Authors: Carolyn J. Rose and Mike Nettleton
ISBN: 978-0-9821443-3-6

Click Here To Purchase The Big Grabowski 

The first paragraph pulled me  in.  
"Nothing exciting ever happens in Devil's Harbor.  It's the most boring town in Oregon.  Especially on Sundays."  It sort of reminds me of the town I grew up in.  NOTHING EXCITING.  Just hills and trees and more hills and trees as far as the eye could see.  So, there was really nothing to do to broaden one's mind except read.  I guess that is why I ended up doing more reading and reviewing.  But, enough about me.  On to The Big Grabowski.
 
Mr. Vincent Grabowski or as he is better known The Big Grabowski, is a land developer who showed up in the little town of Devil's Harbor, Oregon and proceeded to develop and design an environmental catastrophe.  He began investment plans to build condos on the cliffs overlooking the harbor that housed a group of Stellar Sea Lions that tourists came every year to see and take pictures of.  I'm sure that the animals wished the shutterbugs would find a new way to annoy them and go away.  Jennifer Daley, a candidate for this year's Miss Whirligig, has been sent toward the harbor to count the number of seals that are waiting to have their picture taken and is not very happy about this assignment.  It's early morning and cold and damp with a heavy fog but her boss who owns the local roadside attraction where she works thinks that the tourists have a right to know how many sea lions that they will see this morning for their money.  As she arrives at the harbor and starts to count she sees something that grabs her attention and also the attention of a very large bull Sea Lion.  The animal goes into the water after this object and the body of Vincent Grabowski washes in with the tide.
 
As you can probably imagine, this is big news.  And, the local newspaper reporter remarks to the police.  "Look on the bright side.  You won't need to make a list of suspects.  Just copy the Devil's Harbor phone book."  Obviously she knows whereof she speaks.  There are suspects lining up to be questioned.  Everyone had a bad feeling for this guy.  First on the list is Grabowski's not so loving widow and her pot smoking boyfriend who owns an ice cream shop in town.  Along with a radio evangelist who wants to rename the town "Holy Waters" because the name Devil's Harbor is too blasphemous.  The Mayor and his wife who are contemplating divorce but, the Mayor wants to run for congress so they are holding off on this.  Molly Donovan, the reporter for the local newspaper is on the job but, the paper doesn't want to print any controversial news so they are limiting her as to what she can write about the case.  So, she tries to go off on her own to investigate until the local law goes after her father for the killing.
 
All in all, a great read.  This little town on the coast of Oregon has more creepy characters living there than there are Sea Lions in the harbor.  Molly's detecting skills go from Agatha Christie's Miss Marple to Lieutenant Colombo and his "just one more thing."  This book is funny and sad in places and reminds me of many great mysteries that I have read in the past.  Mystery readers will absorb this book as I did and look forward to more