Darkwater Secrets by Robin Caroll is outstanding in every way, one of my favorite reads of the year. It's a creative blend of romantic suspense, police procedural, and the character-driven novel, extremely well written from different viewpoints. I was completely hooked from the very first page and never wanted to put it down.
From characters to setting, the color of the French Quarter is reflected. There's a certain mystique about New Orleans that I find fascinating, and Ms. Caroll beautifully conveyed the very essence of this area â its mood, architecture, food, and even the practice of voodoo.
The story revolves around three main characters â Beau, Adelaide, and Dimitri. All are well drawn and appealing. Adelaide is general manager of the Darkwater Inn, Dimitri a talented chef, and Beau leads the murder investigation. I'm not a fan of romantic triangles, but the author handles this in a way that captured me emotionally and I look forward to seeing how this element plays out in future stories.
Faith is also a quiet, but realistic theme that is easy for readers to connect with. Adelaide believes in God, but past experience has made her a non-follower. The age-old question of why a loving God would allow pain and suffering is explored in a thoughtful way. Another theme, as the title indicates, is the personal effects of burying past secrets.
Darkwater Secrets is an impressive novel. Romantic suspense isn't my favorite genre, but the complexity, relational depth, and multilayering raises it to another level. I also enjoyed how the focus was on the murder investigation rather than suspense; in other words, it wasn't too scary for me. The conclusion is satisfying, with the promise of much more to come. I am so eager for the next release in this series!
Highly recommended.
I received a copy of this book through Just Read Tours. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
From characters to setting, the color of the French Quarter is reflected. There's a certain mystique about New Orleans that I find fascinating, and Ms. Caroll beautifully conveyed the very essence of this area â its mood, architecture, food, and even the practice of voodoo.
The story revolves around three main characters â Beau, Adelaide, and Dimitri. All are well drawn and appealing. Adelaide is general manager of the Darkwater Inn, Dimitri a talented chef, and Beau leads the murder investigation. I'm not a fan of romantic triangles, but the author handles this in a way that captured me emotionally and I look forward to seeing how this element plays out in future stories.
Faith is also a quiet, but realistic theme that is easy for readers to connect with. Adelaide believes in God, but past experience has made her a non-follower. The age-old question of why a loving God would allow pain and suffering is explored in a thoughtful way. Another theme, as the title indicates, is the personal effects of burying past secrets.
Darkwater Secrets is an impressive novel. Romantic suspense isn't my favorite genre, but the complexity, relational depth, and multilayering raises it to another level. I also enjoyed how the focus was on the murder investigation rather than suspense; in other words, it wasn't too scary for me. The conclusion is satisfying, with the promise of much more to come. I am so eager for the next release in this series!
Highly recommended.
I received a copy of this book through Just Read Tours. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
