Oline Cogdill recently reviewed Dwyer Murphy’s The House on Buzzard’s Bay for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, and shared the review with us. The Poisoned Pen does have signed copies in the Webstore. https://bit.ly/4lIDusN And, as an added bonus, after the review, we have an interview with Dwyer Murphy.
Book review: ‘The House on Buzzards Bay’ an engrossing psychological thriller
‘The House on Buzzards Bay’ by Dwyer Murphy; Viking; 288 pages; $30
Longtime friends — especially those who’ve gone through many ups and downs — can have complicated relationships as Dwyer Murphy explores in his engrossing psychological thriller “The House on Buzzards Bay.”
Like a summer vacation, “The House on Buzzards Bay” moves at a languid pace showing the calm, restful days at a beach house, until those peaceful times take an abrupt turn.
Attorney Jim turned the southeastern Massachusetts beach house on Buzzards Bay that he inherited into a summer retreat that his closest friends from college could enjoy. He called it the Nanumett Sand and Swim Club.
Jim and his wife, Valentina, enjoyed hosting their friends, and the couple would make use of the house between those visits. But Jim and Valentina learned that arriving at the house during the winter was not comfortable. The group’s summer visits also dwindled as life choices, careers and family duties took priority.
Now Jim and Valentina want to restart the visits, inviting bestselling novelist Bruce, diplomat Rami, art teacher Maya and her wife, Shannon, who is expecting their first child. The friends have fun reconnecting, and the days are filled with swimming, good food, cocktails and watching Jim and Valentina’s 7-year-old twins enjoy beach life. The friends relish their strong base, that they can pick up as if no time had passed. Except for Bruce.
From the beginning, Bruce is belligerent, taking any opportunity to criticize everyone, often refusing to join meals. Things reach an impasse when Bruce berates Jim for bad parenting, resulting in a physical fight. The next day, Bruce vanishes. The friendships begin to fray when a woman named Camille shows up, claiming Bruce had invited her.
Camille ignites little feuds among the friends. The old house’s creaks intensify as if it is “troubled.” A weird séance led by Camille and a local librarian unsettles the group. A series of break-ins by local teens continue, though Jim oddly denies his house has been targeted. Secrets between Jim and Valentina begin to tumble out, undercutting their marriage.
“The House on Buzzards Bay” is part “The Big Chill” and all simmering suspense, showcasing the talents of Murphy, who lives in Miami-Dade County.
Check out Patrick Millikin’s interview with Dwyer Murphy.