Thickafog

by Caleb Mason

Crime and Punishment meets Demon Copperhead in this psychological mystery set on a remote Maine island, from the glorious days of summer to the harsh storms of winter.

Thickafog is a mystery wrapped up in a love story between two elderly characters, as well as for all the citizens of Archer Island who persevere through the challenges of addiction, teenage angst, and isolation.

Narrator Jon Davis becomes the lead suspect in the murder of his father Bobby, who is found dead at the bottom of a cliff near Jon's house. Bobby had moved in with his son nine months ago, after getting kicked out of assisted living in Florida, apparently for making unwelcome advances to a wealthy lady.

Jon, a carpenter, is battling alcoholism and is a loner whose life becomes complicated when his smooth father pursues Ingrid Backlund, the "Island Queen," who suffers from early onset dementia. Ingrid's drug dealer son Kevin distrusts this newcomer "from away" and blames Jon for bringing Bobby into the community, fearing his father is angling for his inheritance. Jon struggles to understand and reconcile with his father, as their time together reopens emotional wounds.

The island itself becomes a character, with multi-generational lobstermen and newly arrived summer people living together, sometimes harmoniously, sometimes uneasily, in a place as harsh in winter as it is glorious in summer.

Exploring themes of fate and self-determination, Thickafog takes readers on a wild ride that lingers long after the last page is turned and the fog finally lifts.

Inspired by the beauty of Vinalhaven island and the people who live there.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller Suspense

299 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 4, 2025

Reviews

[Dan Fitzmaurice · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway away!!!
Unfortunately I think it’s a 2.5
As this is being narrated by the main character I don’t understand why it wasn’t linear. Also there were too many situations where the narrator was giving details to conversations that the narrator was not involved in. Also I didn’t buy the ending

[Kate O'Shea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not one for me I'm afraid.

The plot revolves around Archer Island where Jon Davis is a carpenter and recovering alcoholic. His father Bobby has just come to live with him which is causing Jon more heartache as they had a troubled relationship when he was a boy. But Bobby is a big hit with the other islanders, especially Ingrid (the Island Queen) who is beginning to show signs of dementia.

Of course not everyone is delighted with Bobby's romance including Kevin and Olivia - Ingrid's children. This leads to a backlash and Jon and tragedy for the Island.

I chose this book because of the intriguing title, which refers to a particular type of fog that occurs on Archer Island.

Unfortunately, the novel wasn't for me. I didn't feel particularly sympathetic to any of the characters, I often got lost with the storyline which does jump around quite a bit. The story didn't really flow for me and I found the dialogue stilted and clunky.

Thankyou to Netgalley and Publerati for the advance review copy.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thickafog is marketed as a psychological mystery, but it is, more accurately, a family drama. Jon is a carpenter who lives a quiet life on Archer Island off the coast of Maine. When his elderly father is kicked out of assisted living in Florida, Jon reluctantly takes him into his home. After falling for Ingrid, lovingly nicknamed the Island Queen, Jon's dad moves in with her to assist with daily life as she slips away from dementia, despite vehement protests from her two children. One morning, he's found at the bottom of the overlook next to Jon's house. Accident, suicide, or murder? The story weaves back and forth between the months before and after the death. Some of the dialogue and political mentions are unnatural and heavy-handed, but as long as you're not expecting a taut mystery, Thickafog is an entertaining glimpse into island life. I received an ARC from the publisher, Publerati.

[MTD · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I’m a Mainer so I had no choice but to like this book 😃. The locals vs. summer people theme is well-trod and was always present, but the story was mostly focused on the locals. The dialogue and the characterizations were definitely familiar to me. I was expecting a cozy procedural mystery, but it was more like a fully-formed story with a murder thrown in. The writing is no-frills, and the pacing is a bit uneven, but it was an enjoyable read. I’m interested to read some of the author’s other books, and hope to read more about Archer Island and its inhabitants.

I received this ARC from the publisher, Publerati via the Publishers Weekly Grab-a-Galley giveaway.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book as a Good Reads Giveaway and you just never know, but will say this story line sure pulled me in from the start. Even though this is a "who done it" it also was very real, in depicting real life struggles. Year round vs summer people, struggles with drug and alcohol addiction, and relationship struggles. Real life story lines that people face everywhere regardless of where you live. I figured midway through the "who done it" but was totally wrong on the reason "why" until the very end.

