
Between a Rock and a Dark Place
Who Killed Daniel Perrault? That is the mystery behind this propulsive, twisty new novel Between a Rock and a Dark Place by Suzanne Schiffman (Canambooks, March 2018) that echoes P.D. James’ The Lighthouse, in its insular town with a cold hearted killer and an unsympathetic victim.
Perrault is a brash and glamorous French entrepreneur who thinks his intelligence, sophistication and style will bring culture to the backwater American countryside known as Wayne County. He loves the bucolic forested landscape, but as soon as he gets there, he starts making enemies with pretty much everyone in this isolated, suspicious ,clannish town.
He is found murdered by the side of the road in a sleeping bag for anyone to find, and it seems Daniel Perrault has found a killer who is just a brash and bold as he. The job of finding the assailant belongs to sheriff Spike Stryker.
Was it his unpaid contractor, a bipolar chef, a bitter business woman, his teenage, bi-racial mistress, or his wife? Daniel lived his life ruffling feathers and not caring about the consequences, until someone struck back.
An eclectic list of possible suspects, a fast-paced mystery and a riveting story behind the rise and fall of Daniel Perrault puts Schiffman’s compelling tale on the map of talented mystery writers like Louise Penny and Jo Nesbo.