Fair Haven
by Laury A Egan
A picturesque riverside town. A safe, serene, friendly place. And then, one sunny summer afternoon in 1994, Sally Ann Shaffer is electrocuted in her hot tub. Who did it? One of her many lovers? Her husband? A thief? A jealous colleague at her tennis club? Fair Haven is suddenly embroiled in suspicion, interpersonal conflict, blackmail, financial fraud, and murder.
Fair Haven shares sympathies with the British crime drama, Midsomer Murders, because of its small-town setting and its diverse cast, any of whom could be the killer (except Cagney, the beagle, who leavens the plot). The primary characters include Chris Clarke, hired to photograph the crime scene and involved with Kate Morgan, a woman fighting for custody of her son (Kate has a past history with Sally Ann Shaffer); the police chief, Ray Mackie, an experienced cop who must step aside in the investigation in favor of Vincent Rivera (Rivera reports to the Major Crimes Bureau). Other players are Detective Dave DeMarco, who is coordinating the local police effort; Harry Fallon, Kate Morgan’s drunken ex-husband and a long-time lover of Sally Ann; and R.J. Baines, a realtor hiding her lesbianism and her affair with the deceased. The relationships between these characters, as well as with a tennis pro, husband, priest, and a financial fraudster, provide rich opportunities for intrigue and moments of quiet humor.
“The pace never lagged, and I was as invested in the character dramas as I was in the murder mystery itself. Which is great, given how much the story is really about those people and their community and their ties to one another…a delightfully messy tangle of motives and reasonable suspects. Classic murder mystery shenanigans. Fair Haven [is] a very worthy entry in the genre.”—Jennica Dotson, author of “A Reaper’s Folly”
Enigma Books. Pub Date: January 11, 2025 / 6 x 9 inches. Paperback and eBook. Cover design by Laury A. Egan and Andrew May. Cover photograph by Mark Schwartz.
Meet the Author:
Photo by Vicki DeVico
Laury A. Egan is the author of fourteen books of fiction: Jack & I; The Black Leopard’s Kiss & The Writer Remembers; The Psychologist’s Shadow; The Firefly; Once, Upon an Island; Wave in D Minor; Doublecrossed; Turnabout; The Swimmer; The Ungodly Hour; A Bittersweet Tale; Fabulous! An Opera Buffa; The Outcast Oracle; and Jenny Kidd, with two titles forthcoming in 2025: Fair Haven and a new story/play collection, Contrary. Her stories have been collected in Fog and Other Stories, and her short fiction and poems have appeared in 85 literary journals and in multiple anthologies. Two full-length poetry volumes, Snow, Shadow, a Stranger and Beneath the Lion’s Paw, were issued in limited edition, as were two chapbooks, Presence & Absence and The Sea & Beyond. Laury is also a fine arts photographer, a former book designer, and a reviewer for The New York Journal of Books. She lives on the northern coast of New Jersey.
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My Review:
I have had the joy of reading Laury A Egan's books in the past. I was honored to have the opportunity to read their newest release, Fair Haven. Oh my goodness. I was far from being disappointed. It was full of so much mystery and suspense. I was left guessing of who done it up until the last few pages. Once I was thinking I had it all figured it out, another twist happens. There was no way I would have been able to predict the ending.
I am going to give Fair Haven a very well deserved five plus stars. I highly recommend it for readers who love to read suspense filled mysteries. I believe they will love it as much as me.
I received a digital copy of Laury A Egan's Fair Haven from the author, but was not required to write a review, nor a positive one. This review is one hundred percent my own honest opinion.
