Book excerpt: A high-profile murder case falls into the lap of a former policeman in this Golden Age mystery from the groundbreaking author of At One-Thirty. Though financially independent, Timothy McCarty still has second thoughts about resigning from the police force. But when the body of a woman falls from above and crashes into the sidewalk at his feet, he finds himself back in the game, haunted by the victim’s last words: “The flying man.” The dead woman is the stepdaughter of a prominent New York City banker—and the chief inspector needs all hands on deck. Along with calling in a celebrated “scientific” detective, the victim’s stepfather makes McCarty a special officer. Matching his street smarts against the latest technology, McCarty feels the old thrill of the hunt as he investigates an apartment building full of suspects, and the secrets they keep behind locked doors . . .