From Publishers Weekly The latest novel by journalist Hamill (Fork in the Road) opens in 1969, when Brooklynite Danny Cassidy becomes a suspect for a murder he can't remember whether he committed or not; furthermore, the victim was his girlfriend's father and a police officer. The case never comes to trial for lack of evidence. Thirty-three years later, Danny now an aging journalist, divorced and a lousy father receives word that his own father has died. Over the course of one long weekend, Danny must return to Brooklyn to bury his father, reunite with his brother and daughter, and, most importantly, figure out who committed the murder. He must also face erstwhile sweetheart Erika Malone, throw some punches and settle some scores. While the murder mystery is captivating, with a serpentine plot that keeps the reader guessing, Hamill's cultural forays into past and present are less successful. The present-day Brooklyn he portrays is populated by affluent yuppies who say things like "Don't mind me, I have work on liquidating a dot-com to do," while the Brooklyn of 1969 is a panorama of generic, cliched burnouts with names like Hippie Helen and Dirty Jim. While not entirely chiseled, Hamill's prose does succeed in fusing the brevity of newspaper writing and the machismo of traditional detective stories, allowing for a staccato-paced plot teeming with sex and violence. Like Danny himself, the novel is mostly shrouded in a haze of nostalgia and profanity that disperses now and then to reveal an entertaining whodunit with some poignant observations about life, love and loss.Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. From Library Journal Journalist Danny Cassidy, pushing 50, divorced, and estranged from his daughter, returns to Brooklyn after 32 years to bury his father. When he fled the neighborhood in 1969, he was a speed freak and an acid head suspected of killing a bad cop, Vito Malone. To make matters worse, Vito was the father of Danny's girlfriend, Erika. Danny was so messed up on drugs at the time that he still doesn't know whether he committed the crime. What he does know is that two cops are on his tail, still trying to pin the homicide on him. If he expects to stay free and grab the chance to reconcile with both his daughter and Erika, now a wealthy entrepreneur, he's going to have to find out who killed Vito and why. Hamill (Fork in the Road) spins an engrossing tale with a host of sharply delineated characters and complications galore. Readers will enjoy the rich evocation of late-1960s Brooklyn as an extended dysfunctional family. Highly recommended for most public libraries.
