Saturday, September 19, 2009

The Long Division-Derek Nikitas

The Long Division
Derek Nikitas
Minotaur, Oct 27 2009, $24.99
ISBN 9780312363987

In Atlanta, house cleaner Jodie Larkin cannot resits the lure of $5,000 seemingly lying around in her client’s home nor the car. She takes both and drives to Cape Fear, North Carolina to visit her fifteen year old son Cal Nowak; whom she gave up for adoption and has not seen in over five years.

While mother and son drive north together towards New York; SUNY college student Wynn Johnston assists his long time best friend in an attempt to find and rescue the latter’s missing sister; vanished in a haze of Upstate New York drugs. Also in Weymouth, New York sheriff deputy Sam Hartwick struggles with paying the medical bills and dealing with the emotional angst of watching his wife die from cancer; even a double homicide investigation into drug related business fails to motivate him except for one tiny fact: he is deeply involved on a personal level. The collision of these seemingly diverse scenarios will shake up the good citizens of Weymouth.

This is a terrific extremely complex and somewhat convoluted thriller as the three separate subplots seem to have no connection until the collision. Easily moving back and forth between the trio of subplots, Derek Nikitas provides a fabulous story due to a powerful fully developed ensemble cast. THE LONG DIVISION is a winner.

Harriet Klausner

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