Dog Island

Dog Island

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There is a place called Dog River near Mobile, Ala., where the summer days are sultry and slow. Spanish moss hangs in the trees as heavily as moisture hangs in the air before a storm. Across Mobile Bay, on the eastern shore, Tom McInnes is spending another restless night grappling with memories of a brother who died too soon. Mike Stewart, "an attorney who lives in Birmingham, Alabama," has produced one of the most readable novels available since his Sins of the Brother, previously reviewed in this column. Stewart's writing is descriptive and sufficiently detailed to provide vivid images of his characters' emotional, intellectual and physical activities as they move through tightly constructed and carefully considered plots. Dog Island is off the Florida coast near Apalachicola, which is an easy drive from Mobile. Tom McInnes, who practices law in Mobile, is called by a friend, Susan Fitzsimmons, who wants him to drop everything to come immediately to her home. She lives on St. George Island, a barrier island near Apalachicola. He attempts to beg off but he is intrigued when she tells him a runaway teenager has come to her for help with a very unusual problem. As it turns out, the teenager, who calls herself Carli, has traveled from the northeastern United States to hide from her father. Sitting on the beach alone, she witnesses a murder and has, in turn, been seen by the murderer. The novel's chain of events moves domino-like, weaving and wobbling, zigging and zagging at an ever increasing speed. Just a short highlight list goes like this: Susan's house is badly burned when a suspect in the murder seeks to stop Tom's investigation; a primary murder suspect is found murdered in a ghastly fashion; Cuban businessmen are involved in a people-smuggling business; Carli's father shows up and attempts to cause her far more harm than the murderer and his accomplices; and Carli disappears just as Tom is making progress in helping her. It has been a privilege to read Mike Stewart's two books. They both are page-burners and a real threat to getting enough sleep. If you can find time to read just one novel in the next six months, this one should be at the head of your list. Whether dealing with life on Mobile Bay near Dog River or having the characters search for clues on Dog Island, Mike Stewart's latest novel is no dog.
Journal Date: 
Friday, June 1, 2001