Amagansett (Thorndike Press Large Print Americana Series)

Rating:
Summary: The Summer of '47
Review: "Amagansett", Mark Mills' first novel, is a thoughtful and intelligent, if unusual, murder mystery. Set in the post-World War south fork of Long Island, it is the tale of Conrad Labarde, a Basque immigrant fisherman who hauls a dead girl from the surf in his fishing nets. The dead girl, Lillian Wallace, is a member of the New York aristocracy who "summer" on Hampton's beaches. As Mills patiently unwinds the story, we learn that the stoic Labarde is a highly decorated war hero, having served in a secretive commando team in the European theatre. But this is but one of the secrets that gradually materialize in the rigid demarcations between Amagansett's opposing social strata's.

At times slow moving, rambling in others, "Amagansett" is nonetheless beautifully written and carefully researched. If you appreciate a bit of history as well as some education in your fiction, you'll find both in this largely overlooked period between WWII and the Cold War, and the somewhat obscure and forgotten dunes and fishing towns of Long Island. The characters, if somewhat stereotyped, have depth and hold interest, especially in the vivid portrait of the virtually extinct culture of east coast shore fishermen. The standard clichés of the evil rich and the noble poor threaten at times to overpower the story, but Mills atones with a climax that is genuinely thrilling and features a few unexpected twists. All things considered, this complex and elegant novel is an impressive debut; I suspect we'll be hearing much more of Mark Mills.


Rating:
Summary: A Great Thriller
Review: Amagansett is a terrific thriller/mystery. It is a well-told story that begins with a body of beautiful young woman washing up on the shore of Long Island in the town of Amagansett several years after World War II. The story intertwines the lives of the fishermen who find the body, the detective investigating the death and the woman herself. Was she murdered, or was this just an unfortunate drowning? There are many surprises in this novel that the reader will discover in various parts of the novel. This is a fun, engrossing read--one you could read in one sitting if you have a couple hours to kill. People magazine was not wrong in recommending this one. Enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: Superb!
Review: Amagansett is not your average murder mystery. It is instead a wonderfully nuanced period novel filled with sharply drawn characters, one of which happens to have been murdered. Mills's debut is evocative of pre-Nuevo Riche, post-traumatic stress era eastern Suffolk County, New York; a more remote and yet unblemished strip of sand and rocky shoreline. The local history is rich with tales of whaling families and native lore. The story is nicely paced and the ending is not compromised. I would recommend this book to anyone remotely interested in engaging, nautical-tinged literature or who simply seeks a transporting summery read. Mills is one new writer I curiously await to hear from again

Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully descriptive and cleverly plotted
Review: Conrad Labarde, a Basque fisherman transplanted to the shores of Amagansett, knows there's something strange about the weight in the net that he and his partner Rollo are pulling from the deep. Little did they suspect that it would be the body of a beautiful young socialite. Deputy Chief Tom Hollis, like Labarde, is not a native of the fishing village, but a policeman who has come from New York and the scandal that ruined his career. His wife has left him, and his only real friend is the uncannily talented town photographer, Abel Cole. His boss wants him to leave things well enough alone, do a brief investigation for paperwork purposes, and move on to his other responsibilities.

Hollis, who used to solve murders as part of his job, is suspicious of the entire situation. Nothing adds up. Lillian Wallace seemed content to live in her family's house in Amagansett, away from the big city. She was a sweet and pleasant girl who did nothing that would make someone want to kill her. The way her family seems to be reacting to the tragedy also puts him on edge. Hollis and Labarde sort of work together to solve the crime, though Hollis doesn't realize the extent of Labarde's help until later.

AMAGANSETT is much more than a mystery. It is a portrait of post-war America, when people are still recovering from the losses they've endured and the horrors they've witnessed. We don't just learn about the things we need to know in order to solve the mystery; we also learn a great deal about the deep running waters of fishing tradition and the difficulties these men face trying to find the right catch, as they fight with sport fishermen who want restrictions placed on those who are trying to earn a living. There are several instances where we witness the adventure and the almost preternatural instincts these people have. While on a trip, Conrad goes swordfish hunting with some powerful political people. The hunt is both beautiful and terrible, and the trap that he unleashes on an unsuspecting man is terribly clever. We learn a lot about both men's histories --- Conrad, whose path to this place took him through New York, where his father met a man of devious means, and Hollis, who misses the thrill of real police work.

