Asbury Park

Scott perfectly blends mystery and horror in his second novel featuring Virginia police detective Sailor Doyle (after 2010’s 15 Miles). During a Jersey shore vacation to try to heal his troubled marriage, Doyle finds himself stumbling into one apparently unconnected bizarre and violent situation after another. When an early morning breakfast with an elderly ex–minor league pitcher is interrupted by a falling body shattering their outdoor table, the victim (of what he suspects to be foul play), to Doyle’s horror, turns out to be his former high school teacher. Next, 35 lobsters are stolen from a restaurant by something leaving claw marks on the tank. Later, Doyle happens on a heavily armed teen in a hoodie about to shoot up a middle school. By the end, masterfully, Scott has tied everything together while providing a moving portrait of a tormented man attempting to hold his family together. Agent: Ian Drury, Sheil Land Associates. (Sept.)