[Savonna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Though marketed as a mystery, Thickafog reads more like a year-in-the-life of a dysfunctional family. Jon Davis, an alcoholic carpenter struggling to maintain sobriety, takes his father Bobby in when Bobby is thrown out of his retirement home. Their relationship is fraught with old grudges and disappointments, but it doesn’t take long for Jon to realize his father isn’t the irredeemable jerk he’s always believed him to be. Bobby proves to be popular with the locals, especially Ingrid, an island woman with whom he falls in love. That’s when the real trouble starts. Ingrid has money and her greedy children believe Bobby is out to get it. When Bobby turns up dead, there is no dearth of suspects, and one of them is his own son. The premise of the book is fine, but it never really gels. Even the author wonders if it’s possible “some readers were confused by my use of time and the shifting point-of-view within this novel.” Yes, they were. At least this one was. Thickafog is for readers who prefer their mysteries with a slow pace and only a modicum of tension and suspense. Note: I received this book in a Goodreads Giveaway.

[Colleen Maclennan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely not a psychological mystery . This book takes place on a remote island in Maine where the summer months are full of tourists but fall , winter and spring months are desolate . Main character Jon makes his home here doing odd construction jobs . His eighty year old father Bobby who lived in an old age facility returns to live with him and begins a relationship with Ingrid who is just as old , has dementia and greedy children . A gamut of characters who have issues all seem to be suspects in the killing of Jon’s father Bobby . Lots of family drama and the challenges of living in a small community where everyone knows your business is basically the premise of this book.

[Kathy Church · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful

This book is so good. I enjoyed the characters and how they interacted. I never saw this ending coming, but it was perfect!

[Nicolette Thurlow · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75🌟rounding up. As a Mainer, this felt like a story that could actually happen. I loved the mystery aspect of it, as it kept me hooked while also getting a “slice of life” on Archer Island. The characters all seemed like they could be real people you might meet while in Maine (I also loved how the author wrote out the Maine accent for some of them). Many of the topics were set in reality as well; drugs, alcohol, the influx of “people from away” coming to live here, politics etc. Those issues all felt extremely relevant. It was easy to build a case as to why several of the characters may have had a motive to kill Bobby, and up until the last few chapters, I hadn’t figured it out yet. I did guess the killer before it was revealed, but they were NOT one of my initial suspects. This is a great little cozy mystery 🩵

[Lexi Helton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Y'ALL! This is unlike anything I typically read and I figured, I won it in a giveaway so I might as well give it a try. I loved it! It really makes you think deeply about things books don't typically invest you in. We've all heard the term 'young love', but get ready for some old love (you'll get it once you read it). There's so many levels to the book, from addiction, to teenage trauma, a murder mystery, dementia, finding love, etc... Read it and thank me later, or rather, the author !

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review

This was a refreshing and timely novel. It talked about politics and drugs that affect society today. It had great and interesting characters. The story was very interesting as well. It would make a great series about the other Islanders.

[Christina McWain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thikafog

Very good story! This book left you wanting more! I definitely didn't guess the killer correctly or even how it ended! This is a must read!

[Brook Sulloway · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice mix of murder mystery with flavor of Maine island life and contemporary social issues.

[J Duncan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very enjoyable and easy read. Never would have guessed the ending!

[Nancy Shaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots going on in this book. Small town, small island, and all that vines with knowing everyone. Two older people fall in love, not without much ado from family and the town. Does he love her or want her money? There’s drugs and drinking and ask bad things which come with those. But all in all it is tender and makes the trader want things to turn out well. I liked this book (Vinalhaven?)

