Daniel Judson The Water's Edge

The Water's Edge

Daniel Judson

St. Martin's, Jun 2008, $24.95

ISBN 9780312352547

Off a Southampton, Long Island bridge hang two severely battered corpses; the victims turn out to be drug couriers, but law enforcement is stymied as someone is providing a warning message to someone else, but the transmitter and receiver remain unknown to the cops.

Former boxer Jake Bechet understands the message is the medium as he used to be a mob enforcer for the merciless Castello family. He is blackmailed into investigating by Castello thugs who threaten his loved ones. At the same time that Bechet deals with'hostages ' , retired private investigator Tommy Miller realizes a former lover is connected to the dead men; the current police chief who replaced Miller's corrupt dad pressures him to investigate, but he planned to anyway. He searches for her to keep her safe with assistance of ex cop Kay Barton. The three sleuths share in common a need to hide from their respective pasts and a chance for redemption by insuring their loved ones are safe.

The nasty weather symbolizes this exhilarating crime thriller as three people who each feel they respectively failed at life find an opportunity to redeem themselves while searching for clues in fog and heavy cold rain that they hope wash away the past. The prime threesome are unique fully developed characters with the intimate knowledge of the Hamptons making those Long Island communities come across as a fourth entity. In twenty fours they will either fail or be redeemed, but keep in mind suspense and twists are throughout and the ending is pure Daniel Judson.

Harriet Klausner