The Dead Cat Bounce, by Sarah Graves

(055357857x)

Set in a small town on an island on the northeastern coast of Maine, practically in Canada, this is formula mystery fiction at its....well, not best, but at its formulaic-ist. The mystery portion was pretty obvious, but getting to "how" again was the issue.

The main character is Jacobia Tiptree, former money manager for big-time movers and shakers in NYC, and also former wife of a jerk of a neurosurgeon. She and her teenaged son moved to Maine mostly to escape her husband, but also her job which appears to have been getting a little too Mob-friendly.

So, everything is wonderful until she finds a dead guy in her pantry. And her best friend confesses to killing him when she patently could NOT have done so. So Jake has to figure out a) why her pal is lying, and b) who killed the guy.

It's all about the characters. If the characters sucked, I'd never read this author again. But they are interesting. And the Maine setting has me interested. I wouldn't kill for these (ahem), but there are worse books out there.