Secrets by the Sea
Mary Montague SikesRomantic suspense
Available from Oak Tree Press
April 2008
| Dana Sinclair is an unlikely heroine. She's still reeling from the effects of a bad marriage. Her grandfather who has been the only support she's had hasn't contacted her in two weeks. When she's told he's died under suspicious circumstances moving to Antigua to start her own business and find his killer seems to be like jumping from the frying pan into the fire. Clifton Wilder seems to be the only one she can turn to as her search leads to ghosts, weird noises and being kidnapped.
Mary Montague Sikes has built a suspense with an outcome few will guess before it confronts us. The characters are superb. Dana may not be a heroine in her own mind but few people would have her backbone of steel as events unfold around her. Doctor Jonathan Robards, one of the people on the island who will share information with her, is great as a historian and archeologist. The police department, with the possible exception of Inspector Michaels, is written as standoffish and more inept than most. Maybe it's because this is the Caribbean where few bad things happen to challenge them. But this time they seem to have been bought and paid for by Hans Schmidt. They eventually come through but only after she and Clifton have done all the work. Clifton as a love interest seems to be a poor choice as he's torn between what he wants and helping Dana. He's well written as a selfish boy lost in the past. When he finally coming to grips with the cause of his headaches he learns to be a man Dana can depend on. I think the ending is great as the author wraps up the storyline, the ghostly apparitions and the villains in a satisfying way. This was a great read for a mystery fitting the location, dialogue, love story and suspense.
Overall rating:
Reviewer: Dee Dailey |
