Eventually it is revealed that Joe has a blind date with a young woman, the first one since his fiancée was murdered two years ago. He has accepted the fact that it is time to move on with his life and that Laurel, his dead fiancée, would have wanted him to do so. After a strained, but somewhat pleasant dinner, Joe and Marlene wander around the town a bit and end up back at her apartment. The date ends with promises on both sides to get in touch again soon.

The next day, Sunday, Joe waffles about calling Marlene or letting it ride for a day or so. He eventually calls her only to have his call go unanswered. He tries again later with the same result. Has Marlene decided that he is really the loser he suspects?

Joe manages to keep himself busy for the rest of the day, but is uneasy. Finally he is contacted by Howie, a friend since childhood, now a member of the Kingston Police Department. The body of a young woman has been found near the railroad tracks and she has apparently been strangled. From what little information the police have been able to amass, Howie fears that the young woman is Marlene Frost, Joe’s date from the previous night. Because she is new to the area, not many people know her and Howie wants Joe to identify her. Reluctantly, Joe agrees and, unfortunately the young woman in question is, indeed, Marlene.

Steve Hamilton, in branching out from his Alex McKnight series, has ably demonstrated his talents as a writer. He draws in his readers by offering just enough details about his character, setting and situation to intrigue his audience. Who is this man Joe Trumbull? What is his history? What does his job as a juvenile probation officer entail? How did he end up in such a career? Just as one question is answered another crops up and the audience is drawn deeper into the story.

Hamilton uses his setting as a character as much as the people who live in it. Whereas in the Alex McKnight series the proximity of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to Canada and the ethnic composition of the population are important factors in the stories that evolve, in Joe Trumbull’s Kingston and the nearby towns, the Hudson River provides a barrier which creates a whole new set of problems. Certain towns are more affluent than others. This disparity encourages the development of attitudes and prejudices between the haves and the have-nots, and, of course, creating an environment for all sorts of problems to occur.

The main protagonist’s profession, probation officer, is one that is often confused with that of a parole officer. The author is careful to make a clear distinction between the two jobs. In addition, Joe’s late fiancée’s profession as a mentor to abused women, which is a necessary but certainly dangerous job, emphasizes the compassion his characters feel for their fellow man.

Although it is unclear whether Mr. Hamilton created this novel as a stand alone or the beginning of a different series, he adequately demonstrates his ability to develop characters that are far from perfect but have enough goodness in them that most readers will empathize with their difficulties and wish that their problems be successfully resolved.

--Andy Plonka