Gone Fishing: The Hook

by Jane H Desrosiers

In 1973, Ethel Koontz is impatient to begin a career as a newspaper reporter far away from her tiny fishing village of Piney Bluffs, Maine. Raised by her father, Eddy, since her mother died in childbirth, Ethel always wondered if she inherited her independent spirit from the mother she never knew. She strains against the warm confines of her father, Miss Ruthie and her confection-filled bakery, Andy the creator of blue plate specials at the diner, and Caleb, the editor of the Piney Bluffs Bugle who dangles the bait of a job to make her stay in town. None of these lures can hook Ethel until a faraway stranger arrives for her best friend's wedding and makes Piney Bluffs his home and Ethel his wife. She resigns herself to the job at The Bugle but, with her investigative nature, nets a local story worthy of big-time journalism, one that threatens to change the very character of the town. She strips the facade of fishing celebrity Norman Williams to reveal his predator motives. It will take all the people of Piney Bluffs and a host of others to reel in Norman to justice and restore peace to Piney Bluffs.

342 pages, Paperback

Published January 27, 2017

Reviews

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story! Loved the characters, the setting, and the unexpected twists and turns that the plot led me. The story has everything - drama, mystery, comedy and romance and even non-fiction (I learned interesting facts about fishing)! And to add to all of that the story has messages - about balancing work and play, about following your dreams (and how sometimes choices made seem to lead you in the opposite direction of what you dream but then you realize that you are right where you wanted and needed to be!) and the value of good friends and family. Definitely looking forward to the next book in this series!

[Nutmeg89 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good plot twist at the end. No murders or violent crimes, but a good story that builds the characters and the town in Maine. It’s like watching Northern Exposure with quirky characters and a sense of community for a town trying to retain its charm and step forward in development. I have experience this in my local area of Mystic CT and Westerly RI. I purchased the trilogy from the author a couple of summers ago. I look forward to starting the second book this week.

[Michelle Behr · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is in serious need of a good editor! It reads very much like a first draft. Glaring mistakes of grammar and just bad writing. While the premise of the story sounds good, it took forever for the story to get started. And then it was as if the author realized she was going to end up with a 1000 page book if she continued down the same road. Do not recommend this book at all!

[Kathryn Stellitano]

Quick gentle read... I think the next two get more interesting.