Kindle Price: $8.99

Save $3.00 (25%)

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Read with our free app
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

Buy for others

Give as a gift or purchase for a team or group.
Learn more

Buying and sending eBooks to others

  1. Select quantity
  2. Buy and send eBooks
  3. Recipients can read on any device

These ebooks can only be redeemed by recipients in the US. Redemption links and eBooks cannot be resold.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Tucker Coe
+ Follow
More books from this author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Murder Among Children (The Mitchell Tobin Mysteries Book 2) Kindle Edition

by Donald E. Westlake (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 109 ratings
See all formats and editions
When some West Village hippie kids get mixed up with the mob, the results are murder—and ex-cop Mitch Tobin tries to clean up the mess.
 On the outskirts of Greenwich Village, among a wasteland of warehouses and tenements, a group of young people are opening a coffee shop. They are idealistic, giddy, and beautiful—the picture of 1960s youth—but their optimism cannot last. When a corrupt detective comes around demanding regular bribes, one of the young hippies, Robin Kennely, asks for help from a distant relative, the honest but fallen former cop Mitchell Tobin. When Tobin visits the coffee shop for the first time, he finds Robin in a state of shock, clutching a knife and covered in blood.
Two corpses lie upstairs. It seems impossible that anyone but Robin could have killed them, but for the sake of a group of children whose lives are so much brighter than his own, Tobin attempts to prove otherwise.
Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Book 2 of 5
    The Mitchell Tobin Mysteries
  2. Print length
    226 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publisher
    MysteriousPress.com/Open Road
  6. Publication date
    June 25, 2013
  7. File size
    3282 KB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  11. See all details
Next page
Add a debit or credit card to save time when you check out
Convenient and secure with 2 clicks. Add your card
Next 4 for you in this series See full series
Total Price: $27.96
By clicking on the above button, you agree to Amazon's Kindle Store Terms of Use
More like Murder Among Children (The Mitchell Tobin Mysteries Book 2)
Page 1 of 1Start overPage 1 of 1
Previous page
  6. The Mitchell Tobin Mysteries    5 book series
Next page
Loading...

Editorial Reviews

Review

“No one can turn a phrase like Westlake.” —Detroit News and Free Press
“Under any name, Westlake was a grandmaster.” —Los Angeles Times “Westlake’s ability to construct an action story filled with unforeseen twists and quadruple-crosses is unparalleled.” —San Francisco Chronicle

About the Author

Donald E. Westlake (1933–2008) was one of the most prolific and talented authors of American crime fiction. He began his career in the late 1950s, churning out novels for pulp houses—often writing as many as four novels a year under various pseudonyms—but soon began publishing under his own name. His most well-known characters were John Dortmunder, an unlucky thief, and a ruthless criminal named Parker. His writing earned him three Edgars and a Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America. 
Westlake’s cinematic prose and brisk dialogue made his novels attractive to Hollywood, and several motion pictures were made from his books, with stars such as Lee Marvin and Mel Gibson. Westlake wrote several screenplays himself, receiving an Academy Award nomination for his adaptation of The Grifters, Jim Thompson’s noir classic.  

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00D668GSS
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ MysteriousPress.com/Open Road (June 25, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 25, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3282 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 226 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 109 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Tucker Coe

Tucker Coe

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
109 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Fair Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Westlake is a Master
Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2023
Verified Purchase
Always entertaining, Westlake keeps the reader engaged in his plots and characters. Mitchell Robin is a flawed protagonist who you can't help but root for.
Helpful
 Report
Cissa
4.0 out of 5 stars Noir, not funny
Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2019
Verified Purchase
This was written in the 1960s, and so is something of a period piece. No cellphones! No Internet! However did they survive??!!

Still, while technology has changed, human nature has not- and that aspect is fresh and realistic.

A disgraced ex-cop is dragged into a murder investigation because of family. Other aspects are the Generation Gap that was a significant factor at the time, a religious cult, and the perennial issue of who watches the watchers.

The solution is pretty straightforward, but the context and people were interesting.

Not one of Westlake's best, but I enjoyed it.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Greg A. Marshall
5.0 out of 5 stars The Reluctant Detective
Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2021
Verified Purchase
What makes this such a sensational story is that the protagonist is an incredibly flawed character who is struggling to function after life-changing trouble of his own making. A reluctant detective, Mitch Tobin has no desire to be involved in bringing this case to a resolution but presses on despite himself. Society has changed since this book was written, but human nature has not, and this is an interesting tale well told.
Helpful
 Report
Daniel R. Robichaud II
4.0 out of 5 stars Mystery With Guts and Heart
Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2014
Verified Purchase
Donald Westlake is well known for his crime novels. Here is the second in his Mitch Tobin series about a disgraced detective finding himself pulled back into crime investigation, and it's an entertaining, very human read.

Mitch gets pulled into mystery when a young cousin is accused of murder. Her boyfriend has been stabbed to death along with a naked prostitute, and Mitch's niece is bloody and holding the murder weapon. A simple case, right?

Wrong. What follows is a delicious cocktail of murder, corruption, and heart as Mitch tries to put the case to bed. He wants to get back to what's important: building a wall around his backyard to keep people out. This crime stuff is so intrusive...

Westlake was one hell of a storyteller. A Murder Among Children is a fine read.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Jazz Hound
5.0 out of 5 stars Westlake Series
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2019
Verified Purchase
I like Westlake in general and this series in particular. The series lacks much humor and is in that way not very typical; it has at it's heart a flawed and confused protagonist who struggles with his life throughout the series. I was rapidly "hooked" and read the entire series (5 books) in a very short time. His writing is as good as it almost always is.

Don't expect Dortmunder like plots and characters.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK!!!!
Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2017
Verified Purchase
This is an outstanding mystery novel. Tucker Coe is a pseudonym used by Donald E Westlake. The plot, the characters, and the settings are all excellent. The laying out of the mysteries and their solving is exceptionally well done; smart, logical, accurate, and precise.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
M. Buzalka
4.0 out of 5 stars The Kids Are Not Alright
Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2015
Murder Among Children was the second of five Mitch Tobin novels from Tucker Coe (Donald Westlake) and it’s an excellent mystery. Tobin is a former NYPD cop dismissed in disgrace from the force after letting his partner get killed while he was off with a girl instead of on duty. He is embittered and cynical but with a certain internal integrity.

In the first book, he is pulled into helping a mob boss investigate an internal matter (Kinds of Love, Kinds of Death, which is also excellent) in exchange for enough money to allow Tobin some personal financial stability. In Murder Among Children, he is dragged by a relative into dealing with what at first seems just a petty shakedown operation, but which very quickly escalates into multiple murder.

Of especial interest is Westlake’s take on the then-topical issue of the “generation gap,” which pits scruffy anti-authoritarian “hippies” against the “establishment,” especially the police, with Tobin caught in between. Westlake keeps up the suspense throughout and provides a very satisfying and plausible solution, which is basically what one asks for from this type of book.
Helpful
 Report
OldieButGoodie
5.0 out of 5 stars Another Fantastic Read.
Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2015
Verified Purchase
I have most of Donald Westlake's books, whomever he penned as writer (Richard Starke, Donald Westlake, or Tucker Coe). He developed his characters well. The mysteries are suspenseful.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Report an issue

Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report