Synopsis
The cozy New England town of Newbury, Connecticut, is not immune to the relentless spread of McMansions carpeting the countryside. Ben Abbott, realtor and private detective, refuses to sell them. But Ben is not the only citizen of Newbury who is provoked by oversized, ugly, wasteful houses. The corpse of Billy Tiller, Newbury's greediest developer, was just discovered underneath his bulldozer. Young eco-activist Jeff Kimball, who is arrested at the controls of the bulldozer, protests his innocence. Connecticut's state attorney sees an open-and-shut TV murder trial that will vault him into the U.S. Senate. And Ira Levy, the small-town criminal defense lawyer hired by Jeff's father, longs to impress movers and shakers in New York City. How can Ben possibly prove Jeff Kimball innocent of a crime that State Police Major Crime Squad Lieutenant Marian Boyce styles "perpetrator on bulldozer on victim"? Praise for McMansion... "This novel will resonate with those in the countless communities that are beset by real estate monstrosities." -Publishers Weekly "...loaded with wry humor and deftly drawn characters." -The Boston Globe Justin Scott has written 24 novels, mostly under his own name, and five modern sea stories under his pen name, Paul Garrison. He has been twice nominated for the Edgar Allan Poe Award by the Mystery Writers of America, and is a member of the Adams Round Table. E-mail: benabbott@aol.com Web: seastoriesbypaulgarrison.com
Review
What a civilized pleasure awaits readers inside the handsomely designed doors of Justin Scott's McMansions. In today's world of too many mysteries too closely-spaced, over-sized and under-crafted, Scott's new Ben Abbott novel is designed like a fine house with the rare traditional delights of appealing characters, authentic setting, witty social comedy, and a really good suspenseful plot. So pull up a comfortable chair by the classic fire and enjoy your stay in McMansions. Michael Malone
Scott's satisfying fourth installment of his Ben Abbott series (after 2003's Frostline) hinges on the murder of Billy Tiller, a greedy developer determined to ruin the smalltown charm of Newbury, Conn., with a string of tacky starter palaces. When he's found deadrun over by a bulldozerthe police arrest a young environmental activist, Jeff Kimball. Ira Levy, Kimball's lawyer, asks Abbott, realtor-cum-PI, to dig around. Abbott doesn't want to take the casehe despised everything Tiller stood for and worries that his loathing might hamper his investigationbut Levy twists his arm. Abbott determines pretty speedily that Kimball couldn't have committed the crime, but figuring out who did is a tad trickier. Though the reader never gets to know Abbott very well, this novel will resonate with those in the countless communities that are beset by real estate monstrosities. (Jan.)
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