Russell Andrews, Midas

Russell Andrews, Midas - Bordering on the wealthier side of the Hamptons, East End Harbor has become an in-spot for the rich. However, the idyllic Long Island beach community is shattered when Bashas Shabaan enters Harper's Restaurant during the lunch hour with a briefcase filled with explosives, killing everyone inside. Among the dead is Sheriff Jimmy Leggett. His grieving widow Marjorie demands new Sheriff Justin Westwood learn who was really behind what authorities concluded was a suicide bombing.

A small plane departs from East End Airport. Almost immediately the plane crashes killing the pilot. Justin feels quickly out of his element when the pilot has no identification and eerily left no fingerprints on the debris. Although everyone screams vengeance on the Middle East for the Harper's tragedy, the new Sheriff sees a weak link between that and the plane, which implies ties to DC. His theory is further fostered when two more restaurants are blown up by suicide bombers made to look conveniently, at least to him, like foreign terrorists did the deed.

This is a terrific police procedural (unless you are a die-hard supporter of Bush's corporate state) that at times reads more like a thriller than an investigative tale. The Guantanamo Bay segue is frightening as Russell Andrews paints quite a rendition of what might be happening there. Justin is a fabulous investigator who has a tragic personal history, filled with doubts that he knows what he is doing and becomes unsettled when he bumps up against federal laws that prevent his efforts to learn the truth. Although over the top with its warnings about corporate conspiracy, fans of action-packed tales will appreciate this exhilarating novel.

Mysterious, Mar 2005, $24.95

ISBN: 0892967919

Harriet Klausner