Domestic Thriller, Psychological Fiction, Mystery
DELICIOUSLY DANGEROUS … AND THEN SOMEONE DIES
Nothing puts a crimp in your style like calling off your engagement after you’ve splurged on a stiff white dress. Just ask Abby Taylor. There’s one with price tags hanging in her walk-in closet heralding her official split from fiancée James. The upshot? All she wants to do is drown her sorrow in the nearest bottle of alcohol and heal her troubled soul. But the seclusion she seeks is found on Juniper Isle … or so she believes. While things start out okay, everything quickly degenerates into wonky when she finds out that Micah, an ex of hers, is also on the island—and not alone. It seems that a devastatingly beautiful girl named Kelly has accompanied him, and that the couple plan to marry soon. But running into Micah kicks up old memories of when Abby once thought he was her soulmate. So when he confides that he’s never stopped loving her, and that he’ll call off the wedding if she just says the word, she contemplates pulling the trigger, but two things stop her. The first is James showing up out of nowhere and begging her to take him back. And the second? It’s the dead body she finds in the garage.
Had a great time reading JUNIPER ISLE by Ava Roberts. It’s one of those books you can’t put down—and I double-dog dare you to try! I read past my bedtime on multiple occasions and never regretted the decision. The truth is that the author has done a phenomenal job in creating this psychological thriller-diller that goes in every direction except straight down. The action non-stop, the twists and turns are designed to give you mental rope burn, but that’s the point! It’s bingo-bango swathed in moody from beginning to the spectacular ending that wraps up all those dangling who-did-it loose ends in a neat, tidy little bow.
The story is written in first-person present tense. It’s a good selection because it gives us a peek into Abby’s inner machinations … including her plans to do things that are outright illegal. But the question isn’t how many years she could get, it’s whether the collusion will keep our feisty heroine out of prison. It’s an important distinction and one any potential murderer needs to consider.
And did I mention the hurricane hurtling towards the tiny island? Well, I should have because it's gaining speed and about to hit. Let me tell you that that storm makes one magnificent backdrop for the shenanigans caused by passions to play out in a homicidal shade of red.
In summary, JUNIPER ISLE is a stylish mix of combustible mayhem. The story that advances because of the usage of areas of the character’s brains associated with the criminally insane, the frenzy birthed the adage that: “If you fill a room with enough liquored up nut jobs, there’ll eventually be a homicide.” However, the result is to the reader’s advantage in savoring a dark tale, so mum’s the word. FIVE BIG GLORIOUS STARS for this one!
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