When the body of an ex-Harvard rower is found floating in the Charles River, Boston state trooper Sean Delaney is put on the case to determine whether the drowning is purely accidental. Is it really the result of a college prank gone wrong? Or are there other reasons to explain why the son of a preeminent Boston venture capitalist, on the verge of his own brilliant career, would throw himself from the Eliot Bridge? What begins as a routine inquiry suddenly turns into a full-blown murder investigation when the savvy chief coroner, Sue Chasen, determines that the autopsy looks suspicious. The unlikely pair find themselves pulled together, in more ways than one, as they uncover the privileged world of Ivy League rowing, family ties, money, and sex.

Harvard University coach and acclaimed rowing author, Dan Boyne, tells a humorous story of his first year of freshman crew, including a sub plot of personal redemption against an insufferable football player who has bullied him throughout high school. After being accepted at Trinity College in Hartford, CT, Boyne decides to take up rowing, the only sport that takes place far off campus, on the adventurous waters of The Connecticut River. There, he quickly experiences the unique rigors, rewards, and colorful personalities of the sport, not knowing that his nemesis has decided to try out for crew, at rival school Coast Guard Academy. As racing season approaches, Boyne becomes part of an exceptional freshman lightweight boat, with high hopes to win the National Championships in Philadelphia that year, but his final fears are realized when he discovers that his old high school archenemy is also doing well, and rowing in the very same position as he is-the seven seat.

Essential Sculling is an authoritative, concise, and thoroughly readable handbook that focuses on helping anyone become an accomplished sculler. Here, Daniel J. Boyne offers the finest instruction - for men and women alike - on the art and skill of rowing, including: identifying and buying a well made boat; beginner and advanced technique; boat-handling skills; drills for blending technique and power; training for competition; the mechanics of rigging; the value of camps and coaches; and much more. With clear descriptions and illustrations throughout, Boyne teaches a healthy respect for both the tradition of sculling and the precise beauty of its execution.