The danger lies not in the water.As a veteran of the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu in Somalia, Talmon Bonnett usually holds his PTSD at bay. When a wealthy couple hires him to spy on Rusty Wing, the man responsible for building the Mourning Island’s new resort, Talmon injects himself into Rusty’s inner circle. Lying about his intentions, Talmon gets to know Rusty’s troubled fiancée Claire, his … fiancée Claire, his sinister Cuban first mate Santos, and Marlene, Rusty’s alluring sister.
Talmon and Marlene begin a torrid affair; then someone is murdered, and Talmon learns that two Cuban mobster brothers are the money behind the resort. Talmon forces the couple to divulge the real reason they hired him. Everything is connected to the murder, Rusty’s circle, the mobster brothers, and Claire’s vanished father, who might know something vital.
Talmon’s lie threatens the life he envisions with Marlene. Violence erupts because of a dispute between the brothers, with Rusty’s circle as targets caught in the middle. Talmon desperately seeks Claire’s father, while the two brothers maintain their collision course.
The Mourning Islands is an electrifying story that fuses mystery, passion, and tragedy against the serene beauty of Florida’s coast.
more
I was unprepared for the journey the author took me on through these pages. This thriller left me riveted, holding my breath with anticipation with every suspense filled plot point. Wells tells a detailed story that draws you in and doesn’t let go. Suspense, mystery… a thrilling ride that I didn’t want to end. Highly recommend.
The Mourning Islands by Douglas Wells
5-Stars
The Mourning Islands by Douglas Wells was suspenseful, mysterious, and creative. Main character Talmon is hired to keep an eye on someone working on a new resort. Little did he know that his employers have ulterior motives. He is pulled into something he is very unsure of in the process after a mysterious death leads to revealed secrets.
Talmon himself seemed to be an interesting and knowledgeable character. I felt that he had a decent control on his PTSD and I enjoyed the tid bits mentioned of his childhood. The story had a great storyline and every setting was descriptive and engaging. I enjoyed reading this novel and all its characters. Easily a 5-star read.
The Mourning Islands by Douglas Wells
Four Stars
Could you live with so much danger surrounding you? To always look over your shoulders. Talmon lives a dangerous life when he begins working. There are so many lies and secrets. Will things become clearer as Talmon unravels the past? I really liked Talmons character. He didn’t give much away. He cared deeply for those he brought into his circle. The author surprised me when I started reading this story. I didn’t picture this at all when I read the description. I really enjoyed this book. It could be a really great series of Talmon surviving life. Doing all those odd jobs.
The Mourning Islands by Douglas Wells was a suspenseful, thrilling read, that had me hooked.
My first read from this author, I went in with an open mine, and man oh man, I’m glad I gave this book a chance. Thick with mystery, twist, turns, and an ending that will have you going.. what!, this book, though low on the page count, packs a mean punch, and one that will leave you wanting more.
Talmon, our MC, was a complex, multi layer character, that brought this story to life. Told in his POV, you get the intimate workings of his mind, and struggles. I felt it, and could also pass this character on the street. That believability, for me, made this story more than just your typical thriller.
Overall this story will keep you on your toes, full of misdirections and compelling characters, it will no doubt get under your skin. So yes, this book gets my super high recommendation and my stamp of approval.
Happy Reading
-E.A. Walsh
The Mourning Islands by Douglas Wells is book full of intrigue and suspense. You will find yourself taken down a path only to be surprised with a lot of great twists and turns.
This is one of those books that stays with you after you have finished reading it. I have found myself thinking about it multiple times since I put it down for the final time a few days ago. The storyline was so detailed and complex, all the threads intertwining without you even realising what was happening.
The characters were all unique and interesting. They added to the overall story so well.
This book is well written with great pace and great attention to detail. I would definitely recommend it!
A great read about mystery. Talmon is a war veteran just looking for a job. When he answers and ad in the paper, he gets more than he bargains for with an investigation into boat owner and resort builder Rusty Wing. Living on the marina, he makes friends with Rusty and is lead on an adventure of twists and turns and dangers. Can he find out the truth before things get too complicated?
A great read. Well developed plot with twists and turns. Well developed characters like Talmon trying to make something of his life despite his struggles or Rusty as a sophisticated businessman but with his cares and worries underneath. Great cast f supporting characters like the strong and stubborn Marlene or the sweet Claire.
I loved the visual detail throughout the novel like with its vivid sense of colour bright and bold and wonderful like the pink flamingo under the sun amongst the sand dunes beautifully written in a sense of beauty and wonder. Or the bay with its deep blue waters and white sand for the sense of peace Talmon feels out on the sea. Or the bright colours of the painting and Marlene’s tattoo, both beautiful and sorrowful at the same time wonderfully written.
The first person narrative worked well to display Talmons struggles and his search for answers. The use of suspense was wonderfully done, with details slowly revealed to make you keep reading to find it what happened. Also loved the sense of foreboding from the start making you want to read on to see if something bad does happens. Overall, a great read and I would give it five stars.
The Mourning Islands by Douglas Wells is a four star novel. This novel is full of suspense and drama and will keep you on your toes. As Talmon gets hired to spy on a guy that lives on his boat in the Mourning Islands, he realizes he could actually live in this place that is peaceful and quiet. He loves being on the water and fishing but hates that he has to lie to everyone he meets to keep up the charade so he can keep spying on Rusty. As he gets further into this lifestyle, he meets characters that are all their own and enticing to him in different ways. After a murder happens, he knows he is going to have to dig deeper and not just live his life like he thought.
The Mourning Islands by Douglas Wells is a dark and somewhat somber story that is full of secrets and lies, murder and danger. The mystery and suspense will have you intrigued and left guessing as to what is coming next. For me the story was a little slow at the start but it does have lots of twists and turns and picks up the further you get into the story. Douglas is very descriptive in his telling of the story making it easy to imagine.
4 Stars
The Mourning Islands By Douglas Wells took me on a journey of secrets, lies, intrigue, suspense, mystery, murder, discovery, romance, violence, and danger. This is the second book that I have read by Mr. Wells, so I am still ‘getting to know him’ but was eager to find out what this story had in store for us.
The plot was very intriguing and suspenseful, as it twisted and turned. I was left guessing as to the outcome, because every time I thought I had it pinned down, BAM- there was a twist I didn’t see coming. The story does have some dark, emotional, and depressing moments which really sets the mood and tone of the whole story. There were lighter moments, and a little romance sprinkled through the story- but overall this is a ‘moody’ read.
Mr. Wells has written a descriptive and detailed, multi-layered storyline, that has several threads running at the same time- and it’s not till towards the end that the threads begin to come together- again, leaving me wondering how things will ‘end’.
When the end did come, I sat looking at my screen, somewhat in shock- “No! It can’t possibly end like that!”, I was thinking to myself! Oh, but it does! My mind is still trying to come to grips with it, and it’s been a couple of days since I closed the book! I can’t go into detail without spoiling it for you, suffice to say that when you read the book you will know exactly what I mean. I really wanted good things for Tamlon- he deserved good things to happen to him!!! Looking at you Mr. Wells…….
If you like a suspenseful mystery, with murder, twists, and a plot you can’t pin down- then this is definitely the book for you!
Thank you, Mr. Wells!
I enjoyed this page turning, sitting on the edge of my seat story. It has mystery, murder and romance. This is a well written story that pulled me in right from the beginning. I enjoyed how the characters brought this story to life and made me want to keep turning pages. This is a story about Talmon who is hired to investigate but there could be another reason. The risks are high for all characters. I highly recommend picking up this book.