The Hampton Connection [Paperback]

Vincent Lardo (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 7, 2002

A movie based on the homicide featured in The Hampton Affair is being shot-where else-in the Hamptons. And the production's been rocked by another murder. You can't buy this kind of publicity. But apparently you can kill for it.

"The Hampton Connection seeks its thrills among the rich and famous. Plenty of style and substance." (Orlando Sentinel)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"The Jockstrap Murder" has a nice ring to it, no? At least that's what the media think about their own headline for the grisly centerpiece of Lardo's Hampton Affair sequel, set once again on the eponymous East Coast playground of the rich. Heather, daughter of old salt Job Ryan, and her brother Ryan's adopted son, Bill, become reluctant accomplices in a cocaine-running operation. When the heat is turned up, Bill leaves home, only to return a year later for his acting debut at the John Drew Theater. While Bill is sweating under the footlights, Heather is murdered in Bill's rental cottage, a Freddy Parc designer jockstrap used as a garrote. Paul Monroe, the model whose body infamously appears in Freddy Parc ads, is one of Bill's cottage roommates. Paul is also the godson of producer Michael Reo, who has film plans for Paul. When Paul falls under suspicion by local detectives, Michael goes to bat. Once again Lardo proves he knows his territory, right down to the eateries and the attitudes, providing social commentary on the landscape's transformation from potato patch to Hollywood East. The locked-cottage mystery is compelling, raising a whole slew of case-related questions, not least of which is whodunit? And why with a Freddy Parc jockstrap? One crucial oversight on the detectives' part does strain credibility. Still, Lardo's tinselly tale of greed, power and murder is entertaining enough to help readers gear up for the beach season ahead.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

This follow-up to Lardo's debut, The Hampton Affair (1999), winningly captures the material-world ambience of East Hampton and its disingenuous denizens. Handsome fisherman Bill Ryan didn't want to leave his Montauk home to become an actor, but a brush with law made it mandatory. Now an "up-and-coming" star engaged to a gorgeous starlet, Ryan journeys back to East Hampton to appear in a play and ends up involved in murder. When Ryan's sister is found dead--strangled with a male undergarment made by hot designer Freddy Parc--Ryan's best friend, Paul Monroe, is the perfect suspect. Not only did he find the body but Monroe is the famous Parc underwear model. Detective Eddy Evans believes Monroe is innocent, and producer Michael Reo wants him to star in a movie, so the two join Ryan's effort to clear his friend. The mystery is fine, but the real attraction here is the Hampton "season," complete with fancy parties, hot gossip, and beautiful people. If you like glitz, you won't be able to resist it. Jenny McLarin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Berkley; Reprint edition (May 7, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425184471
• ISBN-13: 978-0425184479
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,002,411 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The McNally Connection, May 29, 2001

By 

Richard LoCascio - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Hampton Connection (Hardcover)

I became aware of Vincent Lardo's writting when he took over for the deceased Lawrence Sanders and picked up the "Archie McNally" series. What I discovered was one of the genre greats and was truly gratifide by the way he continued the adventures of our beloved Archie without missing a beat. Being a long time Sanders fan I clenched my teeth with the words, "my God he's doing it even better". So I was not surprised when I read Mr. Lardo's first offering "The Hampton Affair" and thoroughly enjoyed it. With his new book, "The Hampton Connection" Lardo has out done himself. I simply could not put it down. Being a New Yorker and having spent some time in the Hamptons made it even more enjoyable. His characters are the real deal and if this kind of caper isn't actually happening there now then I'm sure it has in the past.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another excellent Hamptons-whodunit!, May 25, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Hampton Connection (Hardcover)

Vincent Lardo's latest edition of the grisly side of the glitzy Hamptons had me on the edge of my seat. I hoped to enjoy this whodunit on the beach in the Hamptons this summer, but I just couldn't help myself. Lardo's familiarity with Long Island's East End, and its opulent inhabitants, adds a "richness" that makes the story even more inviting. The plot brings the reader through and to all the places that make the Hamptons such great fodder for the "Jockstrap Murders" of the world.

BRAVO!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Second Hampton Mystery, May 24, 2001

By 

Val Antony (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Hampton Connection (Hardcover)

Lardo's second Hampton mystery is as good as his first, THE HAMPTON AFFAIR, and in some ways better. I speak of the locked cottage mystery which keeps you guessing not only who done it but how it was done. The rich and handsome Michael Reo is back, as is Detective Eddy Evans and his girl, Helen. Added to these regulars we have Lieutenant Christopher Oliveri (Eddy's boss), Paul Monroe, the underwear model whose posters are famous, some say infamous, Bill Ryan, the Montauk fisherman turned actor, his girl Lisa, and a grand and gaudy cast of East Hampton summer folks to keep you turning pages. Cocaine smugglers, a locked room murder, glitzy parties and gossip make it the summer read of the year. Lardo knows the Hamptons and tells all...well, almost all. A great read.