Wildly Crafty

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.

Reviewed for Hyperion Books and Front Street Reviews.