Sarah Collins needs an escape. Mourning her brother’s death and the impending breakup of her marriage, she accepts an invitation to return to her childhood home in South Carolina, where her family operated an inn.She hasn’t been back to Sea Scope for twenty years; not since she and her brother Glen discovered a body by the nearby lighthouse. She never understood why her parents left Sea Scope so … Scope so suddenly, or the reasons behind her father’s suicide.
After Sarah returns to the inn, she faces long-buried memories, text messages and strange clues. Something is not right in Sea Scope.
Reunited with people from her past, she tries to figure out what’s going on in her childhood home. As the past and present collide, she must face truths about her family, and what happened that summer day by the lighthouse. But will she survive to tell the tale?
more
This novel will have your head spinning while trying to figure out if Michael committed suicide or was murdered 20 years ago while in the Lighthouse near Sea Scope. Her Aunt still lives there and is thinking of re-opening the bed and breakfast to guests. But first she invited 5 people who there there at the time of the murder. Her niece Sarah agrees to go but goes with a friend instead of her husband-not really knowing what to expect, but needing a break from her home life. Sarah’s Dad had commuted suicide-and it was Sarah’s younger brother who found him. Sea Scope was shut down to guests soon after that and everyone went in different directions. Sarah’s Mom, the housekeeper and a friend of the children was also there.
This story goes from present to past and back again–separated by Lighthouse history compiled by Michael for his thesis.
I became intrigued by this story from the beginning–When the entire sordid mess is finally revealed and the culprit who has been leaving crayon notes in various places is finally found—will Sarah and her Mom pay the ultimate price? Will the secret that Sarah has been keeping from her husband heal their marriage–
The dysfunction of this family goes back generations–Secrets was the name of the game–will the truth set them free?
A compelling psychological thriller.
Every now and then I like to delve into a good mystery/thriller. Sea scope is a psychological thriller, the kind of book that gives one pause and makes one wonder how the mind works.
The book oscillates between present time and two decades earlier, slowly bringing the reader up to date with events that caused a business to close, a family to break, a girl to become mentally unstable, and the reasons behind it all. And they’re all connected to a murder that was ruled then as a suicide. The question throughout the book is whether Michael committed suicide – with all the bright opportunities he had ahead of him – or whether he was killed – but all the suspects on that day had an alibi, and seemed to actually like the guy. So which was it?
Alternating in between present and past are notes about lighthouses, real facts with references – a boost of information for the reader to store.
At first I was sure about what happened to Michael, but the author kept throwing new hints here and there, enough to shadow the truth and keep me guessing.
And then, about midway through, I was sure I had a suspect in mind. And yeah, I thought, no surprises here, but I couldn’t see the motive and so I went on, sure I had the right suspect.
I was wrong. So wrong, when the twist at the end came, I was left gaping.
The writing is suspenseful throughout the entire book, both in the present and in the past, with first person pov in the present and third in the past, and the distinction was done exceptionally well.
Have you ever had something happen to you as a kid, build your beliefs upon that event, only to realize as a grownup there were other sides to that story?
This was a great book with a great twist. I recommend!
This is a good story, with good characters, with good writing technique. The characters have flesh, are not just words on a page as you read the Juxtapositioning of time and space about the same people. There are twists and turns which surprise and please, and there are moments of indecision, even for another writer of mysteries, as to where the story is going. There are also illustrations between every chapter. I loved the book. I hated the illustrations. Creativia told me, when I suggested illustrations in one of my westerns, it was not a good idea. They were right. The illustrations interrupted the flow of the story, added nothing to it, and served only to distract me. I give the book a five star rating grudgingly. I only do so because I really enjoyed the story. I wish it had not been so difficult to wade through the extraneous part of the book.
Sea Scope is the first book I’ve read by Debbie De Louise. It’s a mystery / suspense / thriller novel with a bunch of light moments and several page-turning-gotta-find-the-killer moments. I enjoy books with a great balance, especially when the author also throws in fun facts about the history of lighthouses. I should also mention, a small portion of the book takes place on Long Island, not too far from where I grew up. Of course, I have to read it, right?
Let’s pique your interest a little… someone died in a lighthouse ~20 years ago. All but one member of the family left town. An aunt stayed behind and recently reopened the lighthouse as a bed and breakfast. Before inviting paying guests, she convinces her family and a few friends, who’d been around at the time the man previously died, to visit for a few days again. Although that long-ago death had been ruled a suicide, the facts never quite lined up. A drunk mother. A dead father. A peculiar maid. Her estranged daughter. A recent accident. A marriage falling apart. Rekindled sparks. Another death. We’re all too smart to believe in coincidences like those, so what really happened at Sea Scope ~20 years ago, and how is a dead guy leaving behind phone messages and cryptic notes with crayons, his calling card in his younger (and more alive) days?
At first, I was intrigued by the plot but it was a slow burn. We had hints of an unnatural death, but nothing concrete. We were being led to believe one thing about the victim only to learn many other peculiar things that didn’t fit together (until later on). I started to really engage in the story at about 40% and couldn’t put it down until the very end. I love when books creep at you for a bit before drop-kicking you into their clutches. From a character perspective, I found flaws and potential reasons why they’d all be responsible for the previous murder and the current shenanigans. No one was completely good in my eyes, even the primary character, Sarah, had some curious moments. I like when an author keeps the main players in a gray space.
