The Edge of the Gulf
By Hadley Hury

       Grief-stricken teacher and film critic, Hudson DeForest, returns to the cottage he shared with his late wife, Kate, in Laurel Beach, Florida to heal and start life over. He is preparing for his job as teacher at a Memphis girls’ school.

       His best friend, Charles Brompton, is preparing for retirement and making decisions as to how to leave his restaurant and bar. He plans to leave his property to his cousin and boyhood friend, attorney Peter Cullen. Peter writes to Charles, telling him not to leave his property to his godson, Chaz. Chaz, who is now married to an actress, finds the letter and sets out to claim what they consider his rightful inheritance. With Terry Main, a disgruntled restaurant employee, he enters into a conspiracy which ends in murder.

      A first novel, this is well written with a complex plot and memorable characters, their weaknesses fully portrayed. The relationships between the characters are well-developed, touching on all the deceits and betrayals and the resulting effects.

      The description of the Florida Gulf Coast is so vivid it makes the reader feel its atmosphere and landscapes as though he were experiencing them himself.