A decent first novel/mystery, with a good sense of place. Set on and around Lake Champlain, this book sets the stage and introduces characters who later converge to reveal the murderer. If this becomes a series I'll read more. I recieved this as an EArly Review Copy from Library Thing Early Readers Program. ( )

A very pedestrian story about very pedestrian characters. The only non-pedestrian character is the bad guy but he is easily ignored. The murder is the essential factor in the book but it also seems almost as if could be ignored. Mr. Clark has drawn on very ordinary people with mostly ordinary stories and has them doing very ordinary things as they live their ordinary lives and inexorably unmask a killer. The beauty of this book is that everyone in it is well, ordinary. He has managed to write a story that draws these ordinary people out for us to see them without them seeming to know it. ( )

The inland sea is a part of Lake Champlain. The body of a man who has disappeared 18 years before and is presumed dead is found, having recently died from a gunshot wound. The chief detective must not only find the killer but figure out where this man has been during the missing years. I enjoyed the book although the author included way too much detail, including maps, of the inland sea. I felt most readers really didn't need that much information. Much of the book is procedural, describing how the rural police team approached solving the crime. I found this interesting. It is well plotted. The ending moves quickly and is nicely resolved.

Sam Clark’s The Inland Sea is an example of a novel with promise that gets lost in the details. I would much rather have learned more about some of his characters, Skip Tyler for one, and less about island geography and boat and snowmobile particulars. Even Paul Brearley, in my opinion, gets short shrift. For a trial run though, I think it was a good start. ( )

I received a complementary copy of this book as a Library Thing early reviewer. This book begins with some terrific action-packed chapters that provide a back-story to a murder, the story of the murder itself, and the actions of the killer to hide all traces of his evil deed. The description of life on the water and the ice among islands at the northern end of Lake Champlain is detailed and seemingly accurate. (I've spent considerable time on nearby Lake George myself.) The author has a strong knowledge of a variety of small boats and snow machines that help give the story a sense of authenticity. The hunt for the killer is less interesting. Except for the primary detective, and his boat building friend, the other characters are not particularly well developed or interesting. Clues regarding the killer are very slow to come in, and the book also slows down too much as it focuses on the not very interesting players. Near the end, after a couple of teenagers make a critical discovery while anchoring near an island to avoid a storm, the plot moves quickly again, with a well done and exiting ending. Overall, this was a good but not great mystery. The overall plot line is excellent. The murder, the clues, the resolution and undoing of the killer are very well done and described. However, there is too much time spent describing the team and procedural activities before it begins paying off near the end. ( )