Slipknot

Jane Bunker #1

by Linda Greenlaw

The exciting debut of a snappy, spirited, and irresistible mystery series from beloved and bestselling author Linda Greenlaw In her bestselling nonfiction book All Fishermen Are Liars, Linda Greenlaw confessed a desire to write fiction -- and readers responded with an enthusiastic "Please do!" At last, she satisfies their hunger with this sharp-witted, compulsively readable mystery, the first in a series featuring marine investigator Jane Bunker.

When Jane moves back to the sleepy Maine fishing community where she was born, it's to escape the seamy crime scenes and unsavory characters that crossed her path in Miami. Surely whatever crimes are committed in touristy, idyllic Green Haven wont involve anything as nasty as what she saw in Florida. It's a bit of a shock, then, when Nick Dow, the town drunk, turns up dead, and it's not the simple accident that everyone assumes it to be. Jane soon discovers that Dow wasnt even a drunk -- it was all an act. But why? And what does it have to do with a heated town hall meeting about fishing rights and paternity suits? The more Jane digs, the more confused she gets. Only two things are certain: Nothing is what it seems; and the whole town is in each other's business. But it's not until Jane impulsively hops on a boat with the killer -- a boat that suddenly heads out to sea -- that things become downright dangerous . . .

As she proved in The Hungry Ocean, no one knows the sea like Linda Greenlaw. And as she proved in The Lobster Chronicles, no one has a better way with the telling details of Maine village life. This new mystery series features everything readers want: a great setting, wonderful characters, an authentic and original detective -- and a story that will keep them on the edge of their seats.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Thriller, Murder Mystery, Audiobook

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Linda Greenlaw's three bestselling books about life as a commercial fisherman -- THE HUNGRY OCEAN (1999), THE LOBSTER CHRONICLES (2002) and ALL FISHERMEN ARE LIARS (2004) -- have climbed as high as #2 on the New York Times bestseller list. She is the winner of the U.S. Maritime Literature Award in 2003, and the New England Book Award for nonfiction in 2004. Time Magazine called her 2005 RECIPES FROM A VERY SMALL ISLAND, co-authored with her mother Martha Greenlaw, a "must-have cookbook".

Before becoming a writer, Linda Greenlaw was the captain of a sword boat, the career that earned her a prominent role in Sebastian Junger's THE PERFECT STORM and a portrayal in the subsequent film. She has been featured on Good Morning America, Today, CBS Sunday Morning, The Martha Stewart Show, and National Public Radio. She now lives on Isle au Haut, Maine, where she captains a lobster boat.

When Linda Greenlaw confessed a desire to write fiction, readers responded with an enthusiastic "Please do!" At last, she satisfies their hunger with SLIPKNOT, a sharp-witted, compulsively readable mystery, the first in a series featuring marine investigator Jane Bunker. As she proved in THE HUNGRY OCEAN, no one knows the sea like Linda Greenlaw. And as she proved in THE LOBSTER CHRONICLES, no one has a better way with the telling details of Maine village life. SLIPKNOT delivers everything readers want: a great setting, wonderful characters, an authentic and original detective -- and a story that will keep them on the edge of their seats. (from the author's website)

Series:
* Jane Bunker Mystery

Reviews

[Beryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Whew! Glad it's done! Really wanted to give it 1 1/2. Linda gets points for knowledge of maritime life and the fishing industry in Maine, but she has never met a modifier she didn't like. The descriptions were over-the-top and dialogues were unnatural. People don't talk that way! I thought the writing was just poor. Here's an example: "Phew, I thought as my goose bumps melted like butter thrown on a hot griddle. Thanks God, Cal's back. The icy realization that the vehicle was not Cal's hit me like gallons of Gatorade on a victorious football coach..." The plot was sticky, the resolution implausible and the action hard to follow. That being said, her descriptions of the Maine coast were authentic and I liked the main character. Needed serious editing, though.

[Kwoomac · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was famed fisherman Linda Greenlaw's first foray into fiction. She had previously written a number of well-received nonfiction books. I really enjoyed her protagonist Jane Bunker. There were hints about Jane's history but we don't learn much. No info dumping here. Apart from one section where Greenlaw goes into excruciating details about how a fishing boat works, this mystery was a fun summer read.

[Goose · Rating 3 out of 5]

As far as I know, this is Linda Greenlaw's maiden voyage into published fiction. It's a bit of a turbulent ride. Though Greenlaw has created a good main character in Jane Bunker and surrounded her with interesting types such as the nosy landlords, the handsomely rugged much older man, and the psuedo goth chick stuck in a small town, her plot gets bogged down in too many unnecessary sailing facts and procedures. The part where Jane was a stowaway on a boat in a huge storm just seemed endless especially when Jane was just assuming what was being done to keep the boat afloat. However, I think enough of the writing was good and many of the characters were interesting enough to warrant a 3 out of 5. Feel free to subtract 1 if you have absolutely no interest in boats and add one if you absolutely adore boats.