[Geoffrey Dutton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder, He Wrote

Thickafog is what residents of Archer Island call the type of fog that unrolls over them from the Gulf of Maine, like a red carpet except it’s grey and hard to see through. Archer Island is two islands, one in warm months when it collects visitors, the other in the cold ones when they dissipate. It’s got a ferry terminal, a school system, a part-time policeman, a pretty good grocery store, a tavern for its sole restaurant, and even the Internet. We know nothing about its governance or political climate beyond that MAGA and Liberal types manage to coexist. The island used to supply granite blocks up and down the coast until the company ran out of it, but fortunes were made and handed down. Now the only industry is lobstering, and no one seems to be getting rich from working in it. But they catch a lot more than islanders can eat, so someone must be making money even if the lobstermen aren’t.

We know most of that courtesy of the main narrator, Jon Davis, a single finish carpenter in his thirties, I would say, with irregular gigs and a drinking problem. John lives alone in a large house bequeathed from his mother, but not recently. His estranged father, who got kicked out of a senior community in Florida for allegedly defrauding a female resident, has moved in with Jon. He’d never been to the island before and it takes some adjusting. But even at 83, Jon’s dad is a pretty sharp cookie and not past womanizing, which he proceeds to do to 80-something Ingrid Backlund, heiress of the quarry fortune and known as the Island Queen. Though somewhat regal, she’s articulate, sometimes peppery, and well-read, and Bobby finds her very attractive. Jon isn’t so sure about their budding love affair, nor are Ingrid’s kids, particularly her townie son Kevin, a bad seed if there ever was one and a druggie to boot.

Jon gets a job building a mansion for a West Coast billionaire overseen by a shady contractor from the mainland named Shane, who has annoyed everyone by taking up three spaces in the town lot with his beat-up RV. Kevin joins the crew, and then things start to go missing from the job site. Keven quickly comes to hate Bobby, whom he believes is a gold-digger bent on appropriating his mother’s big house when she dies. Ingrid suffers from dementia that worsens as time goes by. Everyone, including Kevin, wonders if Bobby is exploiting her forgetfulness for personal gain. And while personal gain is important to hopped-up Kevin, it’s not clear if it is for chivalrous Bobby. And then Bobby is murdered.

Sometimes working on the job site with Jon is Charlie, a motherless sixteen-year-old off-islander who is being sheltered by Jon’s good friend friend Dale. Charlie’s a good kid whose mother is up on drug charges and Dale is trying to keep him out of foster care, but Charlie, despite being bright and athletic, has trouble fitting in with his new peers. So Jon mentors him in carpentry and urges him to study computer programming because Charlie says he wants to design video games. But when Dale decides to move to New Jersey, Charlie neither wants to come nor wishes to stay. The obvious thing for Jon to do is to take Charlie in, but he feels he would fail due to the grip booze has on him, despite his friends urging him to sober up and shelter Charlie. Jon knows he should sober up and man up, but can’t bring himself to do that.

Bobby met his untimely end one thickafog night standing by the quarry, when someone beaned him with a rock and Bobby fell to his death. We learn this early on. The principle suspect is Jon, who was known to feud with his father. Somehow the rock that bashed Bobby’s skull was identified the next day and upon inspection features both John and Kevin’s fingerprints. So now what?

When questioned by police, Kevin said he was with his mother. John, who was at home, crashed in a drunken stupor, couldn’t recall if he’d been with his father or not. Naturally, he becomes the prime suspect in the absence of corroborating evidence. Even though townspeople rally to his support, Jon still feels bummed.

Though actively alcoholic, Jon has great diction as a narrator, thankfully without a Downeast accent, though there are plenty of those sprinkled into dialog. Sometimes a more distant narrator takes over, mostly recounting off-island events. It sometimes is hard to make the switch, as it is for Mason’s switches in time; chapters oscillate between November 2022 and December 2023. Each time it happened, to root my understanding I had to ask myself, “Is Bobby dead yet?” But after a dozen or so chapters of this murky timeline, I tired of keeping track.

There are many conversations between John and others and others and others, mostly well-handled. But some go on for quite a few pages, especially ones between Bobby and Ingrid, who both seem to have wide-ranging interests and sources of information, Ingrid in particular due to knowing everyone in town. I wish the editor had red-penciled some of them because they slow the pace down, not that it’s fast to begin with.

It’s not much of a spoiler to say that all but four characters get out alive. When, at the end, Bobby’s assailant is revealed, it’s a bit of a surprise. The culprit might have been easier to guess that and follow the plotline had the author not sliced and diced time as he did.

