Knopf, Chris TWO TIME, Permanent Press (262pp.),
$26, June 30, ISBN 1-57962-129-5
Southampton engineer-turned-carpenter Sam Acquillo (The Last
Refuge, 2005) is still trying to lead a quiet life, but his
plans run headlong
into a murder to which he’s a witness, and almost a collateral
casualty.
On most afternoons, the most interesting things to do on the
balcony of the Windsong Restaurant are to watch the sunset, sip
vodka,
listen to other people’s small talk, and wait for Jackie
Swaitkowski, attorney at law. But the day that investment advisor
Jonathan Eldridge happens by isn’t an ordinary day. Shortly
after making a call with his cell phone (an important clue, as
Sam realizes), he’s incinerated in his car by a hefty dose
of CA. The blast is so powerful that it claims six other victims,
fortunately not including Sam and the late-arriving Jackie. Although
she’s escaped the morgue, Jackie’s clearly in for
multiple sessions under the surgeon’s knife. So Sam, not
satisfied with saving her life, decides to avenge the bombing
by calling
on Jonathan’s agoraphobic widow Appolonia and getting her
to hire him, nominally to appraise Jonathan’s investment
practice, but really to learn who closed it out. The ensuing
mystery is meaty and inventive, though fans of Sherlock Holmes
should beat
Sam to the solution.
Sam’s more subdued than in his striking
debut, but the suspects who compete for your attention take up
the slack. Knopf has a real
knack for creating interesting people and putting them through
their paces.
