In this tautly crafted tale of psychological suspense, a recently widowed mother resorts to the unthinkable to protect her shattered family. But does she go too far?After mystery author Diane Christie loses her husband to suicide, she and her son move to the small coastal town of Fog Harbor, Massachusetts. Her daughter is attending college nearby, and Diane hopes that her family can now begin to … can now begin to heal. But rebuilding their lives after the tragedy isn’t so simple.
Diane’s depressed college-age daughter, Alexa, still avoids her, critical of everything Diane does, and even her generally amiable teenage son, Josh, has started acting out. Diane pushes forward, focusing on her writing and her volunteer work at a local crisis hotline. She knows that healing takes time.
But then a girl from Alexa’s college is found strangled. Worse still, the murderer uses the crisis hotline to confess to Diane . . . and claims she is the only one who can stop the killing. And just when the glow of new love from an attractive admirer begins to chase away some of the darkness, more girls turn up dead, and Diane races to solve a mystery she fears will hit terrifyingly close to home.
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Red Herrings Abound
I love psychological thrillers—the chilling atmosphere, the frightening anticipation, the pulse-pounding desperation. My favorite part is figuring out who did it and why.
This book had its fair share of the first, but it fell short of the second.
The author crafted strong main characters. Visceral. Relatable. Even if you didn’t like what they were doing, you understood what prompted the words and actions. As far as character development, this book is almost a clinic. The author nailed the dialogue and internalization. At least, until the end, when some decisions were made that were pretty hard to swallow, especially given one character’s complete turnaround.
It’s the killer that I had a problem with. I don’t want to give anything away, so I’m choosing my words carefully here and being intentionally vague. I think the author was trying so hard for a surprise reveal that she didn’t leave enough clues. (Even that might be saying too much.) When I figured out what was going on, I went back to see if I missed the breadcrumbs that would lead me to the right destination. I didn’t. There weren’t enough. There were some, but too few. Given how this character is perceived by so many and by sheer logistics, the reveal seems more like a gimmick than a horrific truth.
This is a fast read. The characters are compelling even though the ending is unbelievable. And I wish there was a bit more forecasting. Keep it subtle, but get it in there. This one fell just short of a four-star for me, but not low enough to give it a three.
Wow! I never saw that coming!!!!! What a page turning thriller! Every passing minute I was on the edge of my seat wondering what was gonna happen next! Suspense at its finest, so unique and with an ending that was so perfect! I extremely recommend to all thriller seekers! Get on the Jennifer Jayne wagon!!!! I’m hooked and excited to read her next story!!!
Jennifer Jaynes is one of the best murder mystery writers I’ve ever discovered.
I read quite a few N.Y. Times and USA Today bestseller authors. They don’t hold a candle to Ms. Jaynes phenomenal-gifted talent in this genre.
Ms. Jaynes development of characters is phenomenal, she had me scratching my head trying to figure out the killer. From the start 3 suspects were front and center as the possible killer, the entire book.
Not until the shocking conclusion was the real killer revealed!
Diane, Alexa, and Josh just moved to Fog-Harbor, MA after a terrible family tragedy and hoping to heal their anguish and loss.
Close by at New Cambridge young females are being murdered around campus, as Alexa attends classes at the same university, Diane becomes the sole person the killer contacts.
She’s beside herself as the caller using a voice distortion devise give Diane the names of some of the girls even before their names are released and in one case before her body is discovered.
Absolutely a phenomenal murder mystery book to not be missed.
Jennifer- I loved loved this book. Your are phenomenal
I’m very intrigued by how craftily adolescent family growing pains are interwoven with a crime and psychological thriller! A very awesome read!
The book was captivating, and did keep me guessing! But when I reached the end, I had to go back and re-read the last couple of pages. I thought to myself, “Is that is? Did I miss something?” And then I thought, “Oh, there must be a book 2”. But there doesn’t appear to be….it was actually the end! This is the first Jennifer Haynes book I have read. And she is an excellent writer! The ending of this particular book has not dissuaded me from reading her other books. The ending was just kind of a let down.
I did not like the ending.
There was a promise of a plot with some likeable people. Diane is a mystery writer living in Maine with her son Josh and her daughter, Alex, close by in college. The plot starts with just a hint of her troubled marriage that ended in her husband’s suicide and the strain it put on her and her kids
Then the murders start with Diane getting the call from the killer saying he can’t stop.
Looking back, there were clues among the red herring…look carefully at the title. The author develops real heart into Alex, the confused daughter…but the hate is never explained or Josh and his laid back attitude yet his fascination with “what if scenarios”
And of course, Diane is pretty and has several men interested in her but all bring up question marks.
The ending is such a disappointment and shock and the personality changes in Alex and Diane make me wonder…who the heck is the real stranger. Maybe I should give it a three star…BUT I felt betrayed, fooled, and just wasted 3 hours reading this. This is listed as a best seller. Try to read any if the books I really recommend.. because there are great writers out there telling stories…this is not one of them.