History and murder mingle in "Blood Alley," a new murder mystery by Tom Coffey. Patrick Grimes is a self-described lapsed Irish Catholic who works at the lowest rungs of the old New York Examiner newspaper. When a wealthy socialite ends up dead, and an apparently innocent man is charged with the heinous crime, Grimes becomes part of the story he is merely supposed to be reporting. Coffey brings the underside of Manhattan life alive in "Blood Alley," as Grimes not only goes about solving the crime but also posing timeless, philosophical questions. ($24.95 / 280 pages / Toby Press)