HardScape

Benjamin Abbott returns to his hometown to save his family's recession-battered real estate business, never dreaming that things are about the heat up in picturesque Newbury, Connecticut. Broke and looking for some excitement, Ben takes a job videotaping the adulterous goings-on in a bedroom in Jack and Rita Long's "castle." But he doesn't bargain on becoming embroiled in the murder of Rita Long's friend. A second murder closer to home propels Ben to embark on a new career as a neophyte detective and leads him to encounter answers that will put him in mortal danger.

Ben Abbott, just returned to his small Connecticut hometown, is hired by a New York City private eye to videotape the activities in newcomer Rita Long's bedroom--where the ravishing Rita cheats on her husband. But murder wasn't part of the deal. And now Ben is embroiled in a mystery that will take a decidedly sinister turn.

Benjamin Abbott returns to his hometown to save his family's recession-battered real estate business, never dreaming that things are about the heat up in picturesque Newbury, Connecticut. Broke and looking for some excitement, Ben takes a job videotaping the adulterous goings-on in a bedroom in Jack and Rita Long's "castle." But he doesn't bargain on becoming embroiled in the murder of Rita Long's friend. A second murder closer to home propels Ben to embark on a new career as a neophyte detective and leads him to encounter answers that will put him in mortal danger.

Publishers Weekly

Crackling with energy, this double-barreled mystery from the author of Many Happy Returns auspiciously launches an appealing new hero lightly brushed with sleaze. Benjamin Abbot III, a former investigator for Naval Intelligence and a Wall Street bond trader who served time for insider dealing, now runs the family real estate agency in his upscale hometown of Newbury, Conn. A New York City PI working for wealthy businessman Jack Long, who owns a weekend estate in Newbury, offers Ben $5000 to videotape Jack's artist wife Rita with her lover. Ben, who wants to winterize his barn, uneasily accepts. Midway through the job, however, his conscience wins out and he destroys the tape. The next day, the lover is found murdered on the Long's property and Rita is arrested. That evening, the body of Ben's reputable cousin Renny is discovered in a small plane, shot through the head and sprinkled with cocaine. Are the murders connected? Rita hires Ben to find her lover's killer, retaining him even after he tells her about the taping. As the decent--and not so nice--citizens of Newbury, who have lifted gossip to a new art form, talk about the crime, Ben picks up key information from an unlikely source. This is a tightly knit, continually engrossing mystery, with a warm-hearted sleuth who deftly blends skills gleaned from prep school, Wall street and Leavenworth. (Feb.)

Justin Scott is the author of twenty-two novels. He has been called the Dick Francis of yachting. In his other life as a mystery writer, he created the Ben Abbott detective series and was twice nominated for the Edgar Allan Poe Award. He holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in American history. He lives in Connecticut with his wife, the filmmaker Amber Edwards.