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A Merry Folger Nantucket Mystery #2
Death in Rough Water
Fresh from her first murder case, Nantucket detective Merry Folger is unwillingly sucked into her second.
When Joe Duarte, a fishing boat captain with decades of experience on the wild seas off Nantucket, is swept overboard during a spring storm, his death is pronounced accidental. But his estranged daughter, Del, is convinced it’s murder. She moves back to Nantucket to get closer to the truth, and enlists her old friend, detective Merry Folger, to help. But Del is also hiding secrets of her own, and the police are not inclined to help her with what they see as a wild goose chase. Merry has to defy her boss—her father—in order to investigate.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
When Joe Duarte, a fishing boat captain with decades of experience on the wild seas off Nantucket, is swept overboard during a spring storm, his death is pronounced accidental. But his estranged daughter, Del, is convinced it’s murder. She moves back to Nantucket to get closer to the truth, and enlists her old friend, detective Merry Folger, to help. But Del is also hiding secrets of her own, and the police are not inclined to help her with what they see as a wild goose chase. Merry has to defy her boss—her father—in order to investigate.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
288 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1995
272 people are currently reading
345 people want to read
About the author
Francine Mathews
27 books313 followersFrancine Mathews was born in Binghamton, NY in 1963, the last of six girls. Her father was a retired general in the Air Force, her mother a beautiful woman who loved to dance. The family spent their summers on Cape Cod, where two of the Barron girls now live with their families; Francine's passion for Nantucket and the New England shoreline dates from her earliest memories. She grew up in Washington, D.C., and attended Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School, a two hundred year-old Catholic school for girls that shares a wall with Georgetown University. Her father died of a heart attack during her freshman year.
In 1981, she started college at Princeton – one of the most formative experiences of her life. There she fenced for the club varsity team and learned to write news stories for The Daily Princetonian – a hobby that led to two part-time jobs as a journalist for The Miami Herald and The San Jose Mercury News. Francine majored in European History, studying Napoleonic France, and won an Arthur W. Mellon Foundation Fellowship in the Humanities in her senior year. But the course she remembers most vividly from her time at Princeton is "The Literature of Fact," taught by John McPhee, the Pulitzer Prize winning author and staff writer for The New Yorker. John influenced Francine's writing more than even she knows and certainly more than she is able to say.
Francine spent three years at Stanford pursuing a doctorate in history; she failed to write her dissertation (on the Brazilian Bar Association under authoritarianism; can you blame her?) and left with a Masters. She applied to the CIA, spent a year temping in Northern Virginia while the FBI asked inconvenient questions of everyone she had ever known, passed a polygraph test on her twenty-sixth birthday, and was immediately thrown into the Career Trainee program: Boot Camp for the Agency's Best and Brightest. Four years as an intelligence analyst at the CIA were profoundly fulfilling, the highlights being Francine's work on the Counter terrorism Center's investigation into the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988, and sleeping on a horsehair mattress in a Spectre-era casino in the middle of Bratislava.
Another peak moment was her chance to debrief ex-President George Bush in Houston in 1993. But what she remembers most about the place are the extraordinary intelligence and dedication of most of the staff – many of them women – many of whom cannot be named.
She wrote her first book in 1992 and left the Agency a year later. Fifteen books have followed, along with sundry children, dogs, and houses. When she's not writing, she likes to ski, garden, needlepoint, and buy art.
In 1981, she started college at Princeton – one of the most formative experiences of her life. There she fenced for the club varsity team and learned to write news stories for The Daily Princetonian – a hobby that led to two part-time jobs as a journalist for The Miami Herald and The San Jose Mercury News. Francine majored in European History, studying Napoleonic France, and won an Arthur W. Mellon Foundation Fellowship in the Humanities in her senior year. But the course she remembers most vividly from her time at Princeton is "The Literature of Fact," taught by John McPhee, the Pulitzer Prize winning author and staff writer for The New Yorker. John influenced Francine's writing more than even she knows and certainly more than she is able to say.
