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Casco Bay
Shiloh Vail's return to her childhood home to settle her father’s estate unveils a web of mysteries she could never imagine.
Set against the backdrop of the vanishing harbor town of Casco Bay. Shiloh grapples with her father's mysterious past and the absence of any records from before his marriage to her mother, stirring questions about her own identity.
As she delves deeper, she begins to suspect that her father had another life before the one Shiloh knew, one that ties him to one of the region's most powerful families.
Casco Bay is a riveting exploration of identity, legacy, and the enduring power of hidden truths.
Set against the backdrop of the vanishing harbor town of Casco Bay. Shiloh grapples with her father's mysterious past and the absence of any records from before his marriage to her mother, stirring questions about her own identity.
As she delves deeper, she begins to suspect that her father had another life before the one Shiloh knew, one that ties him to one of the region's most powerful families.
Casco Bay is a riveting exploration of identity, legacy, and the enduring power of hidden truths.
290 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 21, 2025
33 people are currently reading
20 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 23, 2025
After many years away, Shiloh Vail returns to her childhood home to deal with the aftermath of her father’s death. St.Aggie’s island, where she and her sibling grew up, is home to a small community off the coast of Maine. While going through everything her father left behind, Shiloh discovers that there are family secrets that need to be uncovered, secrets that may put her and her family in danger. Not only must she confront painful memories from her past, Shiloh also has to grapple with the possibility that the people closest to her weren’t what they seemed.
Opinion:
I really enjoyed this book. It has all the elements of a ‘cozy’ mystery; a casual, modern writing style, a focus on personal relationships, and many lighthearted, humorous moments. Although there is a murder, the main mystery focuses on family secrets. However, this does not make the book dull at all. There is a thread of suspense throughout, as it is indicated early on that there are dangerous forces at play. Although some plot points were fairly predictable, due to numerous context clues, there were also several moments that took me by surprise.
I did notice a few errors that I want to comment on. There were two chapters titled as “chapter 11”, and there is also a moment towards the end where Shiloh drops a flashlight, but inexplicably has it again a few scenes later. The author may have meant that Shiloh dropped the light to her side, rather than pointing it straight ahead, but the wording is vague, and I took it to mean she dropped it on the ground, in which case, it doesn’t make sense for her to have it a few paragraphs later. This discrepancy took me out of the story, and it unfortunately happens during a moment of extreme tension. Other than those minor errors, I think this was a very enjoyable read, and I’d happily read more from the same author.
Opinion:
I really enjoyed this book. It has all the elements of a ‘cozy’ mystery; a casual, modern writing style, a focus on personal relationships, and many lighthearted, humorous moments. Although there is a murder, the main mystery focuses on family secrets. However, this does not make the book dull at all. There is a thread of suspense throughout, as it is indicated early on that there are dangerous forces at play. Although some plot points were fairly predictable, due to numerous context clues, there were also several moments that took me by surprise.
I did notice a few errors that I want to comment on. There were two chapters titled as “chapter 11”, and there is also a moment towards the end where Shiloh drops a flashlight, but inexplicably has it again a few scenes later. The author may have meant that Shiloh dropped the light to her side, rather than pointing it straight ahead, but the wording is vague, and I took it to mean she dropped it on the ground, in which case, it doesn’t make sense for her to have it a few paragraphs later. This discrepancy took me out of the story, and it unfortunately happens during a moment of extreme tension. Other than those minor errors, I think this was a very enjoyable read, and I’d happily read more from the same author.
January 30, 2025
I was surprised to learn this author teaches at a small university in Maine. The book was a quick read and plot line kept me interested. The writer followed the admonition of writing about what you know in her description of location and atmosphere, which along with her characters names were the strongest elements of her narrative. However, she seems to follow the modern trend of today's writers of "churning" out the material. There is no savoring of the circumstances and little time is devoted to backstory. I loved the twist but found the explanations and underlying causes of action weak and undeveloped. The characters are superficial and although their names were unique and imaginative I did not connect with them. I was reading a story that outside the plot line was a little run of the mill.
In today's literary structures it seems the object is to turn out product without really creating thought, connection, or reflection on the events, characters, and ideas introduced by the story. There was absolutely no "savoring" of flavor in the people, places, or narrative. The dialogue was atrocious. I know vulgar language has become the norm for today's society, but using it continuously in conversation, especially in written dialogue, is ludicrous for a writer. I was once told that profanity and vulgarity are a feeble mind's attempt to express itself forcibly. There are over 1 million words in the English language that can be used to convey our thoughts and ideas more succinctly than those taken off the trash heap. To be fair the author shows promise and maybe she will grow into the role so I might give her another read in 5 or 6 years.
In today's literary structures it seems the object is to turn out product without really creating thought, connection, or reflection on the events, characters, and ideas introduced by the story. There was absolutely no "savoring" of flavor in the people, places, or narrative. The dialogue was atrocious. I know vulgar language has become the norm for today's society, but using it continuously in conversation, especially in written dialogue, is ludicrous for a writer. I was once told that profanity and vulgarity are a feeble mind's attempt to express itself forcibly. There are over 1 million words in the English language that can be used to convey our thoughts and ideas more succinctly than those taken off the trash heap. To be fair the author shows promise and maybe she will grow into the role so I might give her another read in 5 or 6 years.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews