Saturday, September 8, 2012

Review - The Friday Harbor Murders

Title: The Friday Harbor Murders
Author: Dolores Weeks
Publisher: Dodd, Mead & Company; 1st edition (September 1988)
Format: Hardcover; Pgs 168
Genre: Mild Suspense
Source: Library
Series: Book #2, but I am not sure of the series name

I love reading slightly older books. This particular book was written back in the day, 1988 to be precise, when the Raiders football team was still in Los Angeles and writers were not hung up on politically correct terminology, or putting a “tape” into the player for a quiet evening home was not unheard of. A time where the plot and not some tomfoolery was what kept you flipping through the pages. Now I am sure that people from the 80’s could say that about books written in the 50’s, but for now, this foray into an older “suspense” book is a fun.

Dr. Scott Eason, a Seattle surgeon, has come back to his vacation home in the San Juan Islands. A little peace and quiet to unwind and figure out where his relationship with Erin is going. Out of the blue, Senator Spencer Manning, an old friend from their younger island days has invited himself to stay with Scott. This is not going to be an easy meeting for either since the senator has voted to reduce the catch totals for the local commercial fishermen and now, one by one, the anglers are showing up dead.

Upon arriving on the island, this is anything but a safe refuge for Senator Manning. The Senator is the newest victim of these brutal assaults. The obvious suspect turns into a victim himself, therefore, leaving the reader to reevaluate who is behind the murder attempts. Who has the ability to build bombs under the nose of a security team?

The real question is who is the true perpetrator – the angry fishermen or someone much closer to home? When the final body is found, fingers are pointed in many directions, but there is only one person who hated the man enough to do this.

This is a small book, only one hundred and sixty eight pages, but the writing and descriptions just drew me in. Since the book has been out of publication for a while, it might be hard to come across, but if you are fortunate enough to have a library copy available, check it out.

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