By Allan Retzky
Oceanview Publishing, $25.95, 240 pages
Amos Posner’s life is not proceeding as planned. He is being investigated by the federal government for shady business dealings which prevents him from finding a job and he and his wife are growing increasingly distant. Things get much worse after he finds the body of an attractive psychiatry resident in his home. Panicked and afraid, Amos proceeds down a path of lies and deceit, a path that he may not leave unscathed. Vanished in the Dunes is the debut mystery novel by author Allan Retzky. He creates a vivid sense of place by using the Hamptons for the book’s setting, so much so that the location feels like its own separate character. As the plot develops, Amos makes increasingly irrational choices and justifications for his decisions. Retzky balances Amos’ narrative with other characters in the book to give a nice picture of increasing tension and doom. The story unravels logically and has some nice twists in the end. Mystery fans will enjoy this solid debut novel.
Reviewed by Barbara Cothern
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