Something Fishy

In this ';lighthearted and pleasant read for mystery and animal aficionados,' murder makes a splash at a small-town aquarium (Kirkus Reviews). Twenty acres of prime Long Island beachfront property are up for sale, and the waterfront community is divided like the Hatfields and the McCoys. Environmentalists are lined up on the side of the local Clam Cove aquarium, and business owners are aligned with millionaire land developer Lucien Moray, represented by attorney Samuel Wongwho has recently disappeared. When a body is found in a nearby inlet, wildlife magazine reporter Kristy Farrell and her veterinarian daughter take up the mystery. They discover deep secrets among the aquarium staffsecrets that point to one of them as the killer. The aquarium is soon plagued with numerous accidents, one of which threatens the lives of the two amateur sleuths. On top of all this, a second murder occurs, adding to the intrigue. Solving the mystery isn't Farrell's only challenge. When her widowed septuagenarian mother announces her engagement, Farrell suspects that her suitor isn't on the up and up. Now she's racing to discover his past while staying ahead of people whose dark secrets threaten her life ';Schmitt manages to neatly balance a considerable array of plotlines, while also employing a sufficient amount of misdirection to keep the murderer's identity uncertainThe wildlife motif works well, providing a distinctive backdrop to the mystery and a ready supply of aquatic facts.'Kirkus Reviews