cover image The Mystic Policeman

The Mystic Policeman

James Patrick O'Neill. Cliffhanger Press, $6.95 (207pp) ISBN 978-0-912761-08-4

The ambiguity of this novel's title is deliberate: James Curry is a cop in Mystic, Conn., who must contend with reports of ghost sightings that are muddying his attempts to solve a series of murders. The town demands action from Curry, a Vietnam vet who goes about his rounds with an empty holster. Soon Curry learns that there's a lot going on in Mystic, and it all may have to do with the various cases. Among other things, the town's matriarch is buying up property. A big-city real estate man is scouting the area. There are old vendettas that are as alive as ever. Several barn burglaries fit in somewhere. And one of the town's pride and joys, an old sailing ship, is being taken on suspicious voyages. If the low-key story is less striking than the atmospheric setting, it is still a pleasant diversion. (July)