The Forgotten Sea

by Beverley Harper

Not a pretty sight. Certainly not one the authorities on Mauritius, that gem of a tourist destination in a trio of idyllic islands once known as the Mascarenes, would like to become public knowledge. Their carefully nurtured image was of sparkling blue sea, emerald green palm fringes haphazardly angled along pure white beaches, gentle winds whispering through the casuarinas under an azure sky. This was ugly, messy.When journalist Holly Jones arrives in Mauritius to cover millionaire adventurer Connor Maguire's search for buried ancestral treasure, it promises to be two weeks in an exotic island paradise ... and a chance to start piecing together a broken heart. What she hasn't planned on is an infuriating, reluctant subject with a hidden agenda. Or one who manages to break down her carefully constructed barriers and awaken long-forgotten desires.After the body of a young woman is washed up on a beach, Holly finds herself embroiled in an unsolved murder case and the idyllic island's darkest secrets. Passionate, intriguing and compelling, The Forgotten Sea is Beverley Harper at her best yet.

Genres: Africa

566 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Beverley Harper was born in Bulli on the New South Wales south coast. In 1967 she travelled to Africa, intending to spend one year there. She stayed twenty, returning to settle in Australia in 1988. Despite loving the northern tablelands, the memories of Africa have provided the inspiration for her best-selling novels and she visited that continent for research purposes once a year.

Beverley Harper died of cancer in 2002. She rests at peace in the Africa she so loved. Her ashes lay by the Boteti River in Botswana, below a lodge called Leroo-la-Tau. It means footprints of lion.

She left a draft of her final novel, Footprints of Lion, which was lovingly completed by her husband, Robert Harper, and Peter Watt.

Reviews

[Bronwyn Rykiert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book for book club. It started out okay then it became very ordinary and I could not really get into the characters. Most of our discussion at book club was how badly it was written and by one person it was compared to an upmarket Mills and Boons - but hey some Mills and Boons books are quite good.

[Kara Obbiettivo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved The Forgotten Sea. It had the perfect amount of romance, mystery, and action. I am in love with Beverley Harper's novels and can't wait to read more.

[Stephanie Kotterer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, I enjoyed this book, but there were two major flaws for me:
1. I struggled at times to follow the descriptions of places...I even went so far as to try and Google the islands, which didn't seem to help much. I usually have a vivid imagination when I read, so that bothered me.
2. Who is the world would go from being a distrustful, sceptical and closed-off divorcé to BEING ENGAGED in a matter of three weeks? Holly and Connors love story seemed way too rushed, their first kiss seemingly materialised out of thin air. I wish the author would have dragged that out with more tension and patience across the book and have them give dating a shot by the end. Also, this calling her "baby" made me cringe so so much.

Other than that, it would have been a 4* book for me. Enjoyable story, unique setting & cute tie-in with the history and family fable.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love all her books. Her writing always takes you to the places where the story unfolds - this time Mauritius in all it's beauty but as with most places there is a dark side hidden from prying eyes. Holly, a journalist, is covering a story of a treasure hunt, she didn't want it and she considers the man frivolous and privileged but nothing turns out as she expects. There's many twists, turns and upsets before it reaches it's final climax.

[Lotti · Rating 2 out of 5]

Een klein beetje spannend, maar voor de rest behoorlijk zoetsappig.

[Robert Luke · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my favourite. Poor story line, weak plot. Completely unlike her books on Africa.

[Marion Aranjo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started off well but ended up being one of those overly descriptive books with an irritating main character.

[Rob Barker · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always with Beverley Harper, this is a great holiday read.

[Michael Peters · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story line that held interest and then lost its way a little

[Annette McIntyre]

A very interesting story of a young Australian journalist sent by her editor to follow a rich playboy in his search for family in Mauritius.

[Dee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess every author is allowed to have an 'off' book and for me this was it for Beverley Harper! I struggled to finish it but perserved. I simply didn't enjoy the plot or care for the characters.

[Flyer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Found it difficult to get involved with the story. Will try another Bverly Harper book in the future.