BAL HARBOUR

by W.E. Smith ‧ RELEASE DATE: N/A

In Smith’s novel, a seasoned homicide detective looks into the murder of an opera composer.

Miami-Dade police lieutenant Frank Nelson’s latest case kicks off at a Florida beach resort. A maid has discovered the body of Robin Markson, whom someone has bludgeoned to death. Nelson and his team, including tenacious detective Maria Elena Sanchez, initially suspect this is a burglary gone wrong. Markson’s wallet is at the scene, but so is a receipt for a just-purchased $14,000 necklace, which is nowhere to be found. The detectives question the resort staff as well as Markson’s friends and family, but whoever he bought that necklace for, and just who was supposed to join him for a dinner reservation for two, remains a mystery. Markson’s upcoming opera further piles on the questions—Nelson, after watching a posthumous performance, is convinced that it’s based on the composer’s real life. This leads him to more than one suspect and a potential motive other than theft. Meanwhile, the lieutenant submerges himself in the opera world, where beautiful singing doesn’t completely mask the story’s grim undertones; Markson, “one of the nicest men” with no discernible enemies, may have a dark secret that’ll come to light. Delving into his past and his final days stirs up a few unexpected tidbits, such as a possible tie to something illicit and an old relationship that may involve lingering sentiments. All Nelson, Sanchez, and the rest of the team have to do is find a piece of evidence that points to a culprit.

Smith’s tale moves at an effective pace, immediately getting into the murder case and showing the detectives methodically searching for and examining clues. The narrative eventually slows down as burgeoning opera fan Nelson borrows DVDs of performances, prompting the author to note copious specifics regarding what he’s watching in the course of the policeman’s relaxed, conversational first-person narration. (He recounts the story with the reader in mind, saying such things as “I know what you’re thinking” or promising that he “won’t bore you with the details.”) Nelson is an easy protagonist to like; he’s respectful to his colleagues and generally considerate to people he interviews, especially the ones deeply affected by the homicide (like Markson’s daughter). The lieutenant is also a family man who thinks about and misses his wife and their two kids, and he contemplates a way to spend more time at home. His narrative perspective intermittently alternates with that of local newspaper arts writer Ralph Owens, who had once interviewed Markson. Owens’ viewpoint is a welcome change from Nelson’s—while he understandably has less insight into the homicide, Owens is in tune with the world of opera, in which Markson was greatly admired. The author ably describes his distinctive Southern setting: “Out around Big Cypress Swamp, just as the sun turned into a magnificent, incandescent ember, I pulled into a turn-off with a view of the marshes. With the light breeze against my back, everything was so subdued I hardly noticed the rumble of the rare passing car.”

A marvelous sleuthing hero effortlessly carries this slow-burn mystery.

Pub Date: N/A

ISBN: 9780998484747

Page Count: 298

Publisher: Moose Mountain Books

Review Posted Online: April 2, 2025

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

MYSTERY & DETECTIVE | POLICE PROCEDURALS | DETECTIVES & PRIVATE INVESTIGATORS