Greenlaw, Linda: Fisherman's Bend

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Fisherman's Bend is the second installment in Linda Greenlaw's series featuring Jane Bunker, who's newly arrived from Miami to the coastal town of Green Haven, Maine. (See my review of Slipknot, the first book in Greenlaw's series.) This time out Jane's wearing two hats, supplementing her work as a marine insurance investigator with a new gig as the town's deputy sheriff. A routine investigation for the insurance company into some smashed equipment aboard a research vessel involves Jane in more serious crimes--a missing person case, a fatal drug overdose, and attempted murder. Jane's laconic sidekick and father figure Cal has been co-opted into serving as Jane's chauffeur--by boat or car depending on the requirements of the day. The tattooed and pierced Audrey, who presides over the local diner like a tyrant at court, is back serving up sass and below-par victuals. But the love interest Jane was cultivating in book one has exited the stage, leaving Jane on the lookout for another catch.

Greenlaw's latest mystery is a decent read: the plot is interesting, and the characters remain likable enough that one wants to read more in the series--and Audrey is in fact toned down from her first time out, which is a marked improvement. Greenlaw's writing is mostly transparent: you don't notice it for good or ill, except to note that the author's familiarity with things nautical is apparent on every page.