The Fisherman’s Ball

Dutra (Nautical Twilight: The Story of a Cape Cod Fishing Family) makes her fiction debut with this atmospheric whodunit set in 1938 Provincetown, Mass. During a storm, Alonzo Rodrigues, a member of a trawler’s crew, deserts his vessel and swims to a Provincetown beach. Eleanor Diogo finds Alonzo lying unconscious in an alley near the shop run by her and her husband, Manny. Eleanor and Manny ensure that Alonzo receives medical attention, but their relationship with the stranger gets complicated when their 17-year-old daughter, Mary, becomes attracted to him. Meanwhile, the community prepares for the Provincetown Fishermen’s Association’s First Anniversary Ball, a benefit to raise funds for the victims of a recent devastating hurricane. A murder raises the stakes. James Crawley, the capable and affable local chief of police, leads the investigation, which ends in a surprising resolution. The book’s main strength lies in its evocative depiction of the small fishing community and its compassionate response to tragedy. [em](BookLife) [/em]