Amagansett [Paperback]

Mark Mills (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Berkley; First Edition. 1 in number line edition (2004)
• ISBN-10: 0425205800
• ISBN-13: 978-0425205808
• ASIN: B001VB1XXK
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,051,133 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mark Mills graduated from Cambridge University in 1986. He has lived in both Italy and France, and has written for the screen. His first novel, 'The Whaleboat House', won the 2004 Crime Writer's Association for Best Novel by a debut author. His second, 'The Savage Garden', was a Richard and Judy Summer Read and No 1 bestseller. He lives in Oxford with his wife and two children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A COMPELLING STORY, WONDERFULLY TOLD!, March 10, 2006

By 

Ellen Hanson "avid reader" (New York) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Amagansett (Paperback)

"Amagansett" not only captivates, but satisfies deeply - the sort of book every avid reader searches for. This author has mastered the art of timing - dropping information at just the right intervals to keep the reader turning pages.

It's the summer of 1947, and two Amagansett fishermen pull a woman's lifeless body from the ocean. What then unravels is the story of a handful of players in this small, Long Island town. Who was this woman? Was she murdered? If so, by whom?

The prose is simply beautiful. Here's an excerpt where Mills describes how Sag Harbor has slipped into decline: "Like some dowager princess fallen on hard times, the evening gown may have been a little frayed around the edges, but the jewels were real. No other South Fork town could boast a Main Street to match, with its imposing brick edifices, its mansions, and its stores with their generous plate-glass windows." The book is filled with such metaphors, and I found myself basking in them like a wine connoisseur tasting a high flavored Bordeaux.

A compelling story, wonderfully told!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Elegantly written, January 24, 2006

By 

Diane Valentine "In every book, there is a li... (Middletown, CT United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Amagansett (Paperback)

Without reiteerating the story line --I would say that in many ways, it is a history book. And, the history of the time, area and people -- all are meticulously researched. I bought this book because I love the Nelson DeMille books...they're quick, enticing and full of punch. And, DeMille wrote a stellar recommendation. But, I found that Amagansett was a slower read and required more discipline than a DeMille. I couldn't just pick it up and find my place -- all other details easily gathered from my memory. The story line certainly became predictable -- unlike most DeMilles - nonetheless, I heartily recommend it. It is a book to savor - not consume quickly.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Atmospheric Mystery, February 21, 2009

By 

Linda A. Slott "Ladyslott" (Oceanside, NY) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Amagansett (Paperback)

A very character driven and slowed paced mystery set in post WWII Long Island.

I really enjoyed this book. The pacing was slow, the characterization rich and the mystery quite involving. It's was also set in Long Island, where I live, in one of my favorite areas of the island - so I 'knew' many of the places mentioned in the book.

When Conrad Labarde is out fishing one morning he finds the body of Lily Wallace - the daughter of one of the wealthier 'summer people'. The local police officer, Tom Hollis, a recent NYC transplant is willing to accept the coroner's cause of death as suicide by drowning, until Conrad begins to point out some conflicting evidence. Conrad then mentions one name to Hollis, Lizzie Jenks, a young victim of a hit and run two years earlier. What does Lillian have to do with Lizzie and more to the point what does Conrad know about it?

Very complex, beautifully written and well researched this is a book to savor. The portrait of the Long Island fisherman, once the main livelihood of the east coast, now virtually extinct, is fascinating in and of itself. Not for lovers of slash and burn thrillers, this is a more literary take on a murder mystery.