The Jamie Palmieri Mystery
Publication Date: June 26, 2025
Paterson, New Jersey, 1979: Jamie Palmieri is an up-and-coming patrol officer, three years out of the academy and frustrated with his slow rise to detective. That all changes one frigid night in January, when a double homicide at a local bar leaves the owner and a young woman dead. In the wake of the Rubin “Hurricane” Carter proceedings and the city’s lingering distrust for the police, Jamie is told to expect a “no one saw a thing” investigation. But as Jamie traces a series of small leads, he’s sent on a path where the tables turn suddenly – with the still-unknown killer now stalking Jamie and the people he’s closest to.
A classic police procedural charged with the social turbulence of the 1970s.
The double homicide at a local bar serves as the catalyst for an intriguing mystery.
Author Melanie Anagnos takes readers to Paterson, New Jersey, in 1979, where Officer Jamie Palmieri gets assigned to the case in Nightswimming.
As his first homicide, Jamie is determined to find an angle even though his sergeant warns him the interviews are unlikely to be productive. What ensues is a police procedural at its finest, featuring blackmail, a string of murders, and an unexpected suspect.
Of particular interest is the effective way the author builds the setting with a nod to the music and cars. The mistrust of law enforcement is also evident.
Nightswimming offers an intriguing up-close look into a police officer’s first homicide investigation.
Melanie Anagnos is a crime novelist and editor who was born in Paterson, NJ, the backdrop of her police procedurals. She has been a waitress, an attorney, and a stay-at-home mom. She received her MFA from Sarah Lawrence College and currently publishes a Substack, Cherchez La Femme, drawing on media and pop culture from the 1970s.
