Customer Reviews

HardScape

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Ben Abbott is a fiesty, resourceful, (innocent) ex-con realtor who is a great observer of people and a real sucker for the ladies. Financial and emotional needs land him inadvertantly in the middle of a murder mystery in a (usually) quiet get-away town north of NYC. Ben is personally vested in one of the victims (his cousin), and would like to be with one of the suspects (a lovely, lonely woman).

Justin Scott's writing was truly refreshing, like the New England autumn in which his wonderfully woven story takes place. His characters' dialogue is sharp and character-consistent enough that the reader doesn't need constant reminding who is speaking (unlike so many modern mystery writers whose characters are completely flat). Scott's discriptions of action and settings blend seamlessly into the story, and often are contributing factors. He addresses all sorts of folks, from NYC big-time business brokers to backwoods bumpkins, and he writes them all very well.

This is not a book to be "skimmed" -- if you do, you'll miss a number of Justin Scott's wonderful little additions. Scott has such superbly gentle command of his storytelling in HARDSCAPE that there is a great deal of depth to his characters that can be read between the lines. For instance, the hero, Ben Abbott, has many great traits, but his internal dialogue is also humorously honest about his flaws. Being a single man who loves female companionship, what Ben notices and thus describes about other characters he encounters is different: he talks about the men according to their physical size and strength (just what an ex-con would notice and evaluate - can I take him?), and he takes note of other characteristics of the fairer sex - their clothes, hair, smiles, etc... It's a really brilliantly executed character development device. Scott paints such a pretty picture of the New England countryside that one can almost smell the sweet smoke of the wood-burning stoves.

While the plot is not extraordinary and the conclusion a little too Matlock-neat to fit the rest of the lush tale, everything else IS extraordinary. HARDSCAPE is the most smartly written, engrossing, and enjoyable fiction I've read in the past year. I'm looking forward a great deal to Scott's second entry into the Ben Abbott series, STONEDUST. I highly recommend HARDSCAPE for those seeking a clever, fun mystery to get wrapped up in.

Bringing back this series was a great idea. Poison Pen has put out a wonderful looking version of this great book.

Ben Abbot is a character not to be missed. This is written with a deft style and sense of plotting that draws the reader right into the book. Scott is a must read for mystery lovers

I've enjoyed Justin Scott's sailing novels (and in fact, I think I've written two reviews years apart when I forgot that I had already done a review) and I am not a big fan of mysteries. That said, I decided to read this one to see how it went. His tone is a bit like Nelson DeMille's with a wise guy protagonist telling the story in the first person. Ben Abbott is a bit more humbled by misfortune (taking the rap in an insider trading scheme) and has done prison time. He is now back living in his childhood home with family (both reputable and not) nearby. His real estate business is slow and he listens to a PI who wants him to video a wife cheating on her rich husband. The plot gets a bit intricate at times but Scott does a good job tying all the threads together. I liked this novel and think I will buy the next one. If you like Nelson DeMille's books, you will like this one. I don't have a wide experience with mystery writers and can't get into most of them but this one held my attention until I finished it.

Justin Long introduces his rascally hero, real estate entrepreneur Ben Abbott in this tightly wound if somewhat convoluted thriller.
Abbott is hired by a wealthy businessman to photograph his wife and her handsome lover. Abbott needs the money so he reluctantly agrees, but when he sees how happy the wife and her lover are, he changes his mind. Next day, however, loverboy is found murdered on the rich lady's vast estate and Ben's cousin is also found murdered in a downed airplane rife with cocaine. How these two seemingly unrelated murders come together is plotted well by Mr. Long, and although there is a little too much padding at times, it's otherwise an ingratiating debut.

I was really suprised to see no review for Hardscape. Justin Scott has written an excellent mystery. What made it stand out for me is the protagonist Ben Abbott, a very likeable, believable, if flawed character. If you like your mysteries with some solid writing and excellent characterization, give this series a try.