Francine spent three years at Stanford pursuing a doctorate in history; she failed to write her dissertation (on the Brazilian Bar Association under authoritarianism; can you blame her?) and left with a Masters. She applied to the CIA, spent a year temping in Northern Virginia while the FBI asked inconvenient questions of everyone she had ever known, passed a polygraph test on her twenty-sixth birthday, and was immediately thrown into the Career Trainee program: Boot Camp for the Agency's Best and Brightest. Four years as an intelligence analyst at the CIA were profoundly fulfilling, the highlights being Francine's work on the Counter terrorism Center's investigation into the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988, and sleeping on a horsehair mattress in a Spectre-era casino in the middle of Bratislava.
Another peak moment was her chance to debrief ex-President George Bush in Houston in 1993. But what she remembers most about the place are the extraordinary intelligence and dedication of most of the staff – many of them women – many of whom cannot be named.
She wrote her first book in 1992 and left the Agency a year later. Fifteen books have followed, along with sundry children, dogs, and houses. When she's not writing, she likes to ski, garden, needlepoint, and buy art.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews
June 16, 2018
Death in Rough Water is the second book in the Merry Folger series. In 2017 a new fifth book was published in the series. The author agreed to write it if she could update the 4 preceding books that were written in the mid 1990's. They were updated and reissued in 2016.
I read the first book and then ordered the next three books as I had enjoyed it. The series takes place on Nantucket Island. The reader learns about life on the island. Merry's family has lived there for several generations. So they own a house which is impossible to come by on the island. Her grandfather and dad have been chief of police on the island. Her dad is her supervisor as she is now a detective.
A death occurs on a fishing boat at sea and is determined to be an accident. The victim was the father of Merry's childhood friend. Her friend Del knows her father's habits and feels he was murdered. She asks Merry to look into the death. The plot to the book is quite involved. There was a surprise for me in the plot. I wouldn't call it a twist but it is something that doesn't happen often in crime fiction books. Enjoyed the plot, location and Merry is a very admirable character. Looking forward to continuing on with the series.
I read the first book and then ordered the next three books as I had enjoyed it. The series takes place on Nantucket Island. The reader learns about life on the island. Merry's family has lived there for several generations. So they own a house which is impossible to come by on the island. Her grandfather and dad have been chief of police on the island. Her dad is her supervisor as she is now a detective.
A death occurs on a fishing boat at sea and is determined to be an accident. The victim was the father of Merry's childhood friend. Her friend Del knows her father's habits and feels he was murdered. She asks Merry to look into the death. The plot to the book is quite involved. There was a surprise for me in the plot. I wouldn't call it a twist but it is something that doesn't happen often in crime fiction books. Enjoyed the plot, location and Merry is a very admirable character. Looking forward to continuing on with the series.
February 18, 2018
4.5 stars This second installment in the Merry Folger series really worked for me. This mystery centers on the death of fishing captain Joe Duarte. The explanation given for the death at sea just doesn't sound quite right to Joe's daughter. Though estranged from her father, Del Duarte knew how he ran his boats. When she returns to Nantucket after the death, Del asks her childhood friend Merry Folger to look into it
As Merry digs into the death of Joe Duarte, her trail takes her into the hidden secrets of his crew and all manner of other secrets hidden in her seemingly quiet island community. This book appealed to me for a couple of reasons. First of all, the story peels back like layers of an onion. Every time Merry finds something or confirms a piece of information, new questions seem to pop up everywhere. I found myself eagerly following Merry down the various rabbit trails of clues, gossip and disturbing events.
In this novel, readers also get more of a glimpse into Merry's personal life. These books aren't romance, but there are some romantic moments in there. One also gets a better sense of Merry as a person, something which makes me want to make more visits to her world.
As Merry digs into the death of Joe Duarte, her trail takes her into the hidden secrets of his crew and all manner of other secrets hidden in her seemingly quiet island community. This book appealed to me for a couple of reasons. First of all, the story peels back like layers of an onion. Every time Merry finds something or confirms a piece of information, new questions seem to pop up everywhere. I found myself eagerly following Merry down the various rabbit trails of clues, gossip and disturbing events.
In this novel, readers also get more of a glimpse into Merry's personal life. These books aren't romance, but there are some romantic moments in there. One also gets a better sense of Merry as a person, something which makes me want to make more visits to her world.
