Overview: Natalie St. John has rushed home after a fight with her boyfriend. She is looking forward to just spending time with her friends. And then the murders begin starting. First up is Tamara Hunt, one of Natalie’s oldest friends. How many will die before the killer gets caught? There’s one thing that Natalie can be positive about, maybe two. These phone calls don’t bode well for her. And there’s nothing that’ll keep her in Port Ariel. Not her dad, not Lilly, and definitely not that cute sheriff…maybe she shouldn’t be too hasty here.Likes: Tamara was one of the best characters in this book. Andrew wanted the best for those of his community.Paige and Jimmy were always good for a laugh.Dislikes: I had a hard time getting along with Natalie. She was so contrary that she didn’t seem to use any common sense at times. Eugene’s death seemed to bring the worse out of Dee. Her bitterness almost ruined what she was up to for me.Conclusion: This was a rather fun story. It reminded me of a cross between a cozy mystery and a suspense novel.
I had not read anything by this author and decided to give her a try, and i probably won't again. Perhaps it was just this book, but every adult character except the two main were obnoxious, whiny and without true depth. The over abundance of suspects became tiresome, especially when the clues for the true murderer came out halfway through. The worse part, however, was the stilted and strange dialogue between characters. These conversations were supposed to give us background, but it became a strange narration. I would skip this one.
I was really, really enjoying this book . . . right up until the ending. The ending isn't awful, merely annoying; the main character absolutely will not stop leaving the police out of a police investigation. And, honestly, it's hard to take the romance between her and the lead detective seriously when she keeps doing such foolish, disrespectful things.(view spoiler)[When a kidnapper calls to request your life in exchange for the kidnap victim, and tells you to not tell the police and to come alone to a deserted location, DO NOT OBEY THE CRAZY, CRAZY CRIMINAL. Especially when the person who was kidnapped is the police detective's daughter. Sheesh. What is wrong with mystery writers and their heroines? (hide spoiler)]
—Lucy
I am not typically a mystery book reader but I really enjoyed this book. It was scary in parts and while I had a small clue who the murderer was, there were others I suspected more. So when the end came, I was still surprised. Ms. Thompson has a true gift to keep the reader entranced and I could visualize everyone and every place Our main character, Natalie, goes to her small hometown where the twin sister of her best friend is killed. As the story continues and more people are murdered, Natalie is drawn more into helping the new local sheriff find the killer. I will be looking into more of Carlene Thompson's books now that I have experienced this one.
—Judy Tolley
