The Labor Day Murder

December 1, 1998
YA-Christine Bennett, her husband Jack, and their nine-month-old son head out to New York's Fire Island for a vacation. Festivities for the island's Labor Day celebration end abruptly when the fire chief is murdered. Using Jack's status as a detective, the couple conduct their own investigation and come up with myriad contradictory leads. It's only after the second, seemingly unrelated death that the mystery moves to an exciting culmination. Drawing on the picturesque environment of Fire Island, Harris provides vivid descriptions of the sun, sand, and sea. The setting becomes important as the murders take place and the landscape becomes a major factor. Rounding out her characters with an economical use of words, Harris continuously feeds in more personal details as the story progresses and the major players emerge. The killer's identity and motive should come as a surprise to most readers.-Pam Johnson, Fairfax County Public Library, VA