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Billy Tiller has been found dead under the blades of a bulldozer, a young eco-activist named Jeff Kimball seated at the controls. Needless to say, Kimball is going to be prosecuted, since the state's attorney figures this is a sure way to get into the Senate. Ben Abbott, a local realtor and PI, is put on the case by Kimball's attorney, Ira Levy. There is lots of concern in town about all the new development. The historical character of the town of Newbury, Connecticut, is being destroyed by all the oversized houses being built on too small lots (McMansions) and by the raping of the landscape in order to build these monsters. Ben reluctantly takes the case. He is sort of blackmailed by Jeff's attorney, as Ben owes Ira for a horse Ben bought for a young friend. But Abbott's sensibilities belong with the town . . . his mother was a woman from Frenchtown on the other side of the tracks but Ben lives in his father's family's house on Main Street, just across from his old great-aunt, another wonderful character. Part of the fun of reading one of Scott's Newbury novels (this is number four) is the untangling of the inter-relationships. It seems as though Ben is related to almost everyone in town, His Frenchtown relatives come in handy when it is time to look on the shady side of things, but he is also well-connected on the old Yankee side. He can prove that young Kimball was not the bulldozer driver who killed Tiller. It's a little harder to prove who did, but Abbott manages that trick as well. Poisoned Pen Press has come up with another little gem of real people trying to maintain their equilibrium in spite of what most people would call progress. If you haven't read any of Justin Scott's books, this one is a good place to start.
Reviewed by Barbara Franchi, December 2006
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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