Shadows on the Sand

May 9, 2011
Prolific fiction author Roper begins a new adult fiction series. In the sleepy little New Jersey town of Seaside, lots of dangerous undercurrents are swelling among its inhabitants. Carrie Carter, a single, 30-ish victim of childhood abuse, runs a cafe with her younger sister, Lindsay. Carrie also does a mental "happy dance" in her head every time widower Greg Barnes comes in for breakfast. Barnes, a former police officer, is tending his own emotional wounds, trying to get past the guilt of not being able to save his wife and children from a violent death. When Carrie's dishwasher is killed and her waitress disappears, Carrie and Greg begin to put their heads (and hearts) together in earnest to solve the mystery. Working alongside each other, the couple work hard to face their individual pasts with grace and grit, creating a satisfactory story line with enough emotional charge to keep readers' attention.

June 15, 2011

Abuse survivor Carrie Carters and her younger sister run a small cafe in a seaside town in New Jersey. Though Carrie has many friends, she has eyes only for former policeman Greg Barnes. Unfortunately, Greg is still struggling to recover from the deaths of his wife and children three years ago, and doesn't even seem to notice Carrie. Then Carrie's dishwasher is murdered, and Greg works with her to solve the case. VERDICT A tightly woven plot and realistic characters make this fifth entry in the "Seaside" series (after Winter Winds) a worthwhile read. Recommend it to readers of Liz Johnson's novels, which also combine romance and suspense.

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