51С�Ƴ�

Josh Pahigian, M.F.A., adjunct professor in the Department of English, received a rave review of his newly released novel, Strangers on the Beach, in the October 17, 2012, issue of The Maine Edge, a weekly online cultural arts publication.

Set in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, Strangers on the Beach is a mystery thriller that tells the story of how a small seaside community becomes swept up in the intrigue of character Ferdinand Sevigny, an adventurous millionaire, and all that ensues when he makes a failed attempt to sail blindfolded across the Atlantic.

The review notes, “Pahigian has constructed a complex thriller, filled with engaging and eccentric characters.  The story unfolds gradually, but it never feels slow-moving.   His Old Orchard Beach is populated by fully-realized characters, people whose motivations never feel anything but honest.  As we watch these people being enveloped by circumstances whose ramifications they don’t fully understand, Pahigian pulls us along with them, slowly building to a climax that is unexpected in the moment, yet seems almost inevitable after the fact.”

The review goes on to applaud Pahigian for his masterful development of the novel’s setting:  “The author’s love of Old Orchard Beach is palpable—so much so that the town itself is very much a character in the this story, and a major one at that.  A strong sense of place permeates the entire novel, creating a world in which the reader can fully invest.  His rendering of the town is the solid foundation upon which the rest of his tale is built.”

Pahigian is the author of several books, including The Seventh Inning Stretch, 101 Baseball Places to See Before You Strike Out and The Ultimate Baseball Road Trip.  Strangers on the Beach is his first published novel.