I am going to try the 2nd mystery by Greenlaw, Fisherman's Bend, and hope that there will be a lot more mystery and a lot less boating procedural.

[Nick Tory · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm sorry but I just could not buy Jane Bunker as a sleuth I want to follow. You can only complain about the cost of gas and food so many times before it becomes a bit much. Many of the characters were just way too over the top for me too, such as the angry, overweight plant owner who had food stuck to her arms, and the dad oddly cursing at his son for liking telescopes. The climax of the book also comes to a bit of a halt with (what I'm sure is impressive but still remarkably boring) loads of nautical jargon.
Jane is going to have to solve mysteries without me from here on out. This one is not for me.

[Julie Ehlers · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this--I liked Greenlaw's The Hungry Ocean, I like mysteries, I like fiction set in New England. But 30 pages of uninspired writing and numerous fat jokes is just about my limit. Goodbye.

[Vicki · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book didn't do anything for me. The plot was all over the place and I found myself skipping back to re-read parts of the book to try to make sense of what I was reading. There was nothing compelling or likeable about Jane Bunker or any of the characters, for that matter. There was just no substance to anyone in the book. The dialogue was sketchy and, in someplaces, downright sucked. "Alex, honey, pay attention" ... Really, how many adult males do you know that talk to their 17-year-old sons like that, especially in life and death situation?

There was too much technical information (which went on ad nauseum in parts) and not enough plot/character/dialogue detail to make this book one I would recommend to friends.

[Andrea · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh! I wish I had back the hours I spent reading this book. After reading the author bio on the flyleaf, I kept telling myself to give this one a little time to see if it got any better. By the time I realized it wasn't going to improve, I was far enough in that I had to keep reading to solve the mystery. And, as anticipated, it wasn't worth the effort. The pitfalls of choosing random books from the "new acquisitions" shelf at the library.

[Suzanne Dix · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. I really wanted to love this novel so I could have a new series, and one that takes place in Maine, to look forward to. As much as I love Linda Greenlaw, I just couldn't connect with her hyper-frugal main character and the extremely weird cast of characters she was introducing me to. I definitely wanted Murder, She Wrote...and this was NOT.

I had to put it down after about 50 pages.

[Vanessa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another book I picked up as light reading over the Christmas break. Linda Greenlaw is the lady boat captain that figured prominently in The Perfect Storm (if you saw the movie, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio played her.) I believe this is her first fiction book. And, sorry, it shows.

There are likable things about the setting (a small New England fishing town) and the protagonist (a woman returning to her childhood home on the Atlantic Coast after being a cop in Miami for years.) But the writing was too clunky to wade through. And while Greenlaw clearly knows the sea and fishing, her knowledge of it tilts some scenes into near parody such as the protagonist's LENGTHY inspection of a fish cannery that opens the story. What should have taken a page devolved into a detailed discourse on OSHA rules and an editorial on marine conservation that all told went on for pages. And any extended conversation intended to give the reader important back story was dry business indeed-just trying getting through another long sequence where one character explains what went on at a city council meeting about wind power (wait, are you still awake at this point?) I confess my mind kept wandering and I eventually flipped to the end.

The likes of Proust I need to force myself to finish. This, not so much.


There are some kernels of good ideas here. Given more time and a skilled editor (which this effort seemed to decidedly lack), this author might improve. For now, maybe stick to her non-fiction which I think has gotten decent reviews.

[Marca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insurance inspector Jane Bunker moved to Green Haven, Maine to get away from the stress of her former city detective job. When the alleged town drunk is found in the water, Jane doesn’t believe he drowned accidently. Her detective nose kicks in and she soon finds herself in an ocean of intrigue. I don’t know if Jane Bunker is going to be a continuing character, but I’d read another. The author is apparently a boat captain and was in the book and film “The Perfect Storm.” It is apparent in this book that it was written by someone with a high-level of knowledge of the fishing life in the Northeast. The reader of this audio book did a good job with the tone and accent of Maine.

[Elizabeth Kennedy · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author of this book, being a survivor of the story that became "a Perfect Storm" certainly shows off her knowledge of ships during the life threatening episode in this book. But that was the most plausible part of this whole book. I did not believe most of the rest of it, not the body discovery, not the relationships, not the insurance job, not even the landlords. This is not the New England I have known, nor is it the way people treat each other normally. I vaguely liked the main character, and didn't want her to "go down with the ship", but she is not believable. This wasn't my favorite, but I didn't hate it.

[Lisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

After reading Linda Greenlaw's other books, I was looking forward to a good read. What a disappointment! I couldn't even finish it. Every sentence tries to outdo the last in descriptive hyperbole. By the time I'd read a sentence, I'd forgotten what the storyline was! The protagonist is all about herself, not about the story. Sorry Linda, try again.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like cosy mysteries. This is a story about Jane Bunker ex-detective from Miami. Bad things happen and she moves to Green Haven Maine to start over. Starting a new career she stumbles across a dead body.

This a typical I’m not a cop, but I’m going to try to solve it. I enjoyed reading this. I like the setting of a fishing village and the quirky characters in the town. I loved the cosy coffee shop vibe. This was cute. The mystery is standard. Almost getting yourself killed while trying to solve the murder. Some parts were too much information and slightly boring, but overall not bad.

[Sophie Chouinard · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 - this was fine

[Cathy Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Greenlaw has created an extremely interesting main character backed by a whole cast of memorable townspeople. Jane's landlords are good at wining and dining her, but they do not understand the meaning of privacy, wandering in and out of her apartment at will. The manager of the fish plant is ill-tempered and untrustworthy, while her foreman is a sweetheart. And it doesn't take Jane long to learn that there are all sorts of things going on in that small town.

This is a fast-paced book with lots of depth. There's so much going on in Green Haven that it takes time to unravel all the clues and red herrings to figure out who- and whydunit. The setting is pitch perfect, and it should be. Greenlaw is a deep-sea fisherman and captains a lobster boat in Maine. She knows her stuff. As Jane performs the tasks of a marine insurance investigator, I learned so much about the inner workings of these hard-working vessels and the many ways that cash-strapped fishermen can attempt to file insurance claims.

But the best part of Slipknot by far is the section when Jane finds herself with the killer on a boat heading straight into a storm. Wow! Absolutely mesmerizing action that put me right on the boat with her. I'm glad I have good sea legs; otherwise, I could've gotten very seasick.

Slipknot is so good that I'm glad I got my hands on the second book in the series, Fisherman's Bend. I can't wait to meet up with Jane Bunker again!

[Judi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this novel since I had loved the books Linda Greenlaw had written about her life as a fishing boat captain in Maine. This is her first fiction book which will be a series featuring Jane Bunker, a detective who had moved from Florida to Maine. Her intention was to change her career and settle into a relaxed life 'Downeast'. As she is working for an insurance company and surveying a fish processing plant, the body of a local washes into shore. Although the plot was sound and felt like it was going to be a good read, I couldn't stay focused on it. Greenlaw's writing is filled with continuous 'run on' sentences, humor and sarcasm by the character used too often, and a lack of depth in the characters. The style of writing prevented me from enjoying this book as much as I had hoped.

[Kellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

#1 of the Jane Bunker mystery-If you like to read books about the ocean and the fishing industry off the coast of Maine, this was an excellent story about that. Since the author used to be a captain herself, she has a lot to teach us about this subject. I thought the mystery aspect of this book could have been better. There wasn’t that much of a climax. And when the mystery was solved, it was kind of lame. I’ve read The Hungry Ocean by Greenlaw and thought it was great. I think the author’s attempt at mystery writing was valid. Hopefully it will get better as the series continues.

[Lenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not bad for a light read. The plot is decent and there are some great characters that are well developed. Anyone familiar with a small New England town will recognize them. The plot is a little predictable at times, and the story gets bogged down in details of the fishing trade from time to time. On the other hand there is some commentary on the ongoing debate about sustainability of the fishing trade. All-in-all, I will likely read some of her other books.

[Christy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. I was not impressed. Left too much of a mystery to her past and family's past, which interested more than the protagonist herself. She made too many stupid decisions, that someone that had been a successful detective should have been smarter about. I barely finished - and I usually finish a mystery within a few days, certainly a week at the longest, and this one took more like a month to get through. I really wanted to like it, but was left wanting.

[Cindy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know NOTHING about boats, fishing, the ocean, etc. So I skipped A LOT of the descriptions/narrative of all of that. Not a ton of it, but it had enough for those that know about those things to enjoy it. I liked the mystery part and the story line. Not too bad for a first attempt by the author. Wouldn't necessarily recommend it, but I plowed through anyway.

[Tracey · Rating 1 out of 5]

This just is not my genre! I had to keep skimming along to reach the end to discover 'who done it' but in the end I was not satisfied. I never quite understood the main character and did not find much of the fictional aspect in the story plausable.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Story. Jane move to Maine to get away from the scene in Miami, only to be confronted with the murder of an apparent bum. She does a lot of secret investigation, and uncovers the truth. Her knowledge of boating enables her to notice a knot that doesn't belong. The key to the whole case.

[Emily · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very slow. I just couldn't get into it.

[Janet Armentani · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't get into it.

[Paul Secor · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm sure that Linda Greenlaw is a better boat captain than she is a writer.

