McMansion: A Ben Abbott Mystery (Ben Abbott Series) - Hardcover

Scott, Justin

3.72

53 ratings by Goodreads

9781590580639: McMansion: A Ben Abbott Mystery (Ben Abbott Series)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 159058063X ISBN 13: 9781590580639

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press, 2006

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Even the cozy New England town of Newbury, onnecticut, is not immune to the relentless spread of McMansions carpeting the countryside. Ben Abbott, realtor and private detective, is so incensed that he refuses to sell them. That Ben is not the only citizen of Newbury who is provoked by over-sized, ugly, wasteful houses becomes apparent when the corpse of Billy Tiller, Newbury's greediest developer, is discovered underneath his bulldozer.
The young and troubled eco-activist Jeff Kimball, who is arrested while sitting at the controls of the bulldozer, protests his innocence. Connecticut's state's attorney sees the opportunity to prosecute an open-and-shut TV murder trial that will vault him into the U.S. Senate. While Ira Levy, the small-town criminal defense lawyer hired by Jeff's hip-hop mogul father, longs to impress movers and shakers in New York City.
Ben Abbott, deep in debt to Attorney Levy for an expensive horse he gave to 12-year-old Alison, is forced to pay off the debt by trying to prove Jeff Kimball innocent of a crime that State Police Major Crime Squad Lieutenant Marian Boyce styles "perpetrator on bulldozer on victim."
It looks that way, says Ben Abbott. But in what order did they really stack up?

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About the Author:

JUSTIN SCOTT has written thirty thrillers, historicals, and mystery novels, including The Shipkiller and Normandie Triangle. With many books set at sea, he has been called "the Dick Francis of yachting."
His main pen name is PAUL GARRISON under which he has written five modern sea thrillers including Fire and Ice, Red Sky At Morning, Sea Hunter, and The Ripple Effect, and the Paul Janson series based on a Robert Ludlum character,The Janson Command and The Janson Option).
Scott created the Ben Abbott detective series (HardScape, StoneDust, FrostLine, McMansion and Mausoleum) and was twice nominated for the Edgar Allan Poe Award by the Mystery Writers of America.
He collaborates with Clive Cussler on the Isaac Bell series (The Wrecker, The Spy, The Race, The Thief, and The Striker.) He lives in Connecticut with his wife, filmmaker Amber Edwards.

Review:

"Scott, Justin. McMansion. Jan. 2007. 262p. Poisoned Pen, $24.95 (1-59058-063-X).

Ben Abbot, a somewhat disgraced native son of Newbury, Connecticut, makes his living as a realtor and private detective. The greedy developers constructing huge mansions where open space used to be anger him to the point that he refuses to sell them. When Billy Tiller, the greediest of local developers, is found dead underneath his bulldozer with environmental activist Jeff Kimball sitting at the controls, the local police think they have an open-and-shut case. Kimball says he is innocent, but the prosecutor sees his gateway to a Senate seat, and the defense attorney sees an opportunity to impress the New York movers and shakers. Ben lands the job of helping prove Jeff’s innocence. The realtor/sleuth premise works surprisingly well in this appealing series, now in its fourth installment; readers who like their mystery plots closely tied to current events will find much to enjoy here. —Barbara Bibel" --Booklist

"Scott's satisfying fourth installment of his Ben Abbott series (after 2003'sFrostline ) hinges on the murder of Billy Tiller, a greedy developer determined to ruin the smalltown charm of Newbury, Conn., with a string of tacky starter palaces. When he's found dead-run over by a bulldozer-the police arrest a young environmental activist, Jeff Kimball. Ira Levy, Kimball's lawyer, asks Abbott, realtor-cum-PI, to dig around. Abbott doesn't want to take the case-he despised everything Tiller stood for and worries that his loathing might hamper his investigation-but Levy twists his arm. Abbott determines pretty speedily that Kimball couldn't have committed the crime, but figuring out who did is a tad trickier. Though the reader never gets to know Abbott very well, this novel will resonate with those in the countless communities that are beset by real estate monstrosities.(Jan.)" --Publishers Weekly

What a civilized pleasure awaits readers inside the handsomely designed doors of Justin Scott's McMansions. In today's world of too many mysteries too closely-spaced, over-sized and under-crafted, Scott's new Ben Abbott novel is designed like a fine house with the rare traditional delights of appealing characters, authentic setting, witty social comedy , and a really good suspenseful plot. So pull up a comfortable chair by the classic fire and enjoy your stay in McMansions. –Michael Malone

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