Slipknot
Linda Greenlaw
Reviewed by Sarra Borne
In The Perfect Storm, Sebastian
Junger describes Linda Greenlaw as "one of the best sea captains,
period,
on the East Coast." Linda Greenlaw
is also the author of award-winning nonfiction titles about her
adventures as
one of the few female swordboat captains in a dangerous and
predominantly
male-dominated line of work.
After promising her fans for
seven years, Linda Greenlaw has released her first fictional offering. Slipknot is the first in a series of
mysteries featuring protagonist Jane Bunker, a former big-city homicide
detective turned marine insurance investigator.
Jane is sent to evaluate Turners’ Fish Plant in Green Haven, Maine
for an insurance adjustment just as the body of the town drunk washes
up on the
beach. Jane uses her expertise as a
former detective to insinuate herself into the investigation. Folks just naturally assume it’s a part of
her job for Eastern Marine Security Consultants and not just pure
nosiness.
Finding her actual job relatively
uninteresting, really, just how many OSHA violations can you document
anyway
- Jane decides to play detective and
unearth the truth behind the “accidental drowning”.
This is a decision that could turn out deadly
as she finds herself in one harrowing predicament after another.
Brimming with interesting
characters; like nutty landlords Henry and Alice (who give Jane almost
no
privacy) and teenaged Audrey the heavily pierced and tattooed lunch
counter
waitress best known for dishing out gossip as well as muffins. The
author also
captures the average taciturn northeasterner with flair.
Absolutely fascinating and surprisingly educational, the
author has poured her knowledge of the sea and fishing into this book. With a quirky blend of humor and suspense,
she keeps the reader on the edge of their seat wondering just what
could
possibly happen next. Let’s all hope
that she continues to write future Jane Bunker mysteries, as there are
so many
more places she could go with this character.
Jane Bunker has real potential.