"Contemporary Gothic style romance"
As a 'preview comment', the cover art was a pleasant
attraction and the blurb allusions toward the island and
the shoals and inlets of the Outer Banks of North Carolina
were intriguing enough to pick up this book for a second
look. To learn that Ms. Browning chose the setting for
this book from 'her own backyard' gave a breath of trust
and comfort allowing me to immerse myself in the story.
Because of the poetic licence, this story has the flavor
of a Contemporary Gothic rather than a Romantic Suspense,
but I have no doubt readers of both styles will enjoy this
book. Cold cases were Gray Hollowell's specialty; so he was
intrigued but cautious when Edgar Henry asked him to
investigate the twenty-seven-year-old boating fatality of
his wife on exclusive Henry Island. When Edgar died, Gray
felt compelled to follow through on his promise even more
so when Edgar's daughter, Mariah, showed up on the island
to scatter Edgar's ashes. It was obvious that her
relatives disliked her and wanted her gone; but was there
a connection between present day family intrigues and past
crimes? The summer before her eighth birthday, Mariah witnessed
her mother's death in a boating explosion. Many years
later, being notified of her father's death while
hospitalized from injuries from an abusive ex-husband,
Mariah is looking toward the security and support of her
extended family, the 'Henrys of Henry Island'. What she
finds is an interloper in her father's cottage and 'no
room at the inn' of her deceased Grandmother Maud's house
thanks to her relatives. What are the family discussions
that end when she walks into the room? Can she afford to
be side-tracked by these feelings for Gray when she is
unsure of every other part of her life? Although a contemporary setting, unlike Mystery and
Romantic Suspense tales, Ms. Browning presents this story
in the Gothic style where you as the reader know things
that the heroine does not -- this builds tension as you
wish to warn the heroine of danger. The focus is more on
emotional actions and relationships than the suspense, but
even so, there is no doubt that you become involved in the
story.
Courtesy:
eBOOKISLE
Reviewed by Cy Korte
Posted June 24, 2003
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