New Murder Mystery Focuses on the Search for Redemption on a
New England Island with a Buried Secret in
All That Smolders December 2, 2025
All That Smolders: A Mystery
By James Sulzer
James Sulzer’s All That Smolders is a perfect mystery. I hope this is the start of a series. –Nancy Thayer, NYTimes bestselling author of Summer Light on Nantucket
A past he can’t escape. A secret that won’t stay buried. A murder that changes everything …
It’s 1980, a time of peace and tranquility on a legendary island off the coast of New England. Inhabiting the island is a vibrant cast of locals that includes scallopers, tradespeople, and a mysterious recluse—the wealthiest man in Massachusetts. But that peace is shattered with the murder of a prominent lawyer, a pillar of the community.
For Peter Christie, a once-promising journalist nursing the wounds of a failed marriage, a tarnished career, and a traumatic past, the murder case is more than just a headline—it’s a chance at redemption. As he delves into the island’s secrets, he finds himself drawn to Haddie Danville, a determined conservation ranger. But Haddie, reeling from her grandfather’s sudden death, begins to doubt both Peter and his true intentions.
Determined to win Haddie back, Peter sets out to solve the murder, joining forces with a local detective, navigating a web of confounding islanders, and pressing closer and closer to the heart of the tightly coiled secret . . . a secret that threatens to tear apart the idyllic island.
James Sulzer was an Intensive English major at Yale, worked in television for a number of years, then moved with his family year-round to the island of Nantucket, Massachusetts. In his early years on the island, he labored as a commercial scalloper and sang professionally in a barbershop quartet, then taught English for three decades. Other published works include a novel about Emily Dickinson, The Voice at the Door and a novel about John Keats, Writ in Water, as well as the novel Nantucket Daybreak and a trilogy of middle grade novels for children, The Card People. All That Smolders is his first murder mystery and is written in honor of his mother, who was a big fan of Agatha Christie. Sulzer’s novel is heavily inspired by Agatha Christie. He even creates a backstory for his protagonist that places him as one of Christie's relatives. To connect with James directly, go to: www.jamessulzerauthor.com
www.instagram.com/jimfromnextdoor
All That Smolders by James Sulzer
Published: December 2, 2025; Morgan James Fiction; 268 pages; ISBN 978-1636987576
A Review by:
US REVIEW OF BOOKS
"It occurred to me that this was one way that relationships ended. The oxygen withdrew from the room, slowly, relentlessly, until the flame wavered and gutted out."
Peter Christie's life implodes when it is learned he is having an affair with a young intern at the metropolitan newspaper where he works. His wife divorces him, and he loses his job. This results in Peter doing what he feels he always does: run away. Peter feels he has been running away his whole life, mostly from a violent father who abused his mother and left him feeling powerless to help. Peter takes a job on the staff of a small paper on a little island off the coast of New England. Shortly after his arrival, a murder occurs on the estate of a wealthy and somewhat eccentric local man. The victim is the man's attorney and the grandfather of Haddie, whom Peter has started dating. Peter makes Haddie a promise to find the killer. His search will entangle him in the lives of several locals, and the list of suspects swirls and changes as each new clue and family secret is revealed. It isn't long before Peter and some of his new friends find themselves on the killer's list.
Sulzer makes it abundantly clear that his novel is heavily inspired by the great Agatha Christie. He even creates a backstory for his protagonist that places him as one of Christie's relatives. The book is similar in style and structure to a Christie mystery. Much like her novel, And Then There Were None, and like Flynn's Gone Girl, Sulzer continually directs the lens at one character and then another, setting up a network of red herrings to keep the reader following the trail and wondering where it will next lead. For the most part, he does this skillfully, leading the reader through misdirections which color the lives of the island's inhabitants and ultimately reveal the true identity of the murderer. Another influence on Sulzer's tone and style comes from the cozy mystery sub-genre. Although Sulzer does feature a murder that takes place in front of the protagonist, much of the book maintains a softer tone. The mystery unfolds within a small community, where profanity is rare, if used at all. The protagonist, a reporter and amateur sleuth, develops a contact within the local police force. Additionally, no sexual activity occurs in the story, and the protagonist appears to possess an intuitive understanding of the possible motivations of those around him.
Sulzer has written other books, but this is his first true mystery novel. His writing is sharp, clear, and layered with the right details and knowledge of island life that bring the story and characters to life. At times, his prose is both literary and perceptive, offering keen insights into the world and its inhabitants. There are a few minor missteps along the way. The most apparent is that the protagonist sometimes seems to reveal a clue he may have known for a while, leaving the reader feeling a little misled, as if the main character was purposely withholding pertinent information. However, it isn't too grievous, and many readers may not even notice. Overall, mystery lovers, particularly those who don't want the sex, violence, and profanity of more hard-boiled books, will find this an engaging read to recommend to their like-minded friends.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review
Excerpt
Journal Entry
Fleeing
A crash. The wall shuddered like something under attack. Two sharp slaps. Please. Stop. Oh. Please, darling. Then another voice, a low growl, words inaudible. And her reply: I won’t do that again I promise. I will never spy on you again no matter what other women you—Oh!
I was seven years old, I stood in the hallway outside their room, I had no name for what was happening within. But I knew fear and I could sense terror. What would a loving child not do for their mother in a moment of crisis? I reached for the doorknob and took it firmly in both hands.
It was locked.
For a short eternity, I was frozen in place as the wall shook a second time and the cries grew louder. Then something broke and I ran. Out the side door and into the woods. Dodged trees and broken limbs. Found shelter beneath a canopy of honeysuckle draped between some pines. A sticky sweat on my skin. Grabbed handfuls of needles off the ground and brought them to my face, the tart pure scent. Inside me, something was moving and changing. I sat in silence and plucked honeysuckle flowers off the vines and placed the slender tendrils on the ground. Yellow flowers and white flowers, arranged in a gentle oval. An order that nothing could disturb.
But an image and a question stayed with me.
The image of what was happening behind the locked door.
The question, Was it really locked?
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