The Hampton Affair
by By Lardo, Vincent
Category: Fiction , Mystery & Detective , General

Like Caesar's Gaul, East Hampton is divided into three parts: south of the highway, or oceanside, home of the landed gentry, the rich and the famous; north of the highway, home of the longtime, year-round locals; and in between the two, the realm of - who else? - the middle class. In The Hampton Affair, Vincent Lardo's debut novel, these three worlds collide in a power struggle over land, family secrets, and the almighty dollar.The Hampton Affair is told in three voices: those of Michael Anthony Ren, very south-of-the-highway, thanks to the age-old skill of marrying well; Galen Miller, very north-of-the-highway, a descendant of original East End farmers, and detective Eddy Ivans, very much in the middle, literally and figuratively. Michael is desperately trying to save his marriage, which is tied to his wife's fortune. Galen is desperately trying to save his stake in the family farm, suddenly worth a cool million, from the clutches of his conniving stepmother, who also happens to be his mistress. And in this version of North and South, Eddy has to solve the mystery of who did what to whom - and why - while trying to win the affections of the one young lady in town who appears to have all the answers. Only she's not talking.