The Beachcomber

September 8, 2003
Set in 1950s England, this American debut from prolific British author Cox (Jinnie, etc.)—who is the reigning queen of the London Times bestseller lists—revolves around the lives of two lovers brought together by fate. A year after his car plunged off a cliff, killing his wife and two children, Tom Marcus still mourns their deaths and is determined to find the murderer who rammed their car. Leaving his London life behind, he makes a new start in the seaside village of West Bay, where he meets Kathy Wilson, a woman he has seen from afar twice before in London. Kathy is also escaping her London life, as well as a string of unreliable boyfriends; her selfish sister, Samantha; and her obnoxious mother, Irene, who is so unrealistically evil she puts Cruella De Ville to shame. Inevitably, Tom's desire to exorcise his past demons and find his family's murderer stalls his love affair with Kathy, which leads to a mid-book slump. However, an unexpected final twist and a dramatic conclusion make up for the slow-moving plot. (Oct.)Forecast:With its sandy, wave-swept cover image, this book is a little too late to catch the beach crowd but too summery to appeal to holiday browsers. Though some readers will recognize Cox's name, her arrival on U.S. shores will likely pass without much fanfare.

Suffering the pain of loss, Tom Arnold and Kathy Wilson each arrive, for different reasons, in the quiet seaside village of West Bay, far from London. The year is 1952. They've not yet met, but they soon will. And with the ease and generosity of Carole Boyd's reading, the listener will succumb to the multifaceted story and happily travel through the hills and valleys of the ensuing romance. Boyd never lets up. As her musical speaking voice graces each character with its own persona, she exudes every essence of perfection necessary to being a great narrator. J.P. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine