Murder on Mount Desert

Murder and drug smuggling disrupt the routine of an earnest young cop on a resort island in Maine in this first novel. Patrolman Jimmy Hoitt, answering a hit-and-run fatality call, quickly discovers that it was no accident. Then he learns that the victim, under cover of the federal witness protection program, was running drugs. Promoted to temporary detective, Hoitt joins forces with the feds and a haunted ex-agent and, putting his knowledge of his hometown and neighbors to good use, helps to identify dope drops and unmask the smugglers. The overeager patrolman makes too much of early clues, leading his fellow lawmen into embarrassing foul-ups; later, his true love, Robyn Cole, becomes a pawn in the case. Like his hero, Rawson tries a little too hard, slowing the pace of his story with voluminous detail. But the author, a Maine schoolteacher, adeptly captures the milieu of fishing boats, forests and close-knit coastal islanders, and a second Jimmy Hoitt adventure will be worth a look. (Dec.)