Manhattan, 1928. When Alan Priest, reporter for the New York World, discovers a body at the demolition site for the new Chrysler Building, both his and his wife Lorraine’s lives are thrown into turmoil. Can they navigate the worlds of vicious mobsters, corrupt police, and Broadway stars to find the killer?
The Missing Floor is a 1920s historical murder mystery and the second novel in the Skyline Murder Mystery series. This book can be read as a standalone, but it’s highly recommended to first read book 1, Floor 24, as readers may initially miss some connections.
The story picks up two years after the events of Floor 24, placing protagonist Alan Priest and his wife, Lorraine Priest, deep into Manhattan’s criminal underworld during Prohibition. Alan, now an established reporter for the New York World, stumbles upon a body at the demolition site of the soon-to-be Chrysler Building. The discovery launches both him and Lorraine into an investigation involving Broadway stars, dangerous mobsters, and corrupt police forces.
The story is intricate and unpredictable from start to finish, with a rollercoaster pace. The chapters are short, and many end in cliffhangers that will keep readers hooked and furiously turning the pages. For a book of only 286 pages, the author packs a lot into the book—a highly intricate murder mystery, a plethora of historical facts, numerous twists, turns, and detours, and more character introductions than you can count! If listening via audio, it’s highly recommended to listen at a slower speed to more easily keep track of everything—and jotting down character names as they’re introduced is a good idea! In the first book, Alan Priest was the protagonist—in this book the story alternates between the perspectives of Alan and his wife, Lorraine, as they take separate investigations in identifying the dead body. Despite the grim subject matter, Ortiz injects a lot of sly humor into the story, mostly via the witty banter, which softens the noir tension while still maintaining the high stakes!
Alan Priest is a resourceful, veteran reporter who navigates adversity with grit and intelligence. Lorraine Priest emerges in this book as not only his wife but also as his equal. Having been married for over two years, their dynamic is warm, witty, and grounded, and their banter is very engaging—making their relationship much more compelling than a typical romance subplot. Lorraine, given her own POV, is much more developed than in the first book—readers get to know her inner workings, fearlessness, complexities, and tenacity well. Her street‑savvy energy and emotional intelligence especially shine through during key investigative moments. There are a few chapters where she takes the investigation into her own hands, not telling Alan what she’s up to until she’s in trouble—being held hostage, taken to jail, and forced to walk the streets disheveled and barefoot are just some of the obstacles she faces! In other chapters, Lorraine and Alan manage to meet up and share all the information they’ve gathered to keep moving the investigation forward.
In addition, there are many colorful side characters they meet along the way—villainous mobsters, morally compromised officers, and eccentric Broadway personalities, many of whom are morally gray or morally black! Sergeant Mitchell Sullivan has a vendetta against them from the very start and wants them jailed without any evidence of wrongdoing. As the story unfolds, Lorraine and Alan discover the depths and reasons for the police corruption, which adds layers of intrigue and historical depth to the story. The real-life “Pulitzer Prize” family also plays a role in Alan’s reporter investigations, and the history of the family and its very different brothers is quite fascinating!
The book’s biggest strength (aside from its intricate storytelling) is the enormous historical context that is seamlessly woven into the narrative. The “Author’s Note” at the end goes into detail about the real-life characters in the story (including the Pulitzer family, the Marx brothers, gangster Jack “Legs” Diamond, and Arnold Rothstein) and the four prominent buildings featured (the Chanin Building, Hotel Chelsea, The World Building, and The Metropolitan Life Tower/Chrysler Building)! Fans of early 20th-century American figures and architectural history will be delighted! The book also touches on the underground sex culture and drag/gay theater scene that was initiated in NYC by American actress and singer Mae West—she becomes a key player in helping Alan and Lorraine’s investigation and keeps them out of harm in a few scenes—again weaving fact and fiction into a captivating narrative!
After its many twists, turns, red herrings, and character appearances, the story culminates in a high-stakes, thrilling climax where all the key players come together on the grounds of the former real-life theme park “Dreamland.” The dramatic history and demise of this surreal theme park are as compelling as the final confrontations between the characters, and readers will be hanging onto every word! The final chapter that follows has resolution and trademark “Alan and Lorraine humor” that will leave readers satisfied and eager for the next installment in the series!
Overall, The Missing Floor is an immersive murder mystery that wonderfully balances high-stakes suspense with a textured historical setting. It’s a worthy sequel to Floor 24 with richly developed protagonists, amazing real-life supporting characters, relentless pacing, and an atmospheric 1920s Manhattan backdrop. Readers who enjoy noir detective fiction, architectural-era historical mysteries, and twisty intricate stories that fuse fact with fiction will love this book and series!
Narrator Performance
The audiobook of The Missing Floor is a thrilling, immersive listen performed by Robert T. Sutherland, who also performed the first book, Floor 24. His narration in the first book earned praise for its period‑appropriate New York accents and distinct character portrayals!
In this audiobook, Sutherland once again uses an intelligent-sounding, charismatic voice to portray protagonist Alan Priest, accurately capturing the character’s grit and resilience. This book has a large cast of supporting characters, from evil mobsters to Broadway stars to new Italian immigrants to corrupt police officers—and Sutherland differentiates each of them effectively with distinct voices, accents authentic to the era, and unique emotional intensity. Lorraine’s POV in this book takes up half the novel, and Sutherland makes her portrayal stand out using a sharp, articulate voice infused with sarcasm and wit to vividly bring her to life and make her lovable. Sutherland also gives convincing-sounding voices to all the female characters, which isn’t an easy feat, and gives the audiobook a multicast feel!
