Dark Harbor
David Hosp
(Reviewer - Narayan Radhakrishnan)
2005 Warner Books
ISBN: 044657693X

Scott Finn, rising star at a Boston law firm, has worked hard to pull himself out of poverty.

Sr. Associate Reviewer Narayan Radhakrishnan writes:

Hey, what's with these Boston lawyers? Are they quitting practice for writing legal thrillers, or what? I ask this as I have just read two stunning debuts, written by two attorneys, both from Boston.

Dark Harbor is a modern, subtle noir tale reminiscent of the style of Scott Turow & David Baldacci. The protagonist in this novel is lawyer Scott Finn. Though coming from a poor & street culture background, he has risen high in one of Boston City’s finest & venerable law firms.

Young & ambitious he's just a year away from being made full partner, when the body of Natalie Caldwell, a close colleague & former lover is found floating in Boston Harbor. Grief-stricken, life suddenly takes a turn for the worse. That Natalie was murdered, there is no doubt, but even more gruesome is the fact that her heart has been removed.

Detective Linda Flaherty, who heads the investigation, realizes that Caldwell, most probably would have been the seventh victim of a serial killer terrorizing Boston for quite sometime. As the prime accused, Scott Finn realizes the only way he can save himself is to go into & trace the life of the enigmatic Natalie Caldwell. Finn's research leads him to places he never dreamt he would ever go, & also to a killer more devilish & psycho than one would ever imagine.

Dark Harbor proved to be a real chilling read. A lawyer having an affair with a colleague & then becoming the prime accused in her murder is something which we have read before (remember Scott Turow's quintessential legal thriller Presumed Innocent) -- but save for this common factor, Dark Harbor stands on its own as a uniquely intriguing read. The author’s style of narration -- dry, tense & suspense-laced is another highlight of the work. I was glued to the pages, not knowing what would happen next.

A worthy read, highly recommended.
(09/11/05)

Narayan
2005©Narayan Radhakrishnan
A RebeccasReads.Com Sr. Associate Reviewer

Reviewer's Bio:
I am a 26 years old lawyer practicing in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. Along with my legal practice, I have finished post-graduate studies for both Business Law & Human Rights. I am a self proclaimed numero-uno legal thriller lover & am the proud owner of all of Grisham's & Turow's novels. I enjoy John Mortimer's Rumpole & relish an occasional Martini & a rare Scot(ch)t-oline with a Patterson on the side.

My work A FICTION OF LAW is now about 500 pages in length & features 500 lawyer authors & 2000 legal thrillers covering a 300 year period - inclusive of entries from the USA, UK, Asia, Europe, China, Middle East etc. Still in search of a publisher.
www.keralatourism.org