Dark Harbor

April 25, 2005
Compelling characters pulse through attorney Hosp's surprisingly engaging fiction debut. Why surprising? Because readers will think they've seen all this before, and more stylishly told: there's a gritty urban center (Boston) menaced by a serial killer (nicknamed "Little Jack" because of his similarities to the legendary Ripper) but protected by a tough cop (prickly police lieutenant Linda Flaherty). But Hosp works some wrinkles on the formula with a terrorist subplot and digs deep for complex portraits of Flaherty and a jittery suspect, lawyer Scott Finn. Finn was the last known person to see Natalie Caldwell, the killer's latest victim, alive: they were colleagues at the prestigious law firm as well as former lovers. At the time of her death, Natalie was defending a local security company against liability in the terrorist bombing of a commuter train. Grief over Natalie's death exacerbates Finn's feeling that he's in over his head, both with Natalie's case, which he inherits, and at the white shoe firm, where his humble roots and blue-collar affinities set him apart. Flaherty feels similarly besieged, though her demons are detective subordinates whom she can't completely trust or control. Hosp's plotting is shaggy and his book feels overlong, but by following his two protagonists into the mundane corners of their lives, he earns genuine empathy for these flawed human beings struggling to be both ethical and effective. Agent, Lisa Vance.

Starred review from May 15, 2005
Attorney Hosp's first novel is a legal thriller/murder mystery featuring Scott Finn, a lawyer on the fast track to a partnership in a prestigious Boston law firm. A child of the city's Charlestown projects who fought his way out of the gangs and violence, he finds his new life threatened when his coworker and former lover, Natalie Caldwell, is killed and dumped in Boston Harbor, apparently by a serial killer. Tapped to take over Natalie's high-profile case, Finn is haunted by her death and becomes embroiled in the mystery of her murder. Both Boston's legal community and shady associates from Finn's youth seem to be involved, and Finn finds himself caught in the middle, fighting for his own life and even becoming the chief suspect in Natalie's murder. This intricate novel is a tremendously satisfying and suspenseful read and will leave readers eagerly anticipating Hosp's next book. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 2/15/05.] -Lisa O'Hara, Univ. of Manitoba Libs., Winnipeg

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