One of the major highlights of Sutherland’s performance, as in book 1, is the witty banter between Alan and Lorraine—both characters come across as vivid, organic, funny, and heartwarming. Sutherland’s excellent pacing and impressive vocal range bring their chemistry to life and make them a dynamic duo that readers will easily root for! Sutherland also seamlessly transitions between Alan’s and Lorraine’s perspectives and maintains a distinct personality and emotional tone for each, making the audiobook a fully immersive listening experience the entire time!
In the final chapters, when the tension escalates, Sutherland increases his pacing and the tension in his tone to match what’s unfolding in the dramatic confrontational scenes. Fans who listened to Floor 24 will appreciate the consistency carried into The Missing Floor and the diversity of performance with all new characters in this book!
Overall, Robert T. Sutherland’s performance greatly elevates Martin Hill Ortiz’s atmospheric noir murder mystery, particularly through the highly entertaining dialogue and immersive narration. This book and series is a must-listen for fans of historical mysteries, atmospheric suspense, and noir detective fiction. If you haven’t listened to Robert T. Sutherland’s narration before, this series is a perfect way to get a sense of his dynamic and engaging voice acting skills!
Narrator Performance
The audiobook of The Missing Floor is a thrilling, immersive listen performed by Robert T. Sutherland, who also performed the first book, Floor 24. His narration in the first book earned praise for its period‑appropriate New York accents and distinct character portrayals!
In this audiobook, Sutherland once again uses an intelligent-sounding, charismatic voice to portray protagonist Alan Priest, accurately capturing the character’s grit and resilience. This book has a large cast of supporting characters, from evil mobsters to Broadway stars to new Italian immigrants to corrupt police officers—and Sutherland differentiates each of them effectively with distinct voices, accents authentic to the era, and unique emotional intensity. Lorraine’s POV in this book takes up half the novel, and Sutherland makes her portrayal stand out using a sharp, articulate voice infused with sarcasm and wit to vividly bring her to life and make her lovable. Sutherland also gives convincing-sounding voices to all the female characters, which isn’t an easy feat, and gives the audiobook a multicast feel!
One of the major highlights of Sutherland’s performance, as in book 1, is the witty banter between Alan and Lorraine—both characters come across as vivid, organic, funny, and heartwarming. Sutherland’s excellent pacing and impressive vocal range bring their chemistry to life and make them a dynamic duo that readers will easily root for! Sutherland also seamlessly transitions between Alan’s and Lorraine’s perspectives and maintains a distinct personality and emotional tone for each, making the audiobook a fully immersive listening experience the entire time!
In the final chapters, when the tension escalates, Sutherland increases his pacing and the tension in his tone to match what’s unfolding in the dramatic confrontational scenes. Fans who listened to Floor 24 will appreciate the consistency carried into The Missing Floor and the diversity of performance with all new characters in this book!
Overall, Robert T. Sutherland’s performance greatly elevates Martin Hill Ortiz’s atmospheric noir murder mystery, particularly through the highly entertaining dialogue and immersive narration. This book and series is a must-listen for fans of historical mysteries, atmospheric suspense, and noir detective fiction. If you haven’t listened to Robert T. Sutherland’s narration before, this series is a perfect way to get a sense of his dynamic and engaging voice acting skills!
The audiobook of The Missing Floor is a thrilling, immersive listen performed by Robert T. Sutherland, who also performed the first book, Floor 24. His narration in the first book earned praise for its period‑appropriate New York accents and distinct character portrayals!
In this audiobook, Sutherland once again uses an intelligent-sounding, charismatic voice to portray protagonist Alan Priest, accurately capturing the character’s grit and resilience. This book has a large cast of supporting characters, from evil mobsters to Broadway stars to new Italian immigrants to corrupt police officers—and Sutherland differentiates each of them effectively with distinct voices, accents authentic to the era, and unique emotional intensity. Lorraine’s POV in this book takes up half the novel, and Sutherland makes her portrayal stand out using a sharp, articulate voice infused with sarcasm and wit to vividly bring her to life and make her lovable. Sutherland also gives convincing-sounding voices to all the female characters, which isn’t an easy feat, and gives the audiobook a multicast feel!
One of the major highlights of Sutherland’s performance, as in book 1, is the witty banter between Alan and Lorraine—both characters come across as vivid, organic, funny, and heartwarming. Sutherland’s excellent pacing and impressive vocal range bring their chemistry to life and make them a dynamic duo that readers will easily root for! Sutherland also seamlessly transitions between Alan’s and Lorraine’s perspectives and maintains a distinct personality and emotional tone for each, making the audiobook a fully immersive listening experience the entire time!
In the final chapters, when the tension escalates, Sutherland increases his pacing and the tension in his tone to match what’s unfolding in the dramatic confrontational scenes. Fans who listened to Floor 24 will appreciate the consistency carried into The Missing Floor and the diversity of performance with all new characters in this book!
Overall, Robert T. Sutherland’s performance greatly elevates Martin Hill Ortiz’s atmospheric noir murder mystery, particularly through the highly entertaining dialogue and immersive narration. This book and series is a must-listen for fans of historical mysteries, atmospheric suspense, and noir detective fiction. If you haven’t listened to Robert T. Sutherland’s narration before, this series is a perfect way to get a sense of his dynamic and engaging voice acting skills!
