Mystery Book Reviews

Book Review: High Season

By Sandy Amazeen Sep 10, 2007, 21:27 GMT

Thanks to his uncle’s nefarious activities, Sheriff Frank Coffin finds himself relegated to a cramped basement office but after the horrors he witnessed as a detective with the Baltimore police department, the quiet beat of hometown Provincetown, Massachusetts suits him just fine. Coffin’s old junker car is perpetually on its last gasp, his mother is becoming increasingly difficult to deal with due to Alzheimer’s and now his yoga instructor girlfriend has decided she wants a baby. These pressing problems take a back seat when a visiting TV evangelist is discovered dead on the gay beach, dressed in full drag. As the victim was outspokenly anti-homosexual, the circumstances of his murder bring a flurry of media attention to Provincetown along with the state police who take over the investigation. Against his better judgment, Coffin is convinced to undertake his own clandestine murder investigation and what he discovers amidst a growing body count puts him at odds with developers and next in line for murder.

A fun mystery that makes use of several interesting little subplots to maintain a brisk pace and although fans of the genre will likely figure out who is the main antagonist well before the end, don’t let this minor point deter you from diving into a well crafted tale. The observations that come from living in a small town dependant upon the love/hate relationship with seasonal tourists is right on the mark as are the assorted issues that come with small town politics and maturing relationships.