From a plot perspective, De Louise took us places I hadn’t expected. I knew two characters were ‘involved’ somehow, but when the chips completely fell, the alliances and ties and relationships were far deeper than I imagined. What a family! What an imagination! Kudos to De Louise for pushing the envelope a bit without going into specific details. We get a clear picture of the truth, but we also have a nice layer between us and the impacts it’s left behind. It made for a great story with a ton of red herrings and a brilliant confrontation in the end. There were complex layers, which made some characters see one thing, and others see another thing. Who do you believe? Although we get an ending, it’s the type of novel where you walk away thinking… I’m not sure the story ended there. What sorta tricks does this author have up her sleeve for the future!?!? I’d be thrilled with a follow-up, so no complaints here.
I’m glad I took a chance on a new author… and I look forward to more things to come from her future!
Gripping and compelling read
Did Michael commit suicide or was he murdered? Why did Sarah’s family leave South Carolina so abruptly after his death and why did her father commit suicide a year later? Still mourning the loss of her brother and facing the possible breakup of her marriage, Sarah accepts an invitation to return to Sea Scope, the family inn which closed after Sarah and her brother, Glen discovered Michael’s body at the nearby lighthouse. Her aunt is planning to reopen the inn and invites five people who were there at the time of the tragedy 20 years ago. What really happened to Michael and who is responsible for the notes replicating Glen’s childhood crayon clues which are suddenly appearing? Going back and forth between the events of 20 years ago and the present, Ms. De Louise weaves together two gripping and compelling mysteries. I couldn’t put it down until I finished it at one in the morning.
From the moment Sarah went back to Sea Scope there was nothing restful about her return visit. You can tell when an author has hit a home run with a book when reading it takes precedence over other important things like eating, sleeping, and other non essentials.
In my opinion, this is Debbie De Louise’s best work to date! I hope she writes more of these stand alone books. I didn’t even come close to figuring out exactly what happened all those years ago. I wasnt even in the ballpark.
Ms De Louise has set the bar high for future books. Somehow, I dont think that will be a problem for her.
This is a story full of intrigue & complex characters, shifting back & forth over twenty years between a present day reunion & a tragic event that happened twenty years before. The author keeps the mystery under wraps until the last few chapters, adding to the intrigue that builds as you learn about each of the key witnesses to that fateful day when a lifeless body was found beside the lighthouse. There’s a lot of backstory, which is both relevant & interesting, although the historical information about lighthouses at the end of some chapters detracted from the flow.
Title: Sea Scope
Author: Debbie De Louise
Publisher: May 4, 2019
Release date: Creativia
Rating: 5/5
“Sea Scope” is a really well-rounded and tangled mystery that was a joy to read. The characters are realistic, with some likeable, some not, and some that are misunderstood. The plot is addictive and very satisfying. I love the way Debbie De Louise writes (warm and welcoming and not willing to let you put the story down for too long!), and I hope to read more of her work in the future.
My thanks to the author for a free copy to review. This review is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.
Overview: Memories of a dead body found at a childhood vacation spot two decades ago, her father’s recent suicide, current marital issues, and new messages popping up from her dead brother cause Sarah to question if there was more going on at her family’s beach bed and breakfast than what was first thought.
Author Debbie De Louise leads readers on a riveting emotional rollercoaster in her cozy mystery, “Sea Scope”. This seemingly sweet tale infused with pleasant memories of a particular summer spent at the Brewster family’s inn contrasts with an alleged suicide that becomes the focal point of the main character’s return to the scene. As Sarah accepts her aunt’s invitation to visit for the summer, current marital issues weigh her down even as she experiences flashbacks to several traumas associated with her stay at the homey beachside inn twenty years ago.
Well written and highly engaging, “Sea Scope” provides a sense of fascination and awe as this story takes these characters from childhood innocence to the realization that the world isn’t all puppy dogs and sunshine. Over that fateful summer, Sarah and her brother, Glen, learn about the birds and the bees, how to spy on cheating couples, discover mysteries and intimate secrets about the inn’s guests, find out their parent’s marriage may not be perfect, and experience the trauma of suicide. It’s a hard-hitting, coming-of-age tale that impacts each sibling’s life well into adulthood.
This mystery is a suspenseful and chilling read, and it continues to remain captivating throughout. The reader is prompted forward by delightful childhood memories set against a backdrop of serious adult issues. There is one problem that sticks out in the writing of this story, in that the author often chooses to use surnames (Mr. Gambowski, Ms. Wilson, etc.) rather than first names to identify the characters in her tale, perhaps to reflect back to a time when a more formal tone was used in conversation. The practice of using just the characters’ surnames in certain portions of this novel causes a great deal of confusion and muddles the plotline since most of the characters in this story are of the same family (Brewster) and carry the same last name.
With photos and notations about East Coast lighthouses interspersed between chapters, De Louise educates readers on their history even as she brings a sense of charm, tradition, and nautical ambiance to her story. “Sea Scope” is an absorbing, well-paced, and shocking cozy mystery that gets better and better as the plotline develops. I highly recommend this novel to anyone who loves a good mystery for ages 17 and up.
Note: “Sea Scope” does contain adult sexual situations, including a scene that may act as a trigger for survivors of sexual abuse and/or assault.