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Matinicus -- An Island Mystery (2012)

by Darcy Scott(Favorite Author)

3.9 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

1936447231 (ISBN13: 9781936447237)

languge

English

genre

Fiction

publisher

Maine Authors Publishing

series

Island Mystery Series

review 1: Wow, Mantinicus is an absolutely must read for anyone who loves a good mystery and characters you can totally relate to. I get that small towns and islanders are a lot alike in that they each know everybody's business and have their own peculiar ways of dealing with things. And Darcy Scott sets the reading stage to perfection. Our protagonist, Gil Hodges, has his flaws, although he is trying to improve himself, drinks a little too much, is an outsider, and he has a consceince, albeit, it is often GUILTY! But he's one of those guys you just gotta love! And he tries to help solve the island murders, but isn't prepared for the island justice that follows. Nor is he prepared for the twisted surprise ending which was awesome. One of the best mysteries this year... more in my humble opinion! It took a bit of reading to get to the hook, but from then on, I couldn't let it go and I'm not one bit regretful of this fascinating story by an excellent story weaver!
review 2: You can do it: List great books from the genre of "creepy island murder mystery with historical geneology subplots." (The Weight of Water, The Shipping News, And Then There Were None, etc.) Now go ahead and add Matinicus to the top of this list! I loved this one best because it doesn't use just one tone to convey the terrifying story--but deftly moved from the expected spine-tingling and somber narrations to downright hilarious internal monologues and ludicrous circumstances. That is to say, the writing knows and loves its subject very well. And, happily, the book doesn't feel clumsy trying to navigate the "from the island" vs. "from the mainland" stream of characters; rather, people just are who they are, apprised on a case-by-case basis. There is also restraint in this story--the author delightfully doesn't feel compelled to connect every dot...Matinicus is that most solitary dot off the coast of Maine--farther out than Monhegan, or Isle au Haut. Far enough out so that a plot can twist into tight sailor's knot upon knot one hazy August, and feel entirely plausible. The main character, a boozing Jeff Bridges look-alike professor of dendrology, is our fantastic guide to all Matinicus wild life. And he's just as lost and admiring as we are.Gorgeous descriptions of island scenes, beautiful historical interweavings, great characters. I will be ordering a paperback version directly from the author's website to give as a non-eReader gift very soon! Looking forward to the next two in this series... Summer is here! less

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