Thickafog vividly portrays an insular sort of place that boatloads of people visit but don’t get to know very well. Mason, who lives on Vinalhaven Island, knows the territory well. Thickafog is the first in a series called The Archer Island Mysteries, but it’s not Mason’s debut. He’s written a nonfiction book about Island of Shoals, three works of fiction under the name Don Trowden, and another co-authored with Valerie McKee. It moves slowly sometimes, but you won’t often notice thanks to its well-wrought characters, believable dialog, grounded sense of place, and local color. Despite some plot points that stretch credulity, it’s a successful telling that anyone who’s a fan of Murder, She Wrote can enjoy.

[Robin Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the remote setting of a small community on an island off the coast of Maine. Having lived on the coast myself I fully understand the huge variation between life during the winter, and the busy summer tourist season.
The characterisation is particularly impressive - Bobby, Ingrid, Jon, Charlie, Kevin...to name but a few - and I was totally hooked from the very beginning.
The plot has many layers apart from the mystery at the heart of the story. The author comments through his fiction on America's dreadful opioid problem and how this is having a devastating effect even in an isolated community. There is also a very sensitively handled love affair between two octogenarians and the opposition they faced from their adult children.
The narrative is evocative and emotionally poignant written with honesty and integrity creating an all encompassing sense of realism.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

THICKAFOG
BY: CALEB MASON

"THICKAFOG," by new to me Author, Caleb Mason sure got the flavor of Island life in Maine by either visiting, living or researching it. I know a few people who live there, and as it is a neighboring State I've been there throughout my life. The State line entering Southern Maine is about a 35 minute ride if driving and is quite beautiful. My eldest son has a Government job there, which coincidentally I said all his life, that he looked so much like my father who's deceased now, but retired from that same job in Southern Maine. I have a good friend that also lives farther North, also on the Coast which while I was reading this, I thought a lot about his daughter that battled addiction. The Protagonist a guy named Jon, also deals with addiction only the two I thought about were addicted to different substances. Maine is North of where I live but I really think Southern Maine along the Atlantic ocean's coastal area is a beautiful place to live year around. It's where both President Bushes resided in the Summer further North. I realize that this takes place on Archer Island, which I've never heard about before reading this so if in fact, it does exist and isn't fictional resembles the atmospheric foggy cold Winters that I remembered visiting my husband before we got married and had kids, but we were engaged and living together at the time decades ago.

This is a murder mystery but also delves into complex relationships especially between Jon and his father, Bobby who moves in with Jon after leaving Florida in an elderly home where Bobby as some might see it acted out of line with a woman. Jon and his father had not been on the best of terms when Bobby came to live with him at first, but things were improving when Bobby got killed. Was it an accident? Was it a suicide? Was it a murder?

Beyond this being a mystery, the writing by Caleb Mason beautifully evokes an atmospheric setting that is vivid, and explores the us versus them, between some of the inhabitants which could be judgmental especially Bobby's girlfriend's son. Bobby was involved with a woman who was afflicted with the dreaded aspects involved with dementia that too many elderly people face. Her son was suspicious of Bobby's intentions with his elderly mom, and perhaps too concerned about his inheritance rather than his mother's potential well being and contentedness since she's still alive. It was rather sad how her son was more concerned with her money than her quality of life. Which as far as I'm concerned was only her business, and depicted the stereotypical small community of some of the Island's limiting points of view regarding how they viewed interpersonal relationships, Archer Island where some of the Island's inhabitants view people as Summer people who don't live there year around.

People are biologically hard wired by evolution to want to connect all their lives. This was so much more than a murder mystery. This author has created an artistic work of depth that explores the intricate inner emotional dynamics, but has additionally given a murder mystery. If considering reading this, you'll be treated to an immersive, and compelling storytelling by a writer well above average. I could tell before I read this that I would love this as much as I did, and am astonished that this isn't more popular, and it's not something that I've come across more often since this is my kind of novel. It is refreshing to discover his wide range of scope that only those who have lived, and gained the wisdom that comes from the maturity of life experience, or has been exposed to a well rounded education in the appreciation of humanity, that takes some of us both to achieve. Caleb Mason is an author to watch, and I recommend this to readers since I believe it deserves to reach as wide an audience as possible, knowing that it won't appeal to those die hard thriller fans. It offers so much more. I think lovers of Literary Fiction fans will really appreciate this spectacular, and erudite author's talent.