[Lauren · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring, with a main character and setting which seemed unrealistic.

[Lydia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave this book a generous 3 because I really felt her editor(s) let Greenlaw down. I had to suspend a lot of belief to finish this book.

Jane Bunker is, at heart, a detective. She thinks like one except when she's thinking like an experienced boat mechanic or a lovestruck teen (more on that later). She's left Miami and returned to Green Haven, an area where she has family history. Upon her arrival a body washes up in the harbor- the unfortunate Nick Dow. Nick is either a saint or a sinner depending on who you ask. It becomes Jane's personal mission, despite being barely unpacked, to figure out what happened.

She's so broke she doesn't want to put gas in her car or plug her phone in for fear of running up the electric bill. She rents an apartment from neighbors who are both kind and nosy and regularly invite her for dinner, always something with mussels, and a "drinkypoo" (hello, editor?). She gets into it with the locals as part of her job as an insurance surveyor and completely holds her own, but becomes an anxious seventh grader when asked out on a date.

(Spoiler alert!!!)



That date stands her up- she waits a full hour (again, editors?), goes to leave and gets the window of her car shot at while dodging bullets and THEN decides, rather than going home, to sneak onto a boat to search for clues about the murder, becoming a stowaway and running into a giant storm. What? In all this is interminable explanations about how boat engines work (or don't), how trawling nets operate, and some of the worst dialog on the planet (looking directly at you again, editors). What father, especially under stress, calls his son "honey" and "dear?"

This book is part of a series that I will give a miss.

[Juanita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review: Slipknot by Linda Greenlaw. 3.5*

This was an interesting book written by a Maine author. I had read another one of her books about being aboard a fishing boat that involved dangers at sea and dreadful weather. This time Linda Greenlaw writes about Jane Bunker, a young woman who gave up her career as a homicide detective after twenty years in the sunshine State of Florida. Jane Bunker was craving a move back to Maine, her place of birth to find some peace and quiet. She settles down in a small costal town named Green Haven, Maine as a marine insurance investigator but she gets capsized by a murder on the pier.

It interested Jane to get involved three days after she got to Green Haven because she knew the ropes of investigating. Jane figured a little side job was more enticing then her insurance work and plus, she could investigate on the sly between being an insurance adjuster. As a former detective Jane first headed to shore and seen people standing around a dead body next to the pier where she took unauthorized pictures and listen to the rambling talk that it was Nick Dow, the town drunk and that he probably fell off the pier. However, Jane read more into the demise body because it seemed that his head was bashed in and not from the fall.

As an Insurance investigator her first company to look over was a sardine factory and finds many infractions that needed to be fixed an order to keep the factory open. There are a lot of secrets that was going around Green Haven and Jane was also moving slyly around the people of the town to see what she could gather without asking questions….

[Marcia Chocinsky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, what can I say … the basics were there. Interesting plot, quirky characters, likable protagonist, and a great sense of people and places. Greenlaw even weaves threads of future stories (romance, unknown relatives living on a nearby island, etc). Actually some things are reminiscent of the Kinsey Milhone stories in their prime. Jane Bunker lives above an antiques/vintage store in the same building as her landlords, an interesting couple who invite her for daily dinners and in general want to know what is going on in Jane’s life. There is a potential romantic partner, a kindly plant manager, tension between those who want the old style life of a fishing village and those looking to make a buck from progress from new energy. But all of these carefully crafted elements get thrown for a loop by too much detail on fishing, fishing boats, etc. While this furthers the story, it seems to take forever to do so. Perhaps the editors felt that Greenlaw fans would wish that the book included these pages (and pages) but I’m sure the author would reach a broader audience and higher book sales without them. All in all the book sets you up for a series of murder mysteries and I will definitely give the author and her publisher another chance to correct this in future efforts. I do want to learn about Jane’s family history in the area as the island does beckon.

[Theda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting mystery wrapped in with a novel about trawling fishing. Definitely gritty, as those jobs are – but I believe this is a very realistic portrayal of the boats and lives (she is, after all, a fishing captain).

Greenlaw does her best at explaining, in great detail, how the fishing / trawling process actually works. The first time I read that section, I simply could not visualize it. Thank goodness for YouTube – watched a couple of videos and then re-read it – ah, much better!

The plot of the book is rather complex (spoiler alert) “The death of Nick Dow, pending fishing regulations, the wind farm proposal, Ginny Turner and her plant, Lucy Hamilton’s strange behavior, and the town meeting in such a small community must be linked.” So, I had a little trouble following it all. But it was redeemed by the pulse-pounding writing during the struggle for survival on the trawler – my heart was literally racing.

Finally, I liked that, in the afterword, she both described and illustrated what a slipknot is. But, I’m still mystified about exactly how much electricity Does cost up there (read it, you’ll understand the question).