Synopses & Reviews
In the small town of Amagansett, perched on Long Island's windswept coast, generations have followed the same calling as their forefathers, fishing the dangerous Atlantic waters. Little has changed in the three centuries since white settlers drove the Montaukett Indians from the land. But for Conrad Labarde, a second-generation Basque immigrant recently returned from the Second World War, and his fellow fisherman Rollo Kemp, this stability is shattered when a beautiful New York socialite turns up dead in their nets.
On the face of it, her death was accidental, but deputy police chief Tom Hollis - an incomer from New York - is convinced the truth lies in the intricate histories and family secrets of Amagansett's inhabitants. Meanwhile the enigmatic Labarde is pursuing his own investigation.
Review
"When a literary thriller succeeds beyond genre, it's often because the book's sense of place gives it extra depth. So it is in this striking first novel....This is a novel to savor..." Booklist (Starred Review)
Review
"Strong debut melodrama, solid as granite, not a cliche in sight....Sea, sky, tossing waves, curling whitecaps, foam, rowboats cutting through a wild unrest (as Whitman puts it) not to mention high humor and heartfelt sex." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Screenwriter Mills's debut novel is a taut, suspenseful drama filled with well-crafted characters and wonderful descriptions of Long Island. Its solid plot and tantalizing subject matter will win over many readers; highly recommended." Library Journal
Review
"Mills' clean, spare prose brings his Greek tragedy to life quickly and suggestively." Chicago Tribune
Review
"While retaining some of the key components of a mystery...[Mills] stuffs his book's supple center with hypertestosteroned subplots in a bid to reach beyond the genre for something grander." Liesl Schillinger, The New York Times Book Review
Review
"A remarkable first novel...Written with all the wit, lyric language and slow character development one would search for in the literary fiction department, the book is as rich in time frame and location as any you'd find in the best historical fiction." Los Angeles Times
Review
"[W]onderfully 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." BookReporter.com
Synopsis
As sweeping and haunting as the landscape of sky and sea that is its backdrop, Amagansett skillfully weaves a delicate love story, a brutal murder mystery, and unforgettable evocation of a place and time, and characters shaped by epic forces of nature, class, war, and memory.
Synopsis
When a first-generation Basque fisherman pulls in the body of a beautiful young woman, his close-knit Long Island community will be irrevocably changed. As sweeping and haunting as its backdrop, Amagansett is an unforgettable evocation of life's epic forces.
About the Author
Mark Mills is a screenwriter whose credits include the script for The Reckoning.