I can't recall how I found "High Season" - the first in this series but I want to thank whom ever that person was. The author has captured the energy of P'Town and its eccentric residents without making the place and its people a cartoon.
The lead character, Frank Coffin, is 3 dimensional - flawed, human and interesting. His relationship with Lola (his partner) is a mix of respect and potential romantic entanglements (wanna bet they wind up in the sack?). I'm surprised that the author has picked Provincetown as the setting for the series because or its limited potential for mayhem. But based on the expert way he has crafted the first two books, I bet he has no trouble finding new rocks to look under.
In this edition, Coffin has to solve a macabre murder in which almost anyone could be the bad guy. In fact, there are enough clues to make a case for any one of the victim's many "boy friends" - including some who are very close to Coffin and Lola. But author Loomis has demonstrated an ability paint a landscape of possibilities that keep the reader turning the pages to see which, of many potential bad guys is the real bad, bad guy.
Loomis is also adept at portraying the dramatic interplay between characters using sharp, well-written dialog. As a car guy, I am frustrated by Coffin's lack of automobile skills but it goes well with his character - someone not all that interested in things, he is more about people and, of course, what I might describe as his own brand of justice.
If you are expecting a Dirty Harry tough guy, skip this series. If you want crisp, well written prose, sharp dialog, clever plots and plot twists seasoned with a strong sense of place, look no further. The Frank Coffin series is a winner.