The Glass Eel

In this gripping debut thriller, struggling divorcée Jeanette King becomes embroiled in a criminal ring when she discovers her ex-husband’s cache of baby eels.

Caterpillar Island is off the central coast of Maine―beloved vacationland of lobster bakes and quaint fried clam shacks, kayaking and country houses. At night, though, by the light of a headlamp, the island is alive with cash, guns, and poachers. Oxy addicts, struggling retirees, and unemployable deadbeats dip their nets in the creeks to catch elvers―two-inch-long baby eels that fetch $2000 a pound on the international black market.

Into this dark and dangerous world falls Jeanette King, who has, up to this moment, been earning her meager living mainly by picking and packaging peekytoe crab meat for shipment to New York and Boston. As Jeanette gets drawn into a fast-moving story of risk and violent consequences, she enlists the aid of a local policeman and an Indigenous activist. Together they try to set things right for the people and the planet. But the deeper they dig, the more dangerous things get. An ensuing procession of colorful locals, corrupt state politicians, and treacherous outsiders weaves a tale that reveals the underbelly of a deadly business.

I loved every bit of THE GLASS EEL: It’s part The Overstory, and then also a bit Mare of Eastwick, with a wondrous female lead. It is so absorbing to feel oneself there [on the Maine Coast] and surrounded by these very gritty people. I liked them so much. [The Viertels] write about [the natural world]—the tiny changes—the exquisite complexity and beauty of it all—all mashed over and tragically corrupted by man’s greed and ignorance. The battle between nature and human greed is beautifully and horribly well realized. The book is great. It’ll make a helluva film, too!”
—Emma Thompson

This is a quality thriller about the stuff tourists don’t see—real people with real lives, some good, some bad, with the best of them in real danger. Highly recommended.”
—Lee Child, internationally bestselling author of the Jack Reacher series

The Glass Eel is a vivid portrait of the New England underbelly and a gripping story about life and crime on the coast.”
—Dwyer Murphy, author of The House on Buzzard’s Bay

THE GLASS EEL meets all my standards for fiction: an engrossing and highly imaginative plot; vivid characters; the revelation of a world completely unknown to me; and a narrative style that pulled me right along. Two bonuses: stunning nature writing and hilarious lines that lighten the plot at absolutely critical moments.”
—Daniel Okrent, prize-winning author of The Guarded Gate

Now here’s a world I knew nothing about, but thanks to this wonderful novel I’m completely engrossed in the lives of the characters who inhabit the fisheries of Maine. The Viertels bring them brilliantly to life—I can still taste the saltwater. What a triumph!”
—Lawrence Wright, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Plague Year

Tantalizing . . . three-dimensional characters and an immersive setting enhance this fascinating crime tale. The Viertels are worth keeping tabs on.”
—Publishers Weekly

An offbeat, atmospheric thriller with a whodunit at its core.”
—Kirkus

Viertel writes beautifully about the natural world and how even small disruptions can upend a finely tuned ecosystem.”
—New York Times

J.J. Viertel uses a wonderfully wide, compassionate lens to examine the Maine lives, human or otherwise, that tourists don’t usually think about. I was genuinely surprised that this was a debut: the writing and style of this thriller are so assured! Hopefully, it will only be the first novel of many to come.”
—Criminal Element

J. J. Viertel is the pseudonym used by the father-son writing team of Jack and Josh Viertel who live in Maine and New York. When they aren’t writing crime thrillers together, they each have their own careers: Jack creates Broadway plays and musicals and Josh creates organic farms. Josh is a fly fisherman and bow hunter and Jack is a scuba diver and barbecue chef. In addition to writing, they play the blues together.