''Hell's Kitchen'' is a 2001 novel by American author

Jeffery Deaver Jeffery Deaver (born May 6, 1950) is an American mystery and crime writer. He has a bachelor of journalism degree from the University of Missouri and a J.D. degree from Fordham University and originally started working as a journalist. He lat ...

. It is the third novel that follows

location scout Location scouting is a vital process in the pre-production stage of filmmaking and commercial photography. Once scriptwriters, producers or directors have decided what general kind of scenery they require for the various parts of their work sho ...

John Pellam. The novel was shortlisted for the 2002

Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Paperback Original Edgar is a commonly used masculine English given name, from an Anglo-Saxon name ''Edgar'' (composed of '' ead'' "rich, prosperous" and '' gar'' "spear"). Like most Anglo-Saxon names, it fell out of use by the Late Middle Ages; it was, however ...

Plot summary

The book follows Pellam as he tries to prove the innocence of an old woman, Ettie, whom he had interviewed for a documentary on the area of

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

referred to as

Hell's Kitchen Hell's Kitchen, also known as Clinton, or Midtown West on real estate listings, is a neighborhood on the West Side of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York. It is considered to be bordered by 34th Street (or 41st Street) to the south, ...

. When Ettie's apartment catches fire, she is blamed for the crime and jailed. Pellam believes she is innocent and is determined to prove it and set her free. Along the way he meets several characters who try to interrupt his search as it uncovers many underlying crimes of different people. All the while, the real arsonist, a man named Sonny, has been continuing to burn buildings and chase Pellam. Towards the end of the book, Sonny finally confronts Pellam, attempting to kill him (and Sonny himself in the process). However, just when it appears Pellam is about to die, two friends he has made along his investigation come to his aid and save him from Sonny. Pellam gathers the evidence needed to prove Ettie innocent and she is set free.

References

2001 American novels Novels by Jeffery Deaver Crime novels Pocket Books books Novels set in New York City {{2000s-crime-novel-stub