Montauk to Manhattan

This book was described as a ‘fun, provocative murder mystery’ but I really think that description undersells and possibly even mis-represents this book!

In ‘Montauk to Manhattan’, Thomas Maier very cleverly entwines the world of Trump Rallies; New York political journalism and streaming company-funded Hollywood film-making to create a stomach-churning elevator-drop moment of an America in the depth of the #MeToo#BlackLivesMatter and #Maga media maelstrom.

Montauk to Manhattan references the Long Island Rail Road, built/acquired by Austin Corbin, a banker and land-grabber in the 1880s. This is the subject of journalist Jack Denton’s book ‘The Life Line’, which is being turned into a mini-series by Hollywood producer Max Kirkland.
Direct comparisons are obvious between Kirkland and Harvey Weinstein.
Denton’s book and the mini-series address the stealing of Montaukett Native American land, but I felt that Maier could have pursued this more thoroughly - it unfortunately seemed a bit of a perfunctory side-subject.

I did enjoy the majority of the book but the scene at the after show party where the murderer is dramatically revealed was a bit farcical! It marred the book as a whole for me.

This had everything that I was looking for in a murder mystery, it had a great overall feel of what I was hoping for. The characters worked in this universe and I wanted to solve what was going on with this. Thomas Maier has a great writing style and was glad it was so well done.

There are scenes in this Thomas Maier murder mystery that engross the reader and draw them into the story. Overall, though, the story is uneven with underdeveloped story lines.

The story caught my eye for a number of reasons: Montauk as a backdrop, the stealing of Native American lands, a contemporary look at politics in 2016. At times, the Montauk setting is wonderfully described, and the author takes the reader deeply into a variety of scenes. There doesn't seem to be a reason for that, though. There are no clues to the missing person and subsequent murder. In fact, the intricate scenes distract from the fact is a murder mystery at all, making it very non-mysterious.

Jack Denton, an average journalist with a hit book being turned into a miniseries on a popular streaming service, comes off as dull and naive. He is uninteresting and spends too much time on the edge of life, missing out on ways to engage more fully. For instance, it is completely within his control to be an active father, but he chooses to lament any decision that could have improved his situation. He is accused of killing a beautiful actress simply because she rode in a car with him. He is also accused of sexual harassment in the workplace and seems to completely ignore and deny his involvement in the exchange.

A nice light escape and a good beach. read. Nicely written. Good luck with the book and thanks for the opportunity to read.

In what he hopes will be a career making move, Jack Denton has sold the rights to his novel, a book that went nowhere when it was published, to Max Kirkland, a bigger than life Hollywood producer/director. Now Jack sits on the shores of Montauk, watching his book being made into a three part streaming series. He wrote about the construction of the Long Island Railroad by Austin Corbin and the way the native Montauk tribe was erased from history. (This is all true, including actions by many of the characters. I googled and checked Wikipedia as I read and was saddened to learn about this ugly chapter in history). Now Jack is part of the production and watches his book come alive. He gets to know the actors and their isolated world gives him a break from his day job, working for a New York paper covering Trump in the 2016 election. Elements of the MeToo movement enter in to both his film and political worlds. Did I mention that there is also a murder to solve?

Montauk to Manhattan is like nothing I have read before. It is a Russian Matryoshka doll, all plots separate but related. Not surprisingly, author Thomas Maier is an award winning screenwriter. This is his first novel. I can only hope there will be more. Bravo, Thomas Maier! 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Post Hill Press and Thomas Maier for this ARC.

I really liked this book. I requested it because it the cover was intriguing to me and the description made me really interested. I think this book really surprised me with the pacing, I thought the pacing was really good because in this genre the pacing can make or break a book. This book had great pacing and a group of characters that a reader can invest their time with