Publication Date: March 4, 2025! AVAILABLE NOW FOR PURCHASE THAT IS THAT RARE BLEND OF BOTH LITERARY FICTION, AND MYSTERY & THRILLERS! AN EXCEPTIONAL AUTHOR!

Thank you to Net Galley, Caleb Mason, and Publerati/BookBaby for generously providing me with my wonderful ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions as always, are entirely my own.

#Thickafog #CalebMason #PubleratiBookBaby #NetGalley

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jon Davis’s sobriety flies out the window after his aging father comes to live with him. Bobby (Robert) Davis has been “kicked out” of his long-term care facility in FL due to drained savings and a few shenanigans. Jon’s solitary life on isolated Archer Island, 10 miles off the mainland, is totally disrupted, and he begins to spiral downward when his dad takes up with Swan’s Cove matriarch, Ingrid Buckland just as her vascular dementia begins to progress. Nine months later, Bobby is found at the bottom of a cliff, dead from head trauma. The story continues as the author sketches in character lives, and as the authorities attempt to solve Bobby’s murder. In fact, it’s the author’s character development (of which there are many) and setting descriptions that greatly add to the atmosphere of his novel. The use of changing point-of-view helps to fill in some gaps for the reader. What I did not find as effective was the use of time hopping during the 12+ months the book covers. Overall, it is a highly satisfying read. Just as the “thickafog” lifts from the island, so does the fog lift from the alcohol-soaked brain of Jon, as he increasingly interacts with his father and with the tight community that supports and surrounds him. Caleb Mason Thank you to the author and Goodreads for the opportunity to review this mystery novel!

[Haly Hoards Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thickafog is listed as a murder mystery; however, in my opinion it is a love story. It isn't a love story in the typical sense either. I was given a free advance reader copy of this novel and I am offering my thoughts in this review.

The murder of Bobby is not the main theme of Thickafog. What takes front and center is a theme of love. There is the love of the sea by the lobstermen and fisherman. The love of the island by all of it's citizens. The love and concern each islander has for their fellow citizens.

The love story between two older characters is focused on the most, even over the murder. This love is pure and so lovely. Mason took care to show us how the love between two octogenarians is so gentle and at the same time fraught with the challenges of dementia.

While there is a lot of love on the island there are also issues with addiction, both to drugs and alcohol. Addiction leads to theft, violence and murder.

The ending and discovery of the murderer is a surprise. It was not what I expected. But, it is a happy ending.

I was not a fan of how Mason handled the time-line. It bounced back and forth between the events of the present and three months prior. I found this to make the flow of the novel disjointed and confusing. Mason addresses his choice to use this type of time-line but I still don't agree with it.

[Mandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a really enjoyable read – which I really enjoyed! More of a family drama than the mystery it is billed as, it’s set on remote Archer Island off the coast of Maine. The story centres on Jon Davis, a carpenter battling alcoholism, who becomes a suspect in a murder enquiry. That’s the mystery at the heart of the book and the thread that runs through it, but essentially the novel is about the characters who live on or visit Archer Island and their interactions. Jon’s life becomes complicated when his father Bobby moves to the Island to live with Jon after he is “expelled” from his assisted living facility, and begins a romantic relationship with Ingrid Backlund, the “Island Queen”, a relationship that creates all sorts of tensions, particularly with Ingrid’s drug dealer son Kevin, who mistrusts Bobby. The novel rattles along at a good pace and sustains the tension about the murder very cleverly. It’s a multi-layered narrative that deals with some serious issues – addiction, dysfunctional families, illness and ageing – but maintains a fairly light touch. There’s a lot of dialogue, which sometimes feels stilted, but overall Archer Island is an interesting place to be and I was glad to spend time there.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure, I was born, raised, and live on the island that is the backdrop for this novel, I also know the author and joined a creative writing group that he started at the local library a year or so ago. That aside Caleb, as someone from "away", did a wonderful job capturing many of the dynamics of island life. The incredible sense of community, the daily struggles of coexisting with other humans with differing opinions, beliefs, lifestyles, morals, ethics, ....all woven into a story that explorers family dynamics, addiction, drug related crime, greed, classism snobbery, the changing economic engines (manual labor productivity to more tech based), and love and kindness with all of its pitfalls and rewards. Yes, there is a murder mystery to be solved, but this is more a multi level look at the human condition the good, the not so good, and the down right horrible.

