Thunder Over the Reefs

by Paula Minton

Aloha to terror...

Half-Hawaiian Audrey Mason came to San Francisco ... to the strange and gloomy old mansion where under the guise of kindness, someone spun a web of intrigue around hey and her inheritance ...

Audrey Mason, grown to womanhood, returned to her beloved Hawaii ... to blue skies and sand and the crash of foaming surf ... where in the midst of beauty lurked evil waiting to clