Amagansett

1947. East Hampton, NY. Conrad Labarde, a Basque immigrant fisherman, finds a dead woman in his seine. Another drowning? But Lillian Wallace swam every day. Her room wasn't slept in, but the toilet seat's up. And why was she wearing pearl earrings? She never wore them when she swam. What's wrong here? So begins a mystery unique, deep and textured. Conrad and Tom Hollis, Deputy Chief, are unlikely allies, but they appear to be the only ones who think the tragic drowning of Lillian Wallace may have been something more than a sad but not uncommon summer's misadventure. And they're both loners; they don't know or trust each other. So why are they being pressured to leave the death alone? Hollis hates his job and wants to split. Conrad is just surviving. He's a war hero coping with trauma: family sadness, the loss of love, and post-trauma stress disorder. What do these men have in common? Only a sense that something's wrong with the Lillian Wallace picture, and it must be made right. The smell of money pollutes the air. Blue fins run. Mark Mills has written a stellar novel: more than a mystery, literary, but going someplace. Just don't ask me to pronounce the title. Mills' descriptions of the deceptive seas, the fine points of commercial fishing, and the struggles of local fishing families living like crabs in the bolt-holes, pockets and hard-up interiors of the developing post-war East Hampton are full and textured. East Hampton is both a sea-based rural community, where life is hard and values are simple and well-learned, and a playground for the rich and powerful, where rules bend under the weight of money. How does the murder of Lillian Wallace span this expanding culture chasm? You won't soon be lending "Amagansett."

The author, Mark Mills, has created a literary masterpiece. The reader is drawn into the pictures Mr. Mills has created with his sweeping descriptions of the places and the time. It is a mystery but ever so much more. His characters come to life slowly but you come to feel you would recognize them if you passed them on the street. I am sad that this is his first book and that means I will have to wait for the next Mark Mills book. This book will stay on my book shelf because I am sure I will want to revisit Amagansett, again.

Amagansett is a terrific thriller/mystery. It is a well-told story that begins with a body of beautiful young woman washing up on the shore of Long Island in the town of Amagansett several years after World War II. The story intertwines the lives of the fishermen who find the body, the detective investigating the death and the woman herself. Was she murdered, or was this just an unfortunate drowning? There are many surprises in this novel that the reader will discover in various parts of the novel. This is a fun, engrossing read--one you could read in one sitting if you have a couple hours to kill. People magazine was not wrong in recommending this one. Enjoy.

I picked up a copy of this book on a whim, and all I can say is WOW! The story centers around the conflict between a a powerful and enfluential Long Island family and a Basque firsherman after a mysterious drowning. The story begins when the Firsherman hauls in a womans body in his fishing net - the body of a woman connected to the powerful local family (I won't give away any more but you can imagine the possibilities). The writing is smart and the author does a great job of recreating the period prior two World War Two. This is a great first effort in the Mystery genre.

I walked into Barnes and Noble and requested a book I saw reviewed in People. It sounded fascinating, but it had a strange name I couldn't remember or pronounce. The bookseller said several people had asked for it, but nobody could remember the title, a "wierd Indian name," as she stated. Luckily, People magazine was there, and we figured it out from that. I'm glad I persevered - it is a beautifully written debut novel. It centers around the murder of a young, beautiful high society woman, Lillian Wallace, whose body was found by shell-shocked veteran and fisherman Conrad Labarde. As detective Tom Hollis delves into the mystery, he discovers a web of deceit involving the highest society on Long island, which ensnares members of two groups at conflict with each other, the fishermen and the high society, and resurrects lies going back years before to an unsolved murder of a young girl. Each intricate discovery brings a new surprise, and the climax is chilling and satisfying. The author also skillfully weaves in the mood and events of the times; prohibition, World War II and the crumbling of the classes. The characters are wonderfully drawn, and both the detective Hollis and the fisherman Conrad are sympathetically and intriguingly portrayed as Conrad draws Hollis into the mystery and uses Hollis' skills to achieve a brilliant resolution. The lingering effects of war upon a veteran are senstively shown. Finally, the cross-class romance is believable since it contains none of the usual tired stereotypes, but instead is an honest love between two people struggling with their pasts. This is a mystery far above the norm, and I would strongly recommend it. I look forward to Mark Mills' next book.