One night in August 1930, newly appointed judge and prominent Manhattanite Joseph Force Crater suddenly vanished after hailing a taxi on Broadway. Finding Judge Crater (Syracuse University Press) delves into the mystery that followed: a decades-long manhunt to find the missing judge, which has — to this day — remained fruitless. Drawing on overlooked evidence, including police files and legal records, Riegel proposes a solution to the mystery of Crater’s disappearance and the accompanying transformation of Jazz Age New York City into a modern-day metropolis.