Well done my friend, I truly enjoyed the read.

[Margie Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a murder mystery at its center, but it's more of a literary mystery. The main character, Jon, finds himself taking in his estranged father who is in his 80s, and for a time they live together on an island in New England. The island and it's varied community of quirky characters are a well-written backdrop for their difficult and changing relationship. Jon is a recovering alcoholic, and is also in recovery from his dysfunctional early life. The author does a fine job telling the story of Jon and his father at this late stage of their lives. I enjoyed the book, which I received from Publishers Weekly for free. One minor flaw is that the conversations between its two teen characters was a little less authentic than the rest of the dialogue in the book. The author changes point of view in various chapters, but I found it to be seamless, and did not interfere with the momentum of the plot.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mystery novel set on an island off the coast of Maine? That was enough to hook me. The writing was good enough to keep me wondering what happened to the characters. The author gives you the story in dribs and drabs, jumping back and forth across the span of events. I found that acceptable since I was more interested in the characters. The island is almost a character.

This novel is a story I wasn’t expecting to find. It’s about difficult relationships and how people change (or don’t). The characters are believable. They felt real. The island felt real. ( I spent a fair amount of time as a kid with family visiting Nantucket. I’ve spent a vacation on Block Island off season.) I enjoyed seeing the main character try to make his way through his life with all its complications while grappling with his relationship with his father and then others. The ending took me pleasantly by surprise on many levels.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this. There were too many little story lines that were easy enough to follow, but I felt the author tried to include too many aspects of human brokenness in one novel, and too little of redemption, adding to the gloominess of the story. I have been to the islands off Maine, yes, the fog can roll in, but the scenery is otherwise beautiful, an impression not conveyed by the author. I did not appreciate the language, either. Too many f-bombs to my liking, showing another weakness in the writing.

[Alex Riseman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grateful to have won this book in a giveaway! It was such an interesting read. The way the chapters were organized, jumping around in time, was something I really loved. The story was interesting and sad but also full of hope. I enjoyed reading this. It’s not my typical interest as when I read mysteries I usually go for older books so having covid and trump/biden brought up threw me a little bit but not in a bad way! It was a good change for me. There were some errors I caught which were a bit irksome but besides that I liked this a lot!

[Dawn Byers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book on goodreads for an honest review-
A remote island in Maine where Jon lives struggling with his alcohol addiction when his father moves in with him and then falls in love with Ingrid and moves in with her. She is suffering dementia and her son worries he will steal her inheritance. And then the father is murdered and Jon is the prime suspect— did he kill his father? Did the son? Or who and why? A complex story of drugs, shady dealings, murder, and romance.

[Pufflez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic who done it

The book was good the story was interesting though I felt the relationship with Linda was a bit rushed and felt like just a convenient way to progress the story the ending felt a tad predictable when the author started focusing solely on Charlie it was a little obvious but overall the story was good felt like the characters had charm and I liked the concept it was a pleasant read and it was different which I liked

[Mary C · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love well-developed characters and this book has no shortage. I really felt like I was a part of the story and I knew these people! I don’t want to spoil anything but the community that you are brought into is so realistic and I would definitely recommend this one. I think I would honestly love another book from this little island- maybe the original islanders? Anyway- solid story, well-written, felt like I was sitting by a fireplace listening to old stories about the highs and lows of life.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this book is like living on a small island off the coast of Maine for a year and dropping into the lives of its inhabitants, both summer vacationers and year-rounders. The characters are well-drawn and intriguing, and the mystery, told out of chronological order, is compelling. The influence of drug and alcohol addiction on the events of the story make it feel realistic and timely, and the tone never gets preachy. A good way to get away from it all for a little while.