Blood and Guile

Following the rousing Tidewater Blood (1998), Hoffman delivers another outstanding novel, which begins with a seemingly simple, albeit unfortunate, hunting accident. Walter B. Frampton II, the bemused, slightly effete yet dogged lawyer from the earlier novel, returns in this beautifully written, character-driven story of secrets and deceptions. An attorney in the Tidewater town of Jessup's Wharf, Va., Walter joins his two oldest friends, Drake Wingo and Cliff Dickens, on a grouse-hunting trip to Drake's rented land in the West Virginia mountains. Also along is Wendell Ripley, an unassuming member of a peaceful religious cult and the owner of the rented property, which Drake hopes to purchase. Cliff inadvertently kills Ripley while shooting at a bird, but a wily county sheriff, Bruce B. Sawyers, comes up with a different scenario and arrests Cliff, Walter's client, for murder. Despite Cliff's protestations of innocence, Walter doubts that he's telling the truth. As Walter investigates the case on his own, he discovers a side of the dilettante Cliff he never suspected. He also learns that the ties between Drake and Cliff are sinister and powerful, leading to a dramatic, sad and very human climax. A fine writer, Hoffman will appeal to readers who appreciate literary fiction. He imbues his mystery with lyrical evocations of the haunting, overgrown West Virginia mountains and shows the beauty of the placid Tidewater farming and horse country, as well as threats to it by greedy outsiders. He also creates believable characters, courtly, articulate and wise. Yet beneath that patina of respectability lie hidden torments. A favorite of critics and, increasingly, of readers, Hoffman's new novel should attract particular attention from savvy booksellers. (Nov.)