Whispering Sands

by Mary Jane Forbes

Emily O’Brien’s parents vanished without a trace. But is their disappearance hiding a much darker truth?

Struggling to care for her four young siblings and forced to navigate the messy legal world to save her family fortune, the mysterious disappearance of Emily’s parents on a last-minute private plane trip plunges the wannabe artist’s life into chaos.

Detective Tucker Armstrong is a cop like no other. He assumes the O’Brien case will be another ordinary missing person’s report... but as soon as he locks eyes with the 26-year-old beauty who answers the door, sparks begin to fly that could make his cool-headed professionalism crash and burn.

As the weeks drag on with no leads in sight, the simmering feelings between the unlikely duo threaten to boil over – but after Emily makes a shocking discovery about the O’Brien beachside mansion, her parents’ disappearance begins to take a far more sinister turn.

Can Tucker and Emily solve the mystery lurking behind the O’Brian family? And will their fledgling feelings turn tragedy into a chance for true love?

Dive into a page-turning mystery novel that will sweep you off your feet with head-scratching twists and a dash of wholesome romance. Whispering Sands is a riveting novel that’s perfect for readers who are searching for a cozy mystery with gritty emotional drama and larger-than-life characters. Grab your copy now.

Genres: Mystery

249 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 18, 2024

Reviews

[Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whispering Sands

This book is somewhat a mystery, also love story. Hate to go to another book for the story. Hoping it's worth it.

[Lise · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Emily's parents disappear, it's up to the twenty-six-year-old to care for her much younger siblings.

While I admired the premise behind this story, the writing was uneven. There was a lack of constancy in details and Emily's emotions were all over the place. Perhaps the worst thing of all was Emily's general unlikeability. She was rude and obnoxious to the point of entitlement and blew up several times at the one person who didn't deserve her wrath.

Though the story ends on a cliffhanger, it was not enough to make me want to pick up the next book in the series.

[Cidney · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a bit of an odd book really, Emily O'Brien's parents(?) left on the Saturday morning to go away in their private plane for a meeting, not saying when they would be back, leaving Emily to care for her 3 younger brothers and her 3yr old sister. When they hadn't returned by Monday and not even answering any phone calls to their mobiles, she calls in the police, Detective Tucker Armstrong who doesn't really behave as a cop should do. Firstly she's very upset about her parents being missing for so long, secondly she is worried about her 4 much younger siblings and their schooling and general welfare and lastly she didn't have any money. Then Armstrong now did he cuddle her? Or hold on to her arm or waist? Whatever, it was inappropriate behaviour for any police officer.

Then he is meeting her regularly and is very good with the children, I thought this was going the way of him inveigling himself into their lives and taking control of a woman whom he thinks has a hell of a lot of money. He never seemed to let her go, clearly there is no crime in that area of america as he was there practically all the time. I still wasn't totally sure even by the end if he was a good cop or a bad cop. And there was no ending.

He had DNA samples taken of all 5 of them and the results were surprising. And Greta the nanny who appeared out of nowhere who seemed to be asking Emily for her money constantly... And as I say there was no ending we have to wait for the next book for that, and will we get left with no ending with that book either? I think the blurb bigged it up.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

An intriguing and endearing mystery that will capture your heart as well as your thirst for a mysterious moment in time. The array of vibrant, colorful and intense characters along with a couple of four legged companions will daw you into this mystery but it's a plot full of secrets, lies, betrayals and more that will entice you further capturing your attention not letting go having you turning exciting page after thrilling page through a story of strength when twenty-six year old Emily O'Brian is faced with the realization her parents are missing and she must step in not only to find them but also take charge of her four adorable younger siblings. I was entranced from the moment I began reading this mystery that is also so much more, that time outside of reading past without notice until quite unexpectedly I was at its ending. Acquire " Whispering Sands " the first astounding mystery in this new series ( Guardian Mystery Series) for hours of intriguing and enjoyable entertainment. Kat

[Georgette · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was a free download. poorly copy edited. poor attention to detail.
if you're going to tell me she drives an expedition, don't change it to a lincoln five pages later.
if you're going to tell me the boat that was stolen was found striped and totally worthless, don't tell me five pages later that you're thinking of including the use of the boat in a home rental.
there are issues like this throughout clearly pointing to poor copy editing.
at one point, although the story was rather transparent, it seemed like massive paragraphs had been deleted without fixing what came after.
the story has good premise but the delivery needs a good proofreader/copy editor. this book could have been much, much better. it was a struggle to finish and, spoiler alert, the "mystery" isn't solved in the end.

[Donna Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emily shows so much love for her siblings when her parents disappear. She’s a strong woman left with four children, a house to run with a big mortgage, very little money to support her and her family and a business that she doesn’t have the knowledge to manage. Emily doesn’t take any of this lightly and she takes matters into her hands and soon figures out how to make the money she needs to support herself and her siblings.
Add Tucker, the detective that takes her first statement when she files a report about her missing parents. He’s handsome and falls for the lovely Emily. He helps out with the kids and helps her dig into her parent’s background and their mysterious disappearance. They find some truly upsetting information.
The book leaves you hanging on and wondering what happens next. I’m going straight to Amazon. I loved this heartwarming and mystery book.

[Brandie · Rating 1 out of 5]

The plot had promise. A lot was going on and it felt like everything was all over the place. I won’t be reading the second or so book to find out what happens. Did the boat get repaired? Why was she considering including it in the rental? The characters needed more life more dimension. She went all the way into the city talked to her dad’s partner yet she didn’t check her dad’s office?

[Rosie Deleon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suspenseful with great characters. Just had to keep reading to know what's coming next.

I liked the pull it had on me from the first chapter. Did not want to stop reading. It placed me in the shadows of Emily's every turn and decision made. Loved the story. It's a good summer beach read.

[Eirlys · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enthralling story

Interesting concept and a good story which includes disappearing parents, people smuggling, and secrets too difficult to take in. I liked how the twists came in, one after another. The characters were well crafted and believable.

[Carole · Rating 2 out of 5]

Needs work

I really liked the plot to this book, but it needs clarification. Perhaps the author could get with a copy editor to iron out the different ideas and the timeline of this mystery.

[Nanette · Rating 2 out of 5]

Horrible writing! First the dog is a female, then it is a “he”, then its back to being a “she”. All the way through the book. The story itself is ok, but the love interest is not developed very well.

[Diane Gardner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

Awesome book!! I love the twists and turn! I am hoping Emily's parents are ok. I am so looking forward to starting the next book!!

[Joyce Lorenzen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. There are a few minor places that need editing, so I didn't give it 5 stars.

[Lexi Rhoten · Rating 2 out of 5]

It would’ve been great if it actually had an ending and began to lag about 60% of the way through. I don’t plan on reading the sequels to find out if the story ever ends as it was a slow read.

[Lyndon]

Abandoned at 15%