DESTINY BAY

Author: Sarah Abbot ISBN: 9780505527745 9/2008 SUSPENSE Publisher: DORCHESTER

Someone is Watching... Someone who knows what happened twenty years ago, when Abrielle Lancaster’s mother first came to St. Cecelia island. What caused the vivacious, sensuous girl who lived and loved in the tiny, picturesque Artist’s Cottage to leave it a broken woman? That’s what Abby has traveled to Maine to learn, for in the heart of her, she knows the seed that led to her mother's tragic death was planted right here, in Destiny Bay, and neither Peeping Toms, nor threatening notes, nor half-imagined sightings of the mysterious White Lady are going to frighten her away. For Abby has fallen in love with the island’s dangerous beauty, with its quirky customs and warm-hearted inhabitants. But most of all, she’s fallen in love with enigmatic, charismatic Ryan Brannigan, the one man who has every reason in the world to hate her. Is he the one who’s been lurking outside her bedroom window in the dark? Is he the one who’s painstakingly plotted every move to recreate a relationship so twisted and terrifying it will never, ever die?

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

DESTINY BAY by Sarah Abbot is the story of one woman's determination to uncover the past and solve the mystery haunting her. It is a journey story, both in the physical and emotional senses, with an added bonus that at the close of this, Abby not only has closure but a hope for the future. Very interesting, a good, solid read.

Abby knows the answer to the questions plaguing her about her mother's death are on St. Cecilia island, so she goes there to see what really happened on the sheltered bit of land. When she arrives, nothing is as she'd imagined. The cottage she rented is "quaint" to the point of being antiquated. The backyard outhouse nearly sends her fleeing the minute she arrives, but her landlady convinces her to get a good night's rest and give the cottage a chance. Maybe things will look different in the morning, the island woman advises. So, with chamber pot in hand, Abby steps onto a path that has more twists and turns in it than most.

It isn't the characters or plot that intrigued me with this book, although both of those are important and done well enough here. The biggest, most interesting part of this author's storytelling lies in the details. She never leaves a stone unturned. When she's able, she gives dimension to each part of a scene. I like that, very much. I like the way she places bits and pieces that may or may not be relevant to the unraveling throughout. From the moment Abby meets the landlady we hear about a ghostly apparition, the White Lady. And even the places Abby visits, like an old captains' home whose fortune was made by means other than piloting ships, are brought vividly to life through the use of details layered carefully upon each other. I enjoyed "seeing" everything, even if some of what I saw didn't surprise me. There is a twist at the end but it's not overly shocking.

Still, this is a good story that kept me turning the pages. What more could anyone ask for? I enjoyed DESTINY BAY enough to recommend it easily. Very well done!

Kay James