Stephen Santogrossiv A Stranger Lies There

A Stranger Lies There

Stephen Santogrossiv

Dunne, May 28 2007, $24.95

ISBN: 0312364415

In Palm Springs, California, carpenter Tim Ryder steps outside onto his porch to drink his first cup of coffee. However, he does not need caffeine to wake him up as he sees the body of a young man lying on his lawn. Tim asks his wife Deirdre if she recognizes the corpse, but like him she does not.

Tim ponders if his past has caught up to him. Three decades ago back in 1972, Tim went to jail for his role in a bank robbery that he and his college age pals thought was part of a Vietnam protest. The leader of the heist, the much older Turret, spent the most time behind bars as the others gave testimony to reduce their incarceration. Tim learns Turret is free and believes he has begun a terrorist campaign of revenge although he has not been able to figure out how the lad fits into the war as he has no idea who the victim is. Still the carpenter vows to prevent Turret from harming him, Deidre or others as Tim has picked up the gauntlet, but not before death number two occurs.

The winner of the St. Martin's Press/Malice Domestic contest for Best First Traditional Mystery Novel, A STRANGER LIES THERE is an exhilarating amateur sleuth cat and mouse tale. The story line is fast-paced and the characters fully developed especially the reluctant hero and to a degree Deidre whose past also haunts her. Although Stephen Santogrossiv at times passively pontificates the flow instead of allowing the action to move the plot forward, readers will appreciate this tense thriller with a terrific finish.

Harriet Klausner