“Don’t see what you see; don’t hear what you hear. And if you’re asked, say you don’t know.” Follow this maxim in order to survive in the brutal neighbourhood of Charlestown, Boston, infamous for its mob presence. Scott Finn, who spent his youth on the streets of this violent quarter of Boston, got out to live a ‘normal’ life; and worked his way up to become a successful lawyer in the most elite law firm of Boston. Six years later he shockingly realized that the aphorism that was germane to his past life applied equally well to his current respectful life in a corporate world!
There were six murders in a row – all white females, whose hearts were surgically removed from their chest. The seventh victim turned out to be Natalie Caldwell, a colleague, closest friend and an ex-lover of Finn’s. Circumstances of her death were identical to the serial killer’s earlier preys’, except that this one looked more like an aftermath of a sexcapade. Police detective lieutenant Linda Flaherty, a beautiful, capable cop, who was in charge of the investigation of the serial killings, discovered more than one anomaly between the first six killings and the latest. Finn, because of his closeness to Caldwell, became a prime suspect for Caldwell’s murder.
When Finn took it upon himself to track down Caldwell’s murderer to prove his innocence and also to bring justice to his friend, unknown forces first attempted to dissuade Finn from his pursuit and then took action to make the case against Finn stronger. Friends turned out to be foes, and foes friends.
David Hosp’s Dark Harbour revolves about the theme that “Nothing is ever exactly what it seems to be”, but then most thrillers do exactly that. The novel begins well, but the prologue has hardly any major significance with respect to the central plot and that is disappointing. Nevertheless, the pace of the book is reasonably quick and it is a page-turner. The thrill is maintained right up to the end, but not so much the suspense. The fact that there was a second killer, who killed Natalie Caldwell, other than the serial killer, was brought out in the open too early in the novel. The story of the serial killer ended a little too soon with his capture and the situation of his capture was a little slapdash.
Final verdict is that this thriller is an average read – recommended for thriller-lovers, but not for choosy readers.