Cape Diamond
A Frank Yakabuski Mystery
by Ron Corbett
This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app
1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date 23 Oct 2018 | Archive Date 22 Oct 2018
Talking about this book? Use #CapeDiamond #NetGalley. More hashtag tips!
Description
Cape Diamond, the second book in the Frank Yakabuski Mystery series, is atmospheric and action-packed. Set near the Northern Divide — as was the first installment, Edgar Award nominee (Best Paperback Original), Ragged Lake — the book opens with Yakabuski called to investigate a gruesome crime scene. A body has been left hanging from a schoolyard fence. On closer inspection, Yak finds a large diamond in the murder victim’s mouth.
Two criminal gangs — the Shiners and the Travellers — are fighting with each other, and Yakabuski turns to his father, a now-retired detective who has a long history with the gangs, for advice in the interrogation. Is the conflict over the murder of two men? The kidnapping of a little girl? Or, possibly, the diamond found in Augustus Morrissey’s mouth? As if this weren’t enough for one detective, a serial killer is taking a deadly road-trip through the United States, heading towards the Northern Divide.
Ron Corbett weaves the various strands together with ingenuity, making Cape Diamond a brooding, suspense-filled story of hubris, betrayal, and evil deeds; his writing is sparse and taut, compelling the reader to follow the action and gang conflict to a surprise ending.
Advance Praise
“Corbett's well-crafted first foray into fiction takes the reader into a grisly, claustrophobic world . . . It's a visceral, occasionally blood-soaked tale that unwinds slowly and provides a shocking conclusion. Both the danger and the stark beauty of the place ring true on every level.” — Publishers Weekly reviewing Ragged Lake
“Familiar ingredients rarely combined—a starkly etched natural setting, a gung-ho cop, a series of soulful flashbacks, a violent climax—are expertly blended and brought to a full rolling boil.” — Kirkus Reviews reviewing Ragged Lake
“Ron Corbett's characters are realistic and multi-dimensional, his descriptions of the beauty and power of nature are excellent . . . Riveting from cover to cover.” — Scene Magazine reviewing Ragged Lake
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9781770413955 |
| PRICE | US$15.00 (USD) |
| PAGES | 340 |
Featured Reviews
Reviewer 173301
Corbett is back with a better thriller than Ragged Lake. Plot and narrative is more densely constructed with solid character development. Worth the read!
Elaine T, Reviewer
I would like to thank Netgalley and ECW Press for an advance copy of Cape Diamond, the second novel to feature Detective Frank Yakabuski, set in the town of Springfield in the Northern Divide, Canada.
Frank is called out to a body hanging from a fence. To his dismay he identifies it as Augustus Morrissey, former leader of The Shiners, a far reaching criminal gang and certain elements of the murder suggest the involvement of a rival gang, The Travellers, a shady group who may or may not exist. It is, however, the uncut diamond in Augustus's mouth that poses the most questions.
I thoroughly enjoyed Cape Diamond which is a clever tale of violence and misdirection set in a wild location. I had not read the first novel in the series, something I will remedy, so I wasn't sure what to expect but it far exceeded my expectations. It is written in the third person from two points of view, one from Frank and the other from a Mexican killer slowly making his way north for an ill defined purpose that becomes clearer as the novel progresses. The prose is fairly sparse and yet conveys everything the reader needs to know. I was particularly impressed by the descriptions of the location which are evocative and give a really good understanding of the harshness of the environment. I have no idea of where the Northern Divide is (and Google doesn't help) but it seems rather frontier like, full of life struggles and lawlessness.
The plot is excellent and it held me so gripped I read it in one sitting. I puzzled over what was going on as gang warfare erupts over Augustus's death but I would never have guessed the ending which is neat, clever and seems to fit the novel exactly. I'm in awe of Mr Corbett's skill at weaving his tale, building up the tension, suspense and mystery in an economical way.
The characterisation focuses on the two protagonists, Yakabuski and the killer, Cambino. In a basic way it is a lesson in compare and contrast with the good Yakabuski and the bad Cambino. Yakabuski is a dogged investigator with a bull in a china shop approach and a determination to solve the crime. Cambino, on the other hand, is also dedicated and dogged so killing is not so much a pleasure as a necessity to protect his identity and "trade". It's not something that bothers him. I found him by far the most intriguing character in the novel as his background is hinted at rather than fully explained. Was he born a psychopath or was he "nurtured"?
Cape Diamond is a great read which I have no hesitation in recommending.
Readers who liked this book also liked:
