Cape Diamond, the second book in the Frank Yakabuski Mystery series, is atmospheric and action-packed. Set near the Northern Divide — as was the first installment, Edgar Award nominee (Best Paperback Original), Ragged Lake — the book opens with Yakabuski called to investigate a gruesome crime scene. A body has been left hanging from a schoolyard fence. On closer inspection, Yak finds a large diamond in the murder victim’s mouth.
Two criminal gangs — the Shiners and the Travellers — are fighting with each other, and Yakabuski turns to his father, a now-retired detective who has a long history with the gangs, for advice in the interrogation. Is the conflict over the murder of two men? The kidnapping of a little girl? Or, possibly, the diamond found in Augustus Morrissey’s mouth? As if this weren’t enough for one detective, a serial killer is taking a deadly road trip through the United States, heading towards the Northern Divide.
Ron Corbett weaves the various strands together with ingenuity, making Cape Diamond a brooding, suspense-filled story of hubris, betrayal, and evil deeds; his writing is sparse and taut, compelling the reader to follow the action and gang conflict to a surprise ending.
Ron Corbett is an author, journalist, and broadcaster living in Ottawa. He is the author of seven nonfiction books; his first novel, Ragged Lake, the first book in the Frank Yakabuski Mystery series, received rave reviews and an Edgar Allan Poe nomination by the Mystery Writers of America for Best Original Paperback. He is married to award-winning photojournalist Julie Oliver.
"Like the first book, the writing in this one is sparse and lean, echoing the harshness and isolation of the land . . . The protagonist evolves, and Corbett lays a strong foundation for what promises to be a truly captivating series.” — Publishers Weekly Starred Review
“Cape Diamond is a rich and detailed crime novel with motives as dark and forbidding as its Canadian setting. A unique mixture of modern crime procedural gangland drama, rural folklore, and revenge tale with a superhuman killer . . . combine for a thrilling and suspenseful ride.” — Mystery Scene Magazine
“Drawing heavily on his experiences and travels as a journalist, Corbett enlivens the story with vivid descriptions of the wild, forbidding landscape and the volatile, warring inhabitants who dwell there, as well as cleverly weaving together the numerous narrative threads. Dark, gory, and cinematic, with a constant ominous tone, Cape Diamond is a compelling crime tale with plenty of shocks, surprises, and visceral thrills.” — Lancashire Post
“Corbett is a skilled writer whose gifts go beyond depicting the typical crime-novel hurlyburly of complex plot and violent acts. He's also good at revealing emotions that range from the cold to the turbulent and the quieter workings of a smart, fretful investigative brain.” — London Free Press