That Which We Are

When a teenage girl goes missing and is later found dead in the resort town of Yarmouth Beach, veteran cop Nicholas Caulfield is hot on the trail of her killer, working tirelessly and without sleep until the case is solved. Along the way, Caulfield finds himself falling for a local woman and dealing with the tragic events of his past. Although Malloy%E2%80%94a retired police officer%E2%80%94knows his subject matter well and is brimming with real-life stories, his novel suffers from clunky sentences, weak dialogue, and unnecessary exposition. Additionally problematic is that many of the characters are unrealistic, e.g., Malloy's portrayal of Caulfield as a modern-day Renaissance man with knowledge of fine wine and love of literature is hard to swallow.