There's also a neat pair of love stories embroidered very slightly throughout that, in contrast against each other, do much to add to the flavor of the book.

AMAGANSETT is wonderfully descriptive and cleverly plotted. I enjoyed Labarde as he maneuvered everything into place. You gain a great deal of respect for him, but also for Hollis, who puts together the pieces of the puzzle well.

--- Reviewed by Cindy Lynn Speer ([e-mail])

Rating:
Summary: Good first try
Review: I am sorry to say that I did not enjoy Amagansett as much as some of the other reviewers did. The story took off very slowly and it took about 100 pages to really get interesting and then it ended too fast. If Mark Mills would have just stuck to the murder mystery I believe that I would have given the novel a higher rating but there was a story within a story going on that was just plain uninteresting.



Rating:
Summary: A good read with some minor flaws.
Review: I enjoyed this book a lot. It's a short read with good pacing that can easily be wrapped up in a weekend. The story is mostly told following the two main characters, interspersing flashbacks from the past to develop the history of the major players. For the most part, the characters are well-crafted and believable.

While having no knowledge of fishing, I was not at all turned off by the fishing stories and jargon. In fact, I found the setting in this fishing community to be one of the most charming elements of the book.

My major complaint is one shared by an earlier reviewer that commented that the book lacked focus. It seems a number of peripheral characters and plotlines are introduced without really advancing the plot. Fortunately these bits are still interesting enough to not bog down the story, but it almost seems as if the book was meant to be a longer, more involved tale that got whittled down without adequate thought.

That being said, I still recommend the book and look forward to any further works by this author.

Rating:
Summary: Good Story - Needed Focus
Review: Mr. Mills is a good writer and the plot line to this book was good. However, it needed focus - or one hundred fewer pages.

The story surrounds the drowning/murder of a society debuttante on the beach in the Hamptons on Long Island. What looks to be an obvious drowning does not satisfy the deputy chief (who is chasing his own demons) nor the fisherman who found the body. They go off on their search for the truth independently of each other.

The fisherman is an excellent character. The deputy chief only okay. I could never quite figure him out - his downfalls from before or his motivations currently. They never added up to a believable persona. The supporting characters are all good.

What detracted from this book are the constant reflections. Those that had something to do with the primary characters added to the book. Unfortunately, many did not move the book along at all and became somewhat tedious distractions. At times, I felt as if the author had spent years researching the history and culture of eastern Long Island and wanted to use it all in this novel.

Another positive of the book is that it did not fall into the trap of being a voice of the age-old conflict of rich summer folk vs poor year-rounders which it easily could have done. Mr. Mills recognized the different cultures without slamming them over the head of the reader.

The book was good enough that if Mr. Mills writes another novel I would probably pick it up.

Rating:
Summary: Hard to review
Review: This book is a first for me. I generally read about a book a week always giving a book about 100-150 pages before I determine "it's not my cup of tea". Once I put a book down, I never pick it back up...till this one.

This book took me a month to get through. I'd put it down deciding not to read it any longer, then find myself thinking "Gee, I wonder what happens.."..and pick it up. This same scenario occurred several times reading this book.

I decided to read this book based on good reviews on this site and was mostly swayed to read it because I am a native Long Islander (where this story takes place) and have heard the old fishing stories most of my life...so I was intrigued.

This book is about alot more than fishing. It's written beautifully and I'd have to perhaps fault myself in that being a "thriller" kind of reader, I "expect" things to move quickly.
This book does not. It kind of unravels things at its own pace.

I do not regret having read the book, nor do I feel it was a waste of my time, yet, I have a hard time screaming it's praises and say that "you HAVE to read this book".

It IS a well written story about characters who survive a war, the sea and their relationships. It IS NOT quick moving, heart wrenching, or especially surprising.

My opinion for what it's worth.

Rating:
Summary: I couldn't put it down.
Review: Very good storystelling, character development. I passed it on to my 80 year old father who was also gripped by the story.