Axelrod's promising debut introduces a protagonist who will remind readers of Robert Parker's sleuths. The two-part story structure (Premeditationand Post Mortem) also gives readers an Ellery Queen type of opportunity to help solve the crime. --Library Journal

When Nantucket homeowner Preston Lomax is killed, everyone on the island could be a suspect. Lomax lived large, owed money, and the word was spreading he was planning to stiff them all and disappear. Chief of Police Henry Kennis, a newcomer from California, investigates with help from the State Police. Together they solve the case--or so it appears. But Kennis can't shake the feeling that they've missed something.

Kennis soon discovers scandals, intrigues and an eclectic cast of local characters--oddball journalists, surfing carpenters, drug dealers, wealthy homeowners and their slacker children. Kennis uncovers a truth that lies somewhere between the bad blood and the good neighbors.