The Final Act

THE FINAL ACT is a haunting, historical fiction novel of double murder and mental illness set on Long Island’s North Shore in 1973. The first murder involves the savage killing of a pretty college coed on campus, once the grounds of a rich and famous family estate. The second murder, which occurs several months later in a town near the college, entails the killing of a handsome middle-aged actor at his home.

Entangled in details of the plot is the late Hollywood great Montgomery Clift, who had a long-time affair with the murdered actor until Clift’s death in 1966. Complicating matters is an enigmatic, elusive drifter, who embeds himself on campus and raises suspicion about being the coed’s killer.

Though the murders are presented as separate incidents, a common denominator emerges that connects the killings. Get into the mind of a smart Nassau County detective-disturbed by nightmares of a past high-profile manhunt for a serial killer-to understand how 1973’s North Shore crimes are solved in this twisted ending.