Susan F. (scoutmomskf) -
Good mix of suspense and romance. Daphne is a true crime writer on Maui for a book tour. She is also researching her next book, a murder-suicide that took place on the island the previous year. She seeks out Ken, the lead detective on the case. Ken is a detective with the Maui PD and is currently immersed in the search for a serial killer who stuns and then suffocates his victims.
I liked the first meeting between Ken and Daphne. He attended her book signing and got a copy of her book. She noticed him immediately as a good-looking man who intrigued her. Imagine her surprise the next day when she discovered he was the detective she needed to talk to. Ken was equally intrigued by Daphne. He had read her latest book in one sitting the night before and found it fascinating. I liked their immediate connection and desire to get to know each other better. The time they spent together showed their respect for each other's vocations and their compatibility. Their feelings for each other deepened quickly, but both were wary of saying anything. It took a nearly fatal incident for them to overcome their fears. The ending was good, and I liked the epilogue.
The suspense was good. I could feel Ken and the other task force members' frustration over their inability to catch him. When Daphne gets involved with Ken, she also gets involved with the search because of previous research on serial killers. Each new murder ramped up the intensity, especially after they'd thought they had him. Ken's protective instincts are aroused when he suspects Daphne may be the serial killer's next target because she resembles the other victims. I enjoyed watching the investigation progress, and I was glued to the pages as Ken and the others closed in on the suspect's identity. The final confrontation was a nail-biter with a twist I didn't see coming.
The book was good and kept me hooked from start to finish. It lost a star, however, because of an overabundance of adverbs, mostly describing how a person spoke. People spoke: honestly, calmly, politely, friendly, tersely, lyrically (really!?), stiffly, wryly, eagerly, anxiously, bleakly, flatly, matter-of-factly, and emphatically - and that was just in the first chapter. It became very distracting as I waited to see what new adverb the author would use next. "Maudlinly" struck me as incredibly awkward sounding.
I liked the first meeting between Ken and Daphne. He attended her book signing and got a copy of her book. She noticed him immediately as a good-looking man who intrigued her. Imagine her surprise the next day when she discovered he was the detective she needed to talk to. Ken was equally intrigued by Daphne. He had read her latest book in one sitting the night before and found it fascinating. I liked their immediate connection and desire to get to know each other better. The time they spent together showed their respect for each other's vocations and their compatibility. Their feelings for each other deepened quickly, but both were wary of saying anything. It took a nearly fatal incident for them to overcome their fears. The ending was good, and I liked the epilogue.
The suspense was good. I could feel Ken and the other task force members' frustration over their inability to catch him. When Daphne gets involved with Ken, she also gets involved with the search because of previous research on serial killers. Each new murder ramped up the intensity, especially after they'd thought they had him. Ken's protective instincts are aroused when he suspects Daphne may be the serial killer's next target because she resembles the other victims. I enjoyed watching the investigation progress, and I was glued to the pages as Ken and the others closed in on the suspect's identity. The final confrontation was a nail-biter with a twist I didn't see coming.
The book was good and kept me hooked from start to finish. It lost a star, however, because of an overabundance of adverbs, mostly describing how a person spoke. People spoke: honestly, calmly, politely, friendly, tersely, lyrically (really!?), stiffly, wryly, eagerly, anxiously, bleakly, flatly, matter-of-factly, and emphatically - and that was just in the first chapter. It became very distracting as I waited to see what new adverb the author would use next. "Maudlinly" struck me as incredibly awkward sounding.
