The Cast Net

by Millie West

Leaving the glamour of a successful advertising career in New York, Mills Taylor eagerly accepts a position as the director of an educational scholarship foundation in Alston Station, a town near Charleston, South Carolina---the opportunity for a simpler, less hectic life is just too appealing to turn down. But, she unwittingly steps into an unfamiliar world of family secrets, betrayal, supernatural tales, southern traditions, and money---lots of money. Her new boss, Cooper Heath, is as socially conscious as he is charming, but falls from favor when his beautiful wife goes missing. Fundraising work brings Mills in close contact with a community divided in loyalty to Heath---does she have to choose a side? The Cast Net chronicles a world of southern money and power in the late 1980s. Living and working closely with the Heath family, Mills learns the deeper meaning of "the cast net" and why it has been embraced by generations of Low Country residents. The Cast Net is a compelling and engaging novel about roots, a sense of community, trust, redemption, and, especially, love.

363 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 2012

About the author

A graduate of the University of South Carolina, Millie West has a background in aviation, as well as in real estate, and has owned and been the broker of her own company. A South Carolina history buff, Millie has spent countless hours exploring the rich historical vestiges of her home state. She has viewed many treasures of the past by taking less-traveled paths into the countryside. Her love of the fascinating, and complex, and compelling history of the south is expressed in her writing. Millie resides with her family near Columbia, South Carolina. To learn more about Millie and her two novels, Catherine's Cross and The Cast Net, visit her website www.milliewestauthor.com

Reviews

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book from First Reads on Goodreads in exchange for an honest review. That being said, I absolutely LOVED this book!!! For some reason, I've always liked books set in the Charleston area...I think I was meant to be born there! This book has a mystery that had me guessing until the end, as well as a sweet love story that takes time to develop & is a believable one. I didn't want to put this book down, & I was sad to see it come to an end. Millie West is a wonderful author!

[Nancy Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a hard time getting into the book/story but once I started reading it I couldn’t put the book down. It is a beautiful story of love, family, and intrigue. I look forward to reading the next books in the trilogy.

[Anna Spence · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent book, but not my favorite. The story line was good- but way too many characters who did not add to the story and made it confusing to follow.

[Terri Leidich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mills Taylor might have lived in New York, but she is totally southern in her demeanor and approach to life. I enjoyed her, her newfound passion for the people of Alston Station, South Carolina, her openness to a new way of life, but her strong morals and beliefs. For me, it was so refreshing to read a contemporary tale that included all the facets of mystery, suspense, romance, and love without ravaging sex scenes or gory murder scenes. Some stories use these components to pull off the storyline, Millie West does not.

I love this author's writing because she tells an interesting, suspenseful story that includes touches of good old fashioned love, and she kept me guessing until near the end as to whether or not Cooper had offed his wife.

[P Karr · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am still reading this book. Although the story is interesting, I am a bit confused about some things.

I am still not sure what year the book is set in, and not sure if it is clearly mentioned anywhere..

There is a mystery in the background, but most of the narration does not directly refer to it. The language seemed a bit off in places, and perfectly ok in others.

Like I said, its a bit hard to figure out. Hopefully the mystery will be solved, and the title will tie in to it. I really hope there is no paranormal angle here..

[Meli · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a nice story. So much going on. I'm from the area (and therefore wonder if the author is basing this on one of two small towns in the described vicinity, nobody ever writes about those!), and so I'm going to like the story right off the bat. Agree with another review that the dialogue is stilted, and wondered if maybe the author is new to it, but it's still a good story that nicely portrays life in a little piece of Heaven. I'll definitely read the author's other books.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I reviewed this already, but will repeat. It was an excellent book about a young girl from New York who was hired in Charleston, SC by a man suspected of killing his wife. The history researched for the book was amazing and I learn a great deal about the South that I did not already know, considering that I grew up in the low country of SC.

[sarah parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very enjoyable read! Women especially would find this book to be adventurous and fun. The main character having the courage to take a giant step for a change in her northern life. Moving to the south offered her many new experiences in more ways than one! This is a clean, refreshing story with just the right amount of suspense. I would like to see a second book from this one.

[Judy · Rating 1 out of 5]

So awful I had to put it down. Waste of time. Very shallow. No feelings. This is a story where you are looking into it instead of enjoying being a part of it.

Don't waste your time or energy with this one. AWFUL!

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Enjoyed the mix of local history interspersed with this romantic mystery, but the dialogue was painful and hard to read and the storyline rambled. Stuck with, but skimmed, because I liked the characters and wanted to know how it ended. Lack of editing led to this reading like a very rough draft.

[Paul Wilczynski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bought it directly from the author. I thought the language was quite stilted.