Whirlpool/a Mystery

Rating:
Summary: Devious characters and a complex plot
Review: Estabrook's 1995 mystery takes place in trout country, in the Adirondacks in upstate New York. State cop Garwood Plunkett is suspicious of the "accidental" drowning death of real estate tycoon Barron Quinnell.

Unfortunately, his prime suspect is the widow, Percy Quinnell, who also happens to be Plunkett's first love. Percy originally left Plunkett for the much richer Quinnell and he's never gotten over it.

Then a truck accident leads to a fish-killing chemical spill. Plunkett is assigned to find the source of the chemicals and soon finds his official and unofficial investigations dove-tailing. Meanwhile, Percy, faced with losing her husband's business, has hatched a plan of her own, a pyramid stock scheme which has to involve Plunkett.

In grand caper style, everyone is using everyone else and the doublecrossers are being doublecrossed - and sometimes murdered. Estabrook manages to keep all his balls in the air and turns some sophisticated tricks in his small-town setting. Lots of fun with a dizzyingly twisting finish.

Rating:
Summary: Absorbing, unforgettable murder mystery.
Review: This is a beautifully written book that I couldn't put down. Reading it is like watching a movie: you get swept along and totally absorbed. Escapist literature to the Nth degree. Open the cover and you're transported out of your world. Fascinating juxtaposition of wilderness vs. inner city. The details ring true.