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Scotia MacKinnon is a fine protagonist. She has wit, a good attitude, a certain insouciance that fits well with her keen awareness of her strengths and limitations. MacKinnon has a hunk for a boyfriend, and a pretty good coterie of friends to help her out when necessary. As real estate salespeople are always saying, location, location, location. And shešs got one. MacKinnon lives on a small sloop docked in a marina at Friday Harbor, in the San Juan Islands. They are a group of islands at the confluence of three international waterways, Puget Sound, the Juan de Fuca Strait, and the Georgia Strait. These waterways make up a major international route for commercial and recreational shipping. Friday harbor is also an important immigration site for international travelers, and the islands have long been a prime location for those with money and those who want to retire from their previous careers. Salt water boating communities around the world have special characteristics and the author makes good use of her protagonistšs location and atmosphere. Things are pretty good with Scotia, shešs paying the bills, her mother is mostly in Southern California, and her attorney-boyfriend who lives in Seattle is very attentive. But then Chantel Rousseau appears on the scene, and on boyfriend Nickšs radar. When physician Chantel hires Scotia to find her ex-husband things get complicated. Especially when Scotia discovers the guy may be a repeat offender. Murder is not P.I. MacKinnonšs strong suit and while she knows how to use a handgun, the deeper into the mystery she goes, the more dangerous things become. This is a fast, well-thought out mystery. Therešs plenty of action in interesting locations. The characters are distinctive and individual and the writing is fine. If there are a few too many coincidences to help the plot along, the strengths of the novel more than make up for that. Any mystery fan who likes stories with a nice balance between character, plot and place, will enjoy this book.
Reviewed by Carl Brookins, August 2003
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