In his third Jack Delmas novel (after 2000's Green-Eyed Hurricane), Hegwood paints such an attractive picture of Dauphin Island, which lies off the coast of Alabama, one feels like packing one's bags and heading south. Jack comes to the island, very reluctantly, to investigate the murder of a young woman, Rebecca Jordan, one of four victims shot execution-style in the home of Rebecca's boyfriend, Jason Summers. The media have sensationalized the story, portraying the deaths as drug-related and Rebecca as a tramp. Her mother wants Jack to vindicate her name. Everyone's prime choice of the real target of the murders is Jason, a hotshot entrepreneur who made regular trips to Mexico in search of "clients" for his business. The authorities are convinced he was smuggling drugs, despite the lack of evidence. In truth, there's no evidence to suggest any motive for such a drastic crime. Jack's presence on the island is met with a similar, inexplicable hostility. Someone plants a letter bomb on his doorstep. Someone else threatens his daughter, with whom he has a refreshingly realistic relationship. Not easily intimidated, Jack puts his case together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, with infinite patience and ably aided by Deputy Jimbo McInnes, who wants to be a private eye. Not least of this book's charms is that the ultimate solution concerns wheelbarrows. The absence of pointless violence also helps make this a pleasant read. Author tour. (Oct. 29)
