CALYPSO'S SECRETS

Author: Isabelle Kane ISBN: 1593742401 5/2005 CONTEMPORARY Publisher: WHISKEY CREEK PRESS

In the steamy, tropical decadence of the Florida Keys, an intoxicating love must find a way to overcome darker, more lethal desires. Bold, beautiful Skylar Connelly wants to know what happened to her sister, Maia, who has vanished without a trace. Skylar never expected to be blindsided by passion and ultimately lose her heart to the man who holds the key to Maia’s disappearance. Unwilling to accept the authorities’ dismissal of the case, she conceals her relationship to the missing girl and takes a position at Casa del Mar, a magnificent, seaside estate owned by Martin Escalle, a slick entrepreneur whose business interests, she suspects, include illegal activities. Luke White, the captain of the yacht named Calypso and Escalle’s right hand man, challenges and fascinates her with his combination of surfer good looks, bad boy charm, and stiletto sharp mind, but is he also a killer? Dare she trust him? Her heart and soul will accept no less.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

A colorful setting and a well-done mystery highlight CALYPSO'S SECRETS.

Ms. Kane has a strong sense of place as the Florida Keys come to vivid life under her direction. Her lush descriptions of the area, of the stately home and of the marine life, provide an atmospheric backdrop for the suspense in CALYPSO'S SECRETS.

The mystery plot may be age worn and not real original, but Ms. Kane manages to give it new life with some clever twists and turns. And some surprises. No one is who they seem to be in CALYPSO'S SECRETS.

On the downside, the characters in this story are straight from central casting. None of the characters peopling CALYPSO'S SECRETS have much depth—particularly the heroine and the hero. Luke, the hero, is appropriately macho and a supposed henchman for a wealthy, but shady businessman, Escalle. In other words, this bad boy could be lethal. Or not... The heroine, Skylar, is looking for her missing sister, who disappeared while in Escalle's employ. Skylar has taken a job, incognito, with Escalle to discover her sister's fate.

Both Luke and Skylar's characters are one-dimensional. The reader is given few opportunities to see below the surface. In truth, I never warmed much to either character. Luke is, more-often-than-not, a crude jerk and Skylar acts like a peabrain most of the time. Her actions throughout this story border on dumb. She reminded me of characters in cheezy horror movies who are forever walking down a dark hall or into a dark room when the audience knows there is danger lurking.

I also never felt a connection between the pair. Skylar is physically drawn to the sexy Luke, even as she is warned away from him by several secondary characters in the book. As she amatuerishly gropes for clues to her sister's disappearance, Skylar finds herself groping Luke as well. Luke, as Escalle's henchman, may even have murdered Skylar's sister when she became too nosy. Skylar, however, just can't believe Luke could have harmed her sister. Why? Well, because Skylar's attracted to him, I guess. I suppose no one has told Skylar a murderer can have a hot bod and killer good looks.

Aside from the often silly characters, CALYPSO'S SECRETS is entertaining.The setting is grand, the mystery is intriguing and the love scenes are hot.

Debbie Jett