Sam Acquillo is not the sort of Hampton resident
you read about in the society pages. He's from a working class
family, and is a formerly well-employed engineer. He gave
up his job in a spectacular fashion, and with it went the big
house, the wife who wanted the big house, and a good relationship
with his daughter. He's working on mending the relationship
with his daughter.
Sam moved into the home his father built on land
that is now very valuable. His dog is his best companion,
as Sam is a bit of a loner. He is friendly with
a cop, Joe Sullivan, a tavern keeper, and an attorney, Jackie
Swaitkowski. He might even be considered to be in
a relationship with the woman next door, Amanda, who he
met in the first book in the series.
While waiting to for Jackie at a restaurant,
Sam watches a man play ball with a dog.
When Jackie finally shows up, they are going to eat, when Sam
realizes what bothered him about the happy scene, and pushes
Jackie for cover. His actions save their lives, but not
the other people on the deck. Jackie has injuries which
will require plastic surgery, but is still lucky to be alive,
after the car blew up with the man who had played ball with
his dog still inside.
Sam finds out a bit about Jonathan Eldridge,
and Joe wants Sam
to see if he can
talk to the widow. She's an agoraphobic and not an
easy interview for the police.
Sam reluctantly agrees, and finds all is not what it seems. Though
Eldridge is a financial consultant, he has three very unhappy
clients, one of them his brother.
It doesn't seem that anyone has a real reason for the violent
actions taken, and
Sam starts digging into the business even more.
One night he comes home to find Joe in a
chair in front of his house, stabbed. Sam is sure he
was the intended victim, and this makes him even more determined
to find the truth.
The first book in the series was a strong
debut, and this book proves the skill of the writer is very
real. Sam is a complicated
man, and Knopf takes great pains to make him real. You
understand his motivations, and reactions to the way his life
has turned out. I like the other characters, and the ending
of this book was a surprise. What I really like about this
is that while set in the Hampton's, Paris Hilton won't show up.