August 26, 2018
Wonderful mystery! I loved Merry Folger, she is a wonderful feminist heroine, a Nantucket police detective with a father and grandfather who are also lawmen and who support her in everything she does. I also loved her rich, classy boyfriend Peter Mason. And the research into Nantucket history, politics, and fishing was amazing! The only thing that bothered me was the thing that always bothers me in mystery novels -- too many people wanted the murder victim dead, and too many new crimes and bodies kept piling up, and piling up, and it just seemed a bit far-fetched by the end. But all the same, a wonderful book by Francine Mathews, the author of the incredible JACK: 1939!
May 5, 2019
Pretty entertaining murder mystery that takes place in Nantucket. Good old Nantucket. I learned a bit about small-time commercial fishing.
August 31, 2016
#2 in the Merry Folger series. This 1995 novel was revised in 2016, except for a suspect's alibi being watching re-runs of Sex and the City (1998-2004), I didn't see evidence of the update. Other cultural references, Top Gun and Jaws, pre-date the original publication date. Author Mathews provides a regional feel in the novel, it takes place on Nantucket, and she makes you smell the salt spray and feel the fog of island life off the Massachusetts coast. The clannish islanders, the upscale summer visitors and the hordes of day-trippers are well depicted. The scope of the mystery, starting with investigating the death at sea of Joe Duarte, the arson of the town dock with millions of dollars in damage, the coincidental sinking of boats under the command of Duarte's crew, and a murder by harpoon, just keeps expanding. Merry struggles to keep track of all the threads including the ones supposed controlled by the Coast Guard, the State Police and her lazy, chauvinistic colleague Matt Bailey.
Merry Folger series - Fresh from her first murder case (Death in the Off-Season (1994)), Merry Folger is unwillingly sucked into her second. The daughter of the Nantucket police chief, Merry spent her first case proving to her father and herself that she had what it takes to solve a murder. Now she's more experienced, but this time a friend is involved. Del Duarte has returned to Nantucket with a baby, but she's keeping quiet about her daughter's parentage. When her own father, Joe, an experienced fisherman, had been swept overboard in a spring storm and his death pronounced accidental. Del thinks it's murder and when she and her baby receive threatening letters, Merry defies her own father to investigate.
Merry Folger series - Fresh from her first murder case (Death in the Off-Season (1994)), Merry Folger is unwillingly sucked into her second. The daughter of the Nantucket police chief, Merry spent her first case proving to her father and herself that she had what it takes to solve a murder. Now she's more experienced, but this time a friend is involved. Del Duarte has returned to Nantucket with a baby, but she's keeping quiet about her daughter's parentage. When her own father, Joe, an experienced fisherman, had been swept overboard in a spring storm and his death pronounced accidental. Del thinks it's murder and when she and her baby receive threatening letters, Merry defies her own father to investigate.
May 20, 2023
I bitch a lot about how poorly some men write female characters (cough - Michael Connelly - cough) but here’s an example of a woman writing her female characters poorly. The mystery here, and the setting, were pretty nifty but the romance thread was almost laughable. In fact I skimmed the last two pages because it was so cringe-inducing. Maybe back in ‘95 when it was originally written, a romance for a female cop was necessary? I don’t know. But come for the mystery, ignore the romance, and you should be fairly entertained.
November 25, 2018
This is the second book in this series and did not disappoint. The characters are interesting and typically real folks. The mystery surrounding the murders is intriguing and fun to solve.
May 9, 2024
Good book. Somewhat predictable ending but a nice read
January 5, 2020
I just knew I'd guessed who it was early on and still didn't get it. LOL!
Love this series! Looking forward to the next one.
Love this series! Looking forward to the next one.
August 8, 2017
This story was complicated by too many characters with agendas and those agendas didn't really serve the story. Of course that is my opinion only. But I was left at the end wondering what happened to some of those characters.....I can't say more because it would spoil the story for someone else.
March 31, 2018
I didn't want this to end.
June 21, 2020
A good read until the end, which was terrible.
September 26, 2020
The case wasn't as well-structured as in the first book, and I didn't love where the romance went in this one, but I still like the setting and tone enough to try at least one more of the series.
August 27, 2020
In 1992 Stephanie Barron left her career with the CIA to become a free lance writer. Choosing the pseudonym, Francine Mathews, she published Book one of this series (Death in the Off Season) in 1994. In 1995, she followed with this volume, Death in Rough Water. Recently Mathews has published a new book in this highly regarded series. Accordingly, she revisited and revised her early works. I reviewed the original version.
