‘Deep Dive’ is suspenseful

‘Deep Dive’ is suspenseful

“Deep Dive” (The Permanent Press), by Chris Knopf

Sam Acquillo’s past lives as a professional boxer, negligent husband and corporate engineer have long been in his rearview mirror. He now spends his days working as a carpenter, sailing on Peconic Bay and playing with his dog Eddie Van Halen in a modest cottage on Long Island’s Oak Point.

What he aspires to, above all, is a little peace of mind, but readers of Chris Knopf’s first eight novels in the Acquillo series know that what Sam usually finds is trouble.

In the latest book in the series, “Deep Dive,” it comes in a phone call from Burton Lewis, one of the billionaires who inhabit the Hamptons section of the island. As a rule, Sam is more comfortable with fishermen, shopkeepers and bartenders, but he and Lewis have become friends.

Lewis, it turns out, was being courted by a fundraiser for the Loventeers, a charity that provides aid to poor people around the globe. But their meeting ended with the fundraiser crashing through a second-floor window with Burton’s Patek Philippe wristwatch clutched in his hand. There were no eyewitnesses, but the watch and scratches on Lewis’ arm are enough for the police to charge Burton with murder.

The tale is suspenseful, the pace is fast, the characters are well drawn, and Knopf’s prose goes down so easily the novel isn’t so much read as inhaled.

Associated Press