Former San Juan islander Clyde Curley tackles the always provocative “Who Dunnit?” genre with a debut murder-mystery novel that’s earning critical acclaim.

Curley, a former English instructor, who, along with wife Susan, now resides in  Bellingham, was awarded  Honorable Mention in the category of general fiction for “Raggedy Man” at the 2013 Great Northwest Book Festival. He will be at Griffin Bay Bookstore April 6, at 7 p.m., to talk about the book.

Set in familiar surroundings of Portland, Ore., the narrative unfolds on the heels of the mysterious death of an errant son of one of the city’s most prestigious families. It traces an investigation by a pair of detective’s, aided by one of the detectives bookstore-owning brother, as they try to unravel clues to the young man’s death and zero in on a varied list of suspects, including members of the man’s own family.