Daniel Judson, The Darkest Place

The Darkest Place

Daniel Judson

St. Martin's, May 2006, $23.95

ISBN 0312352530

With several young males dead, having drowned in near frozen Shinnecock Bay, the Hamptons are in deep shock. Parents grieve, but each wonders what they could have done differently, and what really happened to drive their sons to suicide. Finally, one of them could not accept the official ruling of suicide, as that means their child will not go to heaven, and decides to learn the truth by hiring private investigator Reggie Clay, who they hope will prove that their son did not take his own life.

Reggie begins to uncover proof that a homicide occurred, with the evidence beginning to incriminate Professor Deacon Kane, whose son accidentally drowned several years ago, and he has never fully recovered from it. Deacon realizes that someone is setting him up to take the fall, and though he has not cared since he lost his son, solace coming with alcohol and an affair with a married woman, he refuses to take the hit. He begins to ponder the motive of who would want to frame him; at first he assumes an enemy, but wonders if he is just an easy target to divert suspicions away from the culprit.

The underlying premise to this exciting character driven thriller is how different people cope with the unexpected loss of a loved one. The complex storyline is fast-paced and filled with plausible twists. At the same time fans gain different degrees of insight into the local residents, including the professor, which leads to armchair sleuths wondering if suicide or murder occurred, and if the latter did it. Daniel Judson provides a strong mystery.