Whiskey Beach: Book Review

By Wendy Robards

Whiskey Beach, by Nora Roberts.

Through the chilly curtain of sleet, in the intermittent wash of the great light on the jutting cliff to the south, the massive silhouette of Bluff House loomed over Whiskey Beach. It faced the cold turbulent Atlantic like a challenge. I will last as long as you. - from Whiskey Beach, page 1 -

Bluff House has stood for more than three hundred years overlooking Whiskey Beach. Its secrets are well hidden. But now Eli Landon has come home to find refuge behind its walls. Accused of murdering his wife, he is free due to a lack of evidence, but his reputation is shattered and his career as a Boston attorney is over. Eli's beloved grandmother has been hospitalized after a nasty fall down the stairs of the home, and Eli has agreed to watch over the place until she can return. But once back in the home of his youth, Eli becomes distracted by Abra Walsh, a feisty woman who keeps house for Eli's grandmother, teaches yoga, works as a massage therapist and makes jewelry. Almost immediately there is tension between Abra and Eli ... and a growing attraction. But if Eli thought he could escape his past and start over again at Bluff House, he couldn't be more wrong. When Abra is attacked and other strange things begin to happen, Eli once again becomes the focus of a murder investigation and Bluff House's dark past must be unraveled to give Eli back his life.

Whiskey Beach is a bit of a chunkster at over 450 pages, but Nora Roberts reels in the reader with her signature romance, suspense and captivating characters. As Abra and Eli give into their passions and then become a team trying to solve a centuries-old mystery, the novel picks up pace. At times the plot felt a bit contrived to me, and some of the "twists" were a little predictable ... but what makes the novel work is Roberts' skill at connecting her characters and creating chemistry and sizzle on the page.

I don't tend to read a ton of Nora Roberts, but when I do, I always enjoy this guilty pleasure. Whiskey Beach is a terrific summer read -- not overly heavy, but with plenty to keep the reader glued to the pages.

Readers who enjoy suspense-romance novels will not be disappointed in Whiskey Beach.

★ ★ ★ 1/2

Rating System

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ = Excellent
★ ★ ★ ★ = Good/Very Good
★ ★ ★ = Okay read
★ ★ = Not recommended
★ = Ugh! Don't waste your time.

Catch all of Wendy Robard's reviews and her quilting finesse in her fabulous blog, "Caribousmom".