Hell Gate

Awarded the 1989 Edgar for best mystery debut ( Carolina Skeletons ), Stout deftly mixes terror, fun and sadness in his second rousing tale, written with Furie. Facing divorce, Kevin and Yvonne McNulty sell their racing sloop, sailing it together to the buyer to save costly delivery charges. Leaving their home on Long Island, N.Y., the McNultys, mocking the name of their classy boat, Lark IV , display enmity to match the churning tides of Hell Gate as they pass. But when rapist-killers board the Lark , Kevin and his Vonnie team up to fight the pirates instead of each other. The authors reveal gradually that the attackers are after contraband, placed on the boat without the McNultys' knowledge. This is the basis of the somewhat protracted, nevertheless mesmerizing story, consistently suspenseful except for the easily predicted outcome of the voyage for the principals: husband and wife and their Lark IV. (July)