Diver’s Paradise: A Roscoe Conklin Mystery

Goodwin’s impressive debut and series launch introduces retired Rockford, Ill., police detective Roscoe Conklin, who, on the verge of 50, has moved to the Caribbean island of Bonaire and bought a small hotel. His days consist of scuba diving trips and picking out tunes on his banjo between bottles of beer. Then Conklin’s former partner, Bill Ryberg, and his wife, Marybeth, are murdered back in Illinois. After providing Conklin with a few details of the deaths, his former colleagues close ranks, leaving him with more questions than answers. Meanwhile, Conklin’s friend Tiffany and her petulant boyfriend arrive for a vacation, and an angry building contractor starts to hound him. When people on the island who have had contact with Conklin start dying violently, he realizes that he may also be a target for the murderer. The plot has a few holes, but the author knows Bonaire well and provides some tantalizing descriptions of island life, including thrilling scuba diving scenes. Fans of John D. MacDonald’s Travis McGee will look forward to seeing more of Conklin. (Apr.)