English Audio - English Audio Books

"Knopf's effortless narrative style and sense of humor bode well for the further
adventures of Sam Acquillo."--Publishers Weekly

"Though the mystery drives the plot, it's Sam's rediscovery of himself in middle age that is
the real focus in this accomplished debut novel, which also boasts outstanding dialogue and
a vividly rendered setting. Expect to hear more from Knopf; he is definitely a writer to watch."
--Booklist (starred review)

Sam Acquillo is at the end of the line. A middle-aged corporate dropout living in a ramshackle
cottage in Southampton's North Sea, Sam has abandoned friends, family, and a big-time career
to sit on his porch, drink vodka, and stare at the Little Peconic Bay.

But then the old lady next door ends up floating dead in her bathtub, and it seems that Sam is the
only one who wonders why. Despite himself, burned out, busted up, and cynical, the ex-engineer,
ex-professional boxer, ex-loving father and husband finds himself uncovering secrets no one could
have imagined, least of all Sam himself.

Meanwhile, a procession of quirky characters intrudes on Sam's misanthropic ways, the likes of which
you never knew inhabited the hidden corners of the storied Hamptons: the haves, the have-nots, and
the want-to-have-at-all-costs, some of them deadly.