The Third Deadly Sin: By day, she’s an unassuming middle-aged secretary. By night, dressed in a midnight-black wig, a skin-tight dress, and spike heels, she prowls smoky hotel bars for prey. Inside her leather bag are keys, cash, mace, and a Swiss Army knife. Her first victim—a convention guest at an upscale Manhattan hotel—is found dead with multiple stab wounds. Edward Delaney has come out of retirement to stop the so-called Hotel Ripper, who has seized the city in a chokehold of panic. But he’s not expecting the killer to be a woman.   “A first-rate thriller . . . as good as you can get.” —The New York Times   The Fourth Deadly Sin: With no leads and a case getting colder by the hour, the NYPD calls in former chief Edward Delaney to solve the grisly murder of Dr. Simon Ellerbee, a noted Upper East Side psychiatrist, who not only had his skull bashed in by a ball-peen hammer but had his eyes mutilated. It’s up to the veteran detective to analyze the symbolism of the attack and study the doctor’s patients to find out which one of them wanted to hammer home a point.   “Not to be missed.” —Kansas City Star   The Anderson Tapes: Newly sprung from prison, professional burglar John Anderson is preparing for the biggest heist of his criminal career. The mark is a Manhattan luxury apartment building. Enlisting a crew of scouts, con artists, and a getaway driver, Anderson orchestrates what he believes to be a foolproof plan. To pull off the big score, he needs one last thing: the permission of the local mafia, who expect a piece of the action. But no one inside Anderson’s operation knows that the police have recorded their conversations. The NYPD has hatched a plot of its own—but even its task force may not be enough to stop such a cunningly planned robbery.   “The novel races forward, accelerating in action and suspense.” —TheNew York Times

The #1 New York Times–bestselling author introduces readers to “a great detective, a detective’s detective,” New York cop Edward X. Delaney (Kirkus Reviews). New York Police Department Captain Edward Delaney is called to the scene of a brutal murder. A Brooklyn councilman was struck from behind, the back of his skull punctured and crushed with an unknown weapon. The victim wasn’t robbed, and there’s no known motive. The commissioner appoints Delaney to head up a clandestine task force, but soon this effort ignites an internecine war of departmental backstabbing.   Distracted by the serious illness of his wife, Barbara, Delaney begins his secret investigation. Then the killer claims another victim—slain in the exact same way, leaving the strange puncture wound. As more young men are found murdered, Delaney starts putting the pieces together. Soon, he’s faced with a cop’s dilemma: He knows who the killer is, but the man is untouchable. That’s when Delaney lays a trap to bring a monster to justice . . .