The Fisher Boy: A Mark Winslow Mystery

Boston comic Mark has arrived to Provincetown with a group of fellow actors ready to break into the town's club circuit - but when he gets into a public fight with a famous local and becomes the prime suspect when the lawyer is murdered, Mark finds himself reluctantly drawn into the role of an investigator to clear his name. A tense thriller evolves, perfect for mystery collections.

Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (6/08) Things start getting strange in Provincetown when a former fellow prep-schoolmate, sometimes nemesis, of Mark Winslow is murdered. To further complicate matters, they had a public disagreement prior to his death. Mark is the last person seen with Ian on the day of his murder. He also accidentally stumbled on Ian's body shortly after his murder. Panicking that he will be accused of the crime, Mark runs away and keeps his knowledge of Ian's death a secret. Under the surface there are other unusual incidents happening at the Cape. The town seems to be inundated with filthy young adults who appear to be affiliated with a mysterious local cult. These characters panhandle and shoplift. They tell everyone that they are from Scandinavia, yet they have no accents. When a little girl who is very special to Mark is kidnapped, he believes that the cult is involved and makes every effort to infiltrate it and gather information about both the kidnapping and the murder. The cult is aware of Mark's attempts; they do what they can to thwart him. Meanwhile, Mark is also dealing with trying to develop a relationship with his love interest Roberto. Roberto does not make it very easy for him. Mark also discovers answers about who his father is, and this knowledge has a direct bearing on everything that is going on around him. Much of the novel revolves around Mark trying to find answers about a famous local artist who disappeared over eighty-years ago. He ran a commune on land that this new cult is occupying. When a famous painting, called The Fisher Boy, is slashed by one of the cult people, at the museum, Mark suspects that there is a connection between the two groups. He also works hard on discovering answers about his paternity. I found "The Fisher Boy" to be fascinating. Stephen Anable has a creative touch that makes this novel stand out well above others. His development of the characters brings them alive on the pages and makes them seem very realistic. He also does a great job with describing the cult and their activities. What they have going on is very unusual and makes for a great read. This is a wonderful novel that is sure to keep you guessing.

For a writer who has spent much of his professional life writing business related articles Boston born Stephen Anable certainly knows how to spin a suspenseful tale as is illustrated in his debut novel, The Fisher Boy. Province town, near Cape Cod is the setting Anable chose, as it is a place he knows well having spent many summers there. Thus, his story is filled with authentic sights, sounds and, yes, even aromas, that typify that area. He also wisely created characters familiar to him as he once was an actor, and a stand-up comic. We may wonder just how much of the author we find in protagonist Mark Winslow who has brought an acting troupe to Province town, wanting to become a part of he summer club scene. Nonetheless, you know what is said about best laid plans. A prelude of dark days to come is the body of a dead dog left on a doorstep. It's not long before Ian Drummond's body is found with his throat slashed. Ian is an old school friend of Mark's and they recently had a disagreement that escalated into a fight. Our wannabe entertainer suddenly finds himself the prime suspect in a murder case. Only alternative seems to be for Mark to find the actual murderer. There is quite a trail for him to follow as it involves some of the bluest bloods in Boston, a weird homophobic sect, and a famous painting. Trying to tie all of this together is enough of a chore for Mark without the unique clique of characters who may or may not have some bearing on the killing. Anable has crafted a compelling picture of a summer resort rife with skullduggery and secrets. Audiophile Earphones Award winning actor Paul Michael Garcia brings all of this to life with his skillful narration. His classical training in theatre stands him in good stead as he adroitly voices a disparate cast of characters. An acclaimed performer at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, his voice is resonant, distinct, as he shapes and enunciates his narrative with appropriate shades of meaning. - Gail Cooke

Mark Winslow and his improv actors group leave Boston to perform in Provincetown. His summer stay starts upbeat over the Memorial Weekend when he attends a party thrown by his friend Arthur Hilliard; Mark anticipates meeting club owners as everyone who is anyone wants to be seen at this scene. However, everything turns bloody ugly starting with the dead dog on the outside stoop; or perhaps as Mark suggests before that canine incident the Swedish tall ship the Vasa in the harbor was the harbinger of death. When Mark has an argument with Ian Drummond at a restaurant, he thinks nothing of it until later when he finds the brutalized corpse of Ian. Knowing he is the prime suspect in the killing of a Boston Brahmin, Mark investigates while noticing an influx of Scandinavian tourists but clues hint at the Christian Soldiers in town for the exhibition of the early twentieth century work of artist Thomas Royall. More a witty social commentary on life in Provincetown, THE FISHER BOY is an entertaining amateur sleuth tale although the detecting takes a back seat to Mark's observations on life in the Cape during that fatal summer. The story line is character driven by Mark who seeks motive through his observations on the various diverse groups battling for supremacy of the Cape Cod town. Readers will appreciate this fine whodunit that is more a deep look at the discordance of diversity. Harriet Klausner

When a well-known member of gay society in the summer enclave of Provincetown is the apparent target of a hate crime, locals are quick to blame it on a new (and homophobic) "Christian Right" group operating out of a downtown storefront near the harbor. But the subsequent brutal murder of another gay A-lister a few weeks later causes the entire population, gay and straight alike, to wonder if this seemingly harmless propaganda group would go that far, or if it could be connected to a group of dirty, disrespectful hippie-like panhandlers who were rumored to be connected to a Scandinavian ship archored off the harbor, or maybe - they eventually considered - it could be one of their own. In this atmosphere of confusion and suspicion we find Mark Winslow, a gay man who recently left his respectable day job and is in P-Town to try to get some gigs for his amateur comic troupe. With his hunky comic partner Roberto, his good friend Miriam and her young daughter, Chloe, and older friend Arthur (whose party was the target of the first incident), Mark angers the slow-acting local police by doing some investigating of his own, checking out Arthur's former houseboy, the conniving and devious Edward, and stumbling upon a mysterious clan in a nearby town, which could be the source of the panhandlers and a lot of other unanswered questions about what they are doing there, as well as what connection they might have to an early 20th Century painter, whose work "The Fisher Boy" - a personal favorite of Mark's - was the recent target of vandalism by a madman spouting Christian rhetoric. An intricate but impeccably-woven and beautifully styled masterpiece of a mystery novel, revealing hidden town and family secrets that would later have relevance to solving the crimes. Loved it from the first page, a definite five stars out of five!