Whirlpool

by Barry Estabrook

First published 1995

Detective Garwood Plunkett thought he knew how to handle small-town crime in the Adirondacks. Then an angler's hook snags the body of real estate developer Barron Quinell from the lake. Plunkett is a seasoned cop who trusts his gut over procedure, but this case pulls him into deeper waters than he expected. The investigation reveals layers of deception that stretch from the mountain lakes of upstate New York down to the gritty streets of Manhattan. Quinell's striking widow isn't sitting idle while Plunkett works the case. She has her own plan brewing, one that draws the detective directly into her web. Her scheme could deliver freedom and happiness for both of them, or it might destroy everything they value. Plunkett must navigate between his duty as a cop and the dangerous allure of a woman who may hold the keys to both salvation and ruin.

Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective

Vibes: atmospheric, fast-paced, suspenseful

Tropes: amateur-sleuth, unreliable-narrator

Setting: Adirondacks, Manhattan, New York

280 pages · Hardcover · St Martins Pr

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