Thickafog
Caleb Mason. Publerati, $18.95 trade paper (356p) ISBN 979-8-9866178-4-8
In this stunning literary mystery from Mason (coauthor of Young Again, as Don Trowden), a gruff carpenter becomes the primary suspect in his father’s murder. Nine months ago, alcoholic loner Jon Davis’s estranged father, Bobby, moved in with him on Maine’s Archer Island. Though Bobby was kicked out of his Florida assisted living facility, he manages to charm most of Archer’s year-rounders—especially “Island Queen” Ingrid Backlund. But Ingrid suffers from early-onset dementia, and her family sees Bobby as a suspicious, smooth-talking outsider. When Bobby is found dead at the bottom of a popular scenic overlook, Jon’s fingerprints are found on the rock that police assume to be the murder weapon. Much of the story unfolds in flashback, with Jon sketching in his and Bobby’s strained relationship and turning a suspicious eye toward his colleague, Kevin, who happens to be Ingrid’s wayward son. A plot thread following Jon’s mentorship of a troubled teenage carpenter illuminates the novel’s central theme: “the good that comes from the bad.” Mason burrows deep into Jon’s battered psyche and Archer Island’s insular community, and he paints nuanced portraits of his main characters without ever letting the intrigue slacken. Readers who like their whodunits on the meditative side will love this. (Mar.)
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Reviewed on: 02/17/2025
Genre: Mystery/Thriller