Edgar Award Best Novel Winner

Billingsgate Shoal

by Rick Boyer

Summary

Oral surgeon Charles Doc Adams grows suspicious of a wrecked fishing boat off the Massachusetts coast and pulls at a thread that leads to smuggling and murder. Boyer grounds the suspense in vivid New England settings and the curiosity of an everyman drawn far past his depth. The book launched a popular amateur sleuth series rooted in the waters of Cape Cod.

Historical Context & Significance

Billingsgate Shoal introduced Doc Adams and won Rick Boyer the 1983 Edgar Award for Best Novel.