THE LETTER WRITER

New York: Knopf, 2016. Hardcover. Fine/Very Good. The award-winning Fesperman's tenth novel is a historical mystery set in New York City during World War II. It features a former North Carolina police officer, Woodrow Cain, who has left behind an estranged wife, a young daughter and a career marred by the murder of his police officer partner. Cain is hired by the NYPD and, seeking the identity of body found in the Hudson River, learns about the man called the "letter writer, who makes a living writing letters for immigrants who don't speak English. The letter writer knows about more than the corpse's ID and starts Cain on an investigation that leads to a traitorous, corruption-fueled conspiracy threatening the lives of Cain and everyone he knows. First edition, first printing (as stated). About 6 3/4 x 9 1/2 inches, 374 pages including an afterword and acknowledgments in cream paper-covered boards with red backstrip and silver lettering on spine. DJ's front panel shows NYC skyline against a grey background on bottom of panel and a single line of cursive script in red at top with an NYC postmark extending onto spine. Lettering is black and red on panel and spine, with back panel containing six blurbs of praise for author's work. The boards and text are complete, clean and unmarked, showing no noticeable flaws or damage. Not remaindered, not ex-library. The dustjacket's spine shows a pair of closed scratches -- one 3/4 inch, the other 1/8 inch -- in mid-spine area. The scratches penetrated Dj but did not damage book itself. Also at spine's lower end, finish to small area damaged where sticker apparently removed. O/w, only a touch of edge and corner wear. No creasing, no bumped corners, not price-clipped.