In Merry Folger, Mathews created a wonderful spokeswoman for her era. Tied to her Nantucket roots, she is a third generation LEO, one of the permanent residents of this famous New England Island. She lives in conflict, loving her job as an investigator and mentor for interns, while fearing the label of nepotism. The book opens with a harrowing description of a storm at sea resulting in a man being swept overboard. The theme of powerlessness in the face of brutal nature carries through with Del's story. Matthews has chosen to tell us of the Nantucket fishing fleet. The island's first industry came from whaling, then changed to the fleet who harvested the cod from the Outer Banks. By the end of the 20th Century, fishing has become a shadow of the glory days.
The fishing industry now relying on the tourist dollar instead of abundant schools of fish.
Back to Del. Long estranged from her father, she has returned to claim her inheritance. Merry is her advocate. Childhood friends, they grew apart when Del left the island. She is heart sick when she finds Del's body. Will Merry be able to find closure for Del without jeopardizing her relationship with her father?
A refreshing mystery that is almost as good as visiting Nantucket in person.
Highly recommended.
In Merry Folger, Mathews created a wonderful spokeswoman for her era. Tied to her Nantucket roots, she is a third generation LEO, one of the permanent residents of this famous New England Island. She lives in conflict, loving her job as an investigator and mentor for interns, while fearing the label of nepotism. The book opens with a harrowing description of a storm at sea resulting in a man being swept overboard. The theme of powerlessness in the face of brutal nature carries through with Del's story. Matthews has chosen to tell us of the Nantucket fishing fleet. The island's first industry came from whaling, then changed to the fleet who harvested the cod from the Outer Banks. By the end of the 20th Century, fishing has become a shadow of the glory days.
The fishing industry now relying on the tourist dollar instead of abundant schools of fish.
Back to Del. Long estranged from her father, she has returned to claim her inheritance. Merry is her advocate. Childhood friends, they grew apart when Del left the island. She is heart sick when she finds Del's body. Will Merry be able to find closure for Del without jeopardizing her relationship with her father?
A refreshing mystery that is almost as good as visiting Nantucket in person.
Highly recommended.
June 3, 2020
Although I really enjoyed the first book in this series, Death in the Off Season, I absolutely loved this installment—aside from most of the last couple of pages (but let’s not go there; suffice it to say that I rolled my eyes as I was skimming them).
At first I wasn’t sure why I was enjoying this book so much more than the first, but quickly realized that Death in Rough Waters not only informed me about something I don’t know much about—small-scale commercial fishing—but was also a story rooted firmly in Nantucket and one that could only have taken place in a few locations in the United States. (The first book dealt beautifully with characters, locale, and relationships, but also hinged on high-finance and business details, which not only bored me to tears but also could have been a part of a mystery anywhere in the world.)
From the prologue—which delves into a character’s knowledge of fishing and underwater topography along the Nantucket coast—the book is fascinating and hard to put down; I read it in a few sittings. We continue to learn more about Meredith Folger and her family, Peter Mason, and other characters from Death in the Off Season, and we meet new people as well. As the story takes place beginning just before Memorial Day weekend and ends in early June, we’re also treated to the realities of a tourist town at the beginning of the season. (As with the first book, the whole tourist angle captivated me because I grew up in a resort town.)
As with the first book, the writing is solid and the story is heavy on atmosphere and marvelous characterizations. It was very hard for me to not pick up the next installment as soon as I finished this one, but—I’m trying to not gobble up this delectable meal all at once.
At first I wasn’t sure why I was enjoying this book so much more than the first, but quickly realized that Death in Rough Waters not only informed me about something I don’t know much about—small-scale commercial fishing—but was also a story rooted firmly in Nantucket and one that could only have taken place in a few locations in the United States. (The first book dealt beautifully with characters, locale, and relationships, but also hinged on high-finance and business details, which not only bored me to tears but also could have been a part of a mystery anywhere in the world.)
From the prologue—which delves into a character’s knowledge of fishing and underwater topography along the Nantucket coast—the book is fascinating and hard to put down; I read it in a few sittings. We continue to learn more about Meredith Folger and her family, Peter Mason, and other characters from Death in the Off Season, and we meet new people as well. As the story takes place beginning just before Memorial Day weekend and ends in early June, we’re also treated to the realities of a tourist town at the beginning of the season. (As with the first book, the whole tourist angle captivated me because I grew up in a resort town.)
As with the first book, the writing is solid and the story is heavy on atmosphere and marvelous characterizations. It was very hard for me to not pick up the next installment as soon as I finished this one, but—I’m trying to not gobble up this delectable meal all at once.
February 19, 2023
First published in 1995 and then revised for another publication in 2016, the second novel in the series reflects the juxtaposition of those who have lived all their lives on Nantucket, scrabbling for a living, against those with great wealth in enormous homes with expensive toys living only for a few months each year.
Investigating the death of an old friend's father, trying to determine if it is murder or an accident, Merry discovers a world of crime and greed that she could not have anticipated for Nantucket. She is skilled at following through with each detail, tedious as the process might be, sometimes in serious disagreement with her Police Chief father and battling with a jealous, borderline incompetent colleague. There were plenty of characters here whom I suspected, many I simply detested. I found myself thinking about the paths that some took and their motivations, their sense of privilege.
The relationships among the central characters had their moments of fracture and tension; some mended by novel's end while others did not. Will, the teenage son of Tess Starbuck, may be my favorite character. His resilience is admirable; his respect for Peter Mason, his love of reading and learning, and his fierce love for his mother, which he shares openly, make him an appealing sixteen year old.
Investigating the death of an old friend's father, trying to determine if it is murder or an accident, Merry discovers a world of crime and greed that she could not have anticipated for Nantucket. She is skilled at following through with each detail, tedious as the process might be, sometimes in serious disagreement with her Police Chief father and battling with a jealous, borderline incompetent colleague. There were plenty of characters here whom I suspected, many I simply detested. I found myself thinking about the paths that some took and their motivations, their sense of privilege.
The relationships among the central characters had their moments of fracture and tension; some mended by novel's end while others did not. Will, the teenage son of Tess Starbuck, may be my favorite character. His resilience is admirable; his respect for Peter Mason, his love of reading and learning, and his fierce love for his mother, which he shares openly, make him an appealing sixteen year old.
November 21, 2020
Fishing captain Joe Duarte is killed in an accident on his boat. His estranged daughter Adelia and her daughter Sara come back to Nantucket and decide to stay, even though Joe’s first mate Jackie Alcantrara inherited Joe’s boats. A few days after Joe’s funeral, another tragedy strikes Nantucket, and ‘Del is found murdered, her young daughter sitting at her side. Complex machinations and relationships muddy the waters of the investigations of both deaths.
This second in the Nantucket Island mysteries is complex and rewarding. Relationships among the returning cast evolve, the plot in intricate enough to keep the reader involved, and the conclusion is a bit of surprise. Recommended.
Readalikes:
Robert Dugoni ¬– My Sister’s Grave; Linda Greenlaw – Slipknot; Tim Johnson – The Current; Victoria Houston – Dead Renegade; Paul Doiron – Almost Midnight; Alice Blanchard – Trace of Evil; Emily Littlejohn – Inherit the Bones; Randall Silvis – Two Days Gone; Tawni O’Dell – Angels Burning.
Pace: Fast-paced
Characters: Strong women; well-developed characters
Storyline: Intricately plotted
Writing style: Descriptive; engaging
Tone: Suspenseful; strong sense of place
Frame: Nantucket; contemporary
Theme: Small town police
This second in the Nantucket Island mysteries is complex and rewarding. Relationships among the returning cast evolve, the plot in intricate enough to keep the reader involved, and the conclusion is a bit of surprise. Recommended.
Readalikes:
Robert Dugoni ¬– My Sister’s Grave; Linda Greenlaw – Slipknot; Tim Johnson – The Current; Victoria Houston – Dead Renegade; Paul Doiron – Almost Midnight; Alice Blanchard – Trace of Evil; Emily Littlejohn – Inherit the Bones; Randall Silvis – Two Days Gone; Tawni O’Dell – Angels Burning.
Pace: Fast-paced
Characters: Strong women; well-developed characters
Storyline: Intricately plotted
Writing style: Descriptive; engaging
Tone: Suspenseful; strong sense of place
Frame: Nantucket; contemporary
Theme: Small town police
November 28, 2020
This is the second book in a series, so the lead characters were already familiar to me. Mathews did a good job of sustaining their characters and showing growth in a believable, organic way.
The plot involves the death of the captain of a fishing boat, the return to his disgraced daughter to the island with her illegitimate toddler daughter, and a series of boating related incidents that follow. It is a very complex, though believable, plot. I never had trouble following the trail of the action, but I also didn't put together who had actually committed the key crimes until the end.
If I have one tiny quibble with the book, it is that Mathews left things in Merry's personal life altogether unresolved and in high turmoil at the end. I'm sure I will eventually find some resolution in later books, but I would have preferred she left things less full of angst at the conclusion of the book. Still, this is a small beef and in no way took away from what an enjoyable and well written book it was.
The plot involves the death of the captain of a fishing boat, the return to his disgraced daughter to the island with her illegitimate toddler daughter, and a series of boating related incidents that follow. It is a very complex, though believable, plot. I never had trouble following the trail of the action, but I also didn't put together who had actually committed the key crimes until the end.
If I have one tiny quibble with the book, it is that Mathews left things in Merry's personal life altogether unresolved and in high turmoil at the end. I'm sure I will eventually find some resolution in later books, but I would have preferred she left things less full of angst at the conclusion of the book. Still, this is a small beef and in no way took away from what an enjoyable and well written book it was.
September 15, 2025
I read the first book and then ordered the following three books as I had enjoyed it. The series, a blend of mystery and family drama, takes place on Nantucket Island. The reader learns about life on the island. Merry's family has lived there for several generations. So they own a house, which is impossible to come by on the island. Her grandfather and dad have been the chief of police on the island. Her dad is her supervisor as she is now a detective.
The Nantucket setting is well realized: the contrast between locals and seasonal visitors, the remoteness of island life, the sea and its dangers, the weather, and the small-town gossip that often fuels the mysteries. These lend a strong sense of place and tension.
If you're drawn to mysteries with a strong sense of place, morally complex characters, and a protagonist who is more than just a crime solver, Death in Rough Water is a compelling read. Merry's personal struggles with family, internal doubts, and social stakes add Depth to the story, making her a character you can't help but root for.
The Nantucket setting is well realized: the contrast between locals and seasonal visitors, the remoteness of island life, the sea and its dangers, the weather, and the small-town gossip that often fuels the mysteries. These lend a strong sense of place and tension.
If you're drawn to mysteries with a strong sense of place, morally complex characters, and a protagonist who is more than just a crime solver, Death in Rough Water is a compelling read. Merry's personal struggles with family, internal doubts, and social stakes add Depth to the story, making her a character you can't help but root for.
November 23, 2020
I enjoyed this second in the series as much as I did the first.
In this one her old friend returns to town after the sudden death of her father at sea. Even more curious is that he left his boats to the person she suspects caused his death.
Everyone in town is still speculating who the father of her two year old is, but Del still isn't telling.
When she is attacked, the search is on to find the father, but Merry gets a whole lot more that that.
Her other case is the fire that destroys the pier and several of the boats and yachts. Why are the selectmen in such a hurry and in private consultations to replace Town Pier?
There is not a lot of time for personal interactions in this but Merry does a lot of reflecting just the same.
I borrowed a copy from the public library and assigned this author as our December read.
In this one her old friend returns to town after the sudden death of her father at sea. Even more curious is that he left his boats to the person she suspects caused his death.
Everyone in town is still speculating who the father of her two year old is, but Del still isn't telling.
When she is attacked, the search is on to find the father, but Merry gets a whole lot more that that.
Her other case is the fire that destroys the pier and several of the boats and yachts. Why are the selectmen in such a hurry and in private consultations to replace Town Pier?
There is not a lot of time for personal interactions in this but Merry does a lot of reflecting just the same.
I borrowed a copy from the public library and assigned this author as our December read.
April 27, 2020
I enjoyed this Nantucket-placed mystery very much. The setting has a great deal to do with the story, which begins with the captain of a fishing boat -- and father of her High School friend -- dying right at the beginning of the book. However, this is not the only death our Detective Merry Folger has to solve, and in the course of her investigation, her relationship with rich landowner Peter Mason heats up and confuses her right when she needs to think clearly. In addition to these investigations, Merry must contend with a variety of co-workers and their temperaments, a grandfather who has been pressed into babysitting services, and several possible suspects. How to sort it all out????
Foul language peppered throughout
HIGHLY RECOMMEND
Foul language peppered throughout
HIGHLY RECOMMEND
April 7, 2020
This is the second book in the Merry Folger mystery series by Mathews. Merry is a detective on the island of Nantucket where policing is in her family line. This book focuses on the death of one of the last "old school" fishermen left on the island. The series is not hardcore crime fiction or thriller material. Instead, it flirts with the category "cozy" mystery, although I wouldn't say it fits in 100%. Francine Mathews is also the author of a series of Jane Austin mysteries that she published under the pen name "Stephanie Barron". If you haven't checked them out, and you love to read all things Austen, they are well worth it.
January 28, 2019
This book was somewhat entertaining, but the idea of the beautiful, tall, blonde female detective who is at once vulnerable and totally tough when it comes to life and love is so ridiculous yet so cliché that I really couldn't take the book seriously at all. The hurried, romantic ending left me cold. I really couldn't relate to any of these characters.
I found the solutions to the murders convoluted and hard to follow. There were just too many people involved to be believable. I don't know. I wish the author the best of luck. She seems to have many enthusiastic followers.
I found the solutions to the murders convoluted and hard to follow. There were just too many people involved to be believable. I don't know. I wish the author the best of luck. She seems to have many enthusiastic followers.
June 13, 2022
A new series for me. I have never visited Nantucket Island but have read about it, so I started to read out of curiosity. The story has some predictable stock characters, such as the rich, unscrupulous developer, his manicured wife, colorful locals, and a stupid policeman. Into this mix comes a very attractive woman who is a detective in this relatively crime-free backwater. She has deep local roots and a living father(her boss) and a loving grandfather. Lots of conflicts but she gets the job done. I will never again think of fishing with a harpoon without thinking of this book.
March 3, 2017
Great small town mystery,with a little intrigue
I am so glad that I stumbled across this series. This book is the second installment & was just as good as the first one. The characters are believable & the area where the stories take place is one that has always interested me,although I've yet to visit. I can't wait to start the third book. You won't be disappointed if you start reading Mrs. Mathews series.
I am so glad that I stumbled across this series. This book is the second installment & was just as good as the first one. The characters are believable & the area where the stories take place is one that has always interested me,although I've yet to visit. I can't wait to start the third book. You won't be disappointed if you start reading Mrs. Mathews series.
September 7, 2017
Great read. good summer book about Nantucket. Second in series about Nantucket detective, Merry Folger. Starts with death on a boat , which later becomes suspect by the return after 3 years of the daughter of the captain who died. Involves politics suspense, mystery, etc and fels like a real town and possibility of a real occurrence.
Read latest Mery Folger mystery a few months ago, as pre-release, and wanted to go back an read first ones .
Read latest Mery Folger mystery a few months ago, as pre-release, and wanted to go back an read first ones .
September 20, 2018
This is the second in the Merry Folger mystery series and one of my favorites. Joe Duarte, a veteran fishing boat captain, is killed at sea and there's a question whether it was an accident or murder. Del, his daughter who had been away for several years, returns and claims that her father was murdered. Merry, a long time friend of Del's, investigates and case and in the process learns about the secrets kept by Del and members of the Nantucket community.
July 6, 2021
This is the first Merry Folger mystery I have read, and it won't be the last. The author focuses on showing you character traits instead of telling you about them, a feature I look for in good books. The characters are finely drawn and interesting, and the story was a complex one that was not far-fetched. Of course, I loved the setting and the author nailed the Nantucket vibe and New England culture. Ayah!
February 4, 2023
When her father, Joe, dies in a boating accident, Adelia "Del" Duarte returns to Nantucket convinced her father was murdered. Despite the lack of evidence, detective Merry Folger investigates. Then the town dock, along with the boats moored there, is destroyed by arson. And a body is found. Merry continues digging, especially after Adelia becomes the next victim. And what she uncovers is a tangled web of intrigue.
April 1, 2023
A bit too overly complicated. In this one, Merry's old friend comes back to the island. Del's dad dies at sea then she's killed. How do they interlock? The bit with the boats and insurance fraud ties loosely to the rest, but not enough to be interesting and then drifts away. Also, it was interesting to see Merry wrong about the actual killer of her friend, with the incompetent guy's thought ending up being correct.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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