New York Daily News columnist Denis Hamill's novel, "Long Time Gone," opens in 1969, when Brooklynite Danny Cassidy finds himself a murder suspect. The trouble is, he was so drugged out the night before that he can't remember whether or not he killed the victim, who just happens to be a cop as well as his girlfriend's father. Thirty years later, Danny, now a bitter divorced journalist, is still haunted by the fallout from the unsolved murder. He returns to Brooklyn to bury his own father, catch up with family, and confront the murder he may or may not have committed. This includes seeing his long lost sweetheart. Hamill knows New York people, particularly the Brooklyn Irish. Hamill also illustrates that 60s fads were not seen only in places like San Francisco. As for the modern-day setting, Hamill seems a bit obsessed with contemptible Brooklyn yuppies. But then again, given his obvious affection for salt-of-the-earth Brooklynites, that's forgivable. Deftly plotted, with dashes of sex and violence, not to mention some hard-boiled philosophy about life, "Long Time Gone" is a fine page-turner from Hamill. ($25 / 416 pages / Atria Books)