The Glass Eel

In this tantalizing debut, pseudonymous father-son duo Jack and Josh Viertel introduce 49-year-old cancer survivor Jeanette King, who runs a crab shack on Maine’s Caterpillar Island. Struggling with health issues and mounting debt, Jeanette stumbles on an abandoned lobster boat owned by her unscrupulous ex-husband, Simon, that’s filled with baby eels. She sells the contents, netting $8,700 and ensnaring herself in a web of criminal activity. The legitimate East Coast eel trade is controlled by the ferocious Tommy B. Donovan, while black market dealers like Bennett Tyson operate with alarming freedom. When Jeanette discovers the body of Joey Pizio, a colleague of her ex-husband, she fears being implicated in his death and chooses not to report it. Instead, she lends Bennett a hand transporting eels, hoping to get to the bottom of Joey’s death and her ex-husband’s underworld connections in the process. Meanwhile, Korean businessman Sung Ho Han’s entanglement with corrupt ex-governor Lester Birdwell—who pressures Sung Ho for illegal kickbacks—intersects with the main action. While the large cast and copious flashbacks sometimes slow the pace, three-dimensional characters and an immersive setting enhance this fascinating crime tale. The Viertels are worth keeping tabs on. Agent: Robin Straus, Robin Straus Agency. (Sept.)