The Hampton Connection

So often, murder mysteries aren't all that mysterious; in fact, they quickly become predictable. This is not so when Vince Lardo is the author. I am one of his greatest fans and I especially like the fact that in his "Hamptons" series, the reader never knows where the story is going.Mr. Lardo has an amazing eye for detail. As a resident of East Hampton, the town about which he writes, I can say that he gets things right. He doesn't miss a trick, making one of his books as good as a week's vacation in these parts.The way he moves among narrators is excellent, developing his stories from different characters' points of view, and staying with each of their voices. There is a stillness to THE HAMPTONS CONNECTION, a pervasive sense of foreboding.Mr. Lardo also took over the "Archy McNally" mysteries, set in Palm Beach, when their creator died. These books are great fun, maybe even more fun than the Hamptons series. The Archy books are meant to be as frothy as champagne and so they are. The Hamptons novels are far more compelling, and they stay in a reader's memory in the same way in which a fine red wine does.Depending on one's mood, Vincent Lardo is an author for all seasons.

I became aware of Vincent Lardo's writting when he took over for the deceased Lawrence Sanders and picked up the "Archie McNally" series. What I discovered was one of the genre greats and was truly gratifide by the way he continued the adventures of our beloved Archie without missing a beat. Being a long time Sanders fan I clenched my teeth with the words, "my God he's doing it even better". So I was not surprised when I read Mr. Lardo's first offering "The Hampton Affair" and thoroughly enjoyed it. With his new book, "The Hampton Connection" Lardo has out done himself. I simply could not put it down. Being a New Yorker and having spent some time in the Hamptons made it even more enjoyable. His characters are the real deal and if this kind of caper isn't actually happening there now then I'm sure it has in the past.

Lardo's second Hampton mystery is as good as his first, THE HAMPTON AFFAIR, and in some ways better. I speak of the locked cottage mystery which keeps you guessing not only who done it but how it was done. The rich and handsome Michael Reo is back, as is Detective Eddy Evans and his girl, Helen. Added to these regulars we have Lieutenant Christopher Oliveri (Eddy's boss), Paul Monroe, the underwear model whose posters are famous, some say infamous, Bill Ryan, the Montauk fisherman turned actor, his girl Lisa, and a grand and gaudy cast of East Hampton summer folks to keep you turning pages. Cocaine smugglers, a locked room murder, glitzy parties and gossip make it the summer read of the year. Lardo knows the Hamptons and tells all...well, almost all. A great read.

Vincent Lardo's latest edition of the grisly side of the glitzy Hamptons had me on the edge of my seat. I hoped to enjoy this whodunit on the beach in the Hamptons this summer, but I just couldn't help myself. Lardo's familiarity with Long Island's East End, and its opulent inhabitants, adds a "richness" that makes the story even more inviting. The plot brings the reader through and to all the places that make the Hamptons such great fodder for the "Jockstrap Murders" of the world.BRAVO!

While his roommates are performing at East Hampton, Long Island's John Drew Theater, Freddy Parc model Paul Monroe returns home to find a corpse on his bed. Paul tells the police he never saw the victim, Heather Ryan before he found her dead. The media has a field day with the homicide, dubbing it the "jockstrap murder" because of the apparent murder weapon. Producer Michael Reo worries that his plans to star Paul in a film involving the last major Hampton murder is near collapse. The police suspect the underwear guru of the crime because of the locked room, in this case cottage, phenomena. Instead of seeking a new actor, Michael decides to prove that the infamous model is innocent. However, he never expected to uncover the mess he finds.THE HAMPTON CONNECTION is an entertaining police procedural-amateur sleuth tale that provides an insider look at the playground of the rich and famous. The story line works because of the puzzling, but apropos clues associated with the case. Although the police at time seem to lack credibility, Vincent Lardo shows he knows his stuff both, mystery and locale wise.Harriet Klausner