About this item
Highlights
- Jensen Beach, Florida is a quaint coastal town once revered as the "land that time forgot.
- Author(s): Leah Orr
- 224 Pages
- Fiction + Literature Genres, Thrillers
Description
About the Book
When Aunt Adeline goes missing, it's up to her niece, Charlotte, to uncover hidden family secrets in the town she calls home. Discover the secrets the Shed Shed holds, the hidden skeletons of a coastal town, and the true meaning of family.
Book Synopsis
Jensen Beach, Florida is a quaint coastal town once revered as the "land that time forgot." The place where big city dwellers come for vacation. It was once known for its beautiful sandy beaches, breezy ocean air, pleasant year-round weather, frilly cocktails, hometown boutique shops and restaurants, and ocean activities.The town is also home to some unsavory characters and its many hidden skeletons-literally.
When Aunt Adeline goes missing, it is up to her niece, Charlotte, to uncover the clues of her deeply hidden family secrets and the town she calls home.
Enjoy the dual narrative from both Aunt Adeline's and Charlotte's point of view. Discover secrets the She Shed holds, the importance of friendship, and the true meaning of family.
Review Quotes
Publishers Weekly: Orr crafts a cozy mystery that offers a fresh spin on the lengths we'll go to for true love. A neighborhood dog digging up a human jawbone in idyllic Jensen Beach, Florida, gives the neighbors something to talk about-and sets off a disturbing series of events for Charlotte, whose Aunt Adeline just happens to own the bone-filled yard responsible for all the fuss. When Adeline goes missing, local law enforcement rings up Charlotte to fill her in on the investigation, and she's shocked to discover there's a whole host of human remains buried in her aunt's yard.
The mystery's standard fare here, but that doesn't take away from the fun of unraveling Adeline's past, particularly when Charlotte stumbles onto a cryptic poem and video log of her aunt's seeming confession. While she's deciphering her aunt's clues, Charlotte gets caught up with local cop Derek-but just as things start to heat up between the two, Charlotte gets an ominous warning that there's more to Derek than meets the eye. That suggestion sets up the novel for an unconventional twist in the end (some readers may be discomfited by revelations that keep it all in the family), but Orr keeps readers spinning with some considerable things-are-not-as-they-seem unveilings throughout.
The She Shed's draw is undoubtedly Orr's quirky characters. Adeline's closest friends-"old-school Grateful Dead hippie" Randall, gal pal Millie, and the enigmatic, angry Betty-add plenty of fuel to the small-town fire, as does the questionable mayor, who's formed his own vigilante squad to "protect women" but seems desperate to cover up the town's slaveholding secrets at the same time. Readers will appreciate Orr's tidy wrap-up of the murders, and most of the characters earn the happy ending they deserve; the town, however, turns out to be "full of skeletons-literally." Back matter includes entertaining recipes from one of the story's main players.