Judson's The Bone Orchard
introduced narrator and reluctant part-time PI Declan "Mac" MacManus, a disheveled 30-something living from paycheck to paycheck in an above-bar apartment in a trendy Hamptons town. In this somber sequel of sorts, Mac gets caught in the middle of a brutal homicide, which leads to double-dealing, multiple murders and an unusual missing-persons case. At the center of the action is a prominent local family Mac once knew well. As the lines between past and present blur, Mac has to choose between saving a childhood friend and saving himself. Although Judson's cinematic prose and realistic dialogue create lush, vivid scenes, many of the events that take place here mirror those in his previous book. For example, Judson again portrays Mac and Augie, a former DEA agent and friend, as hostile strangers in the book's opening pages, and Augie's hot-for-Mac teenage daughter moves in with Mac after her father goes into hiding—a scenario played out in Judson's debut. Still, this taut thriller is far from predictable, and its dark and mysterious plot suits Judson's understated writing style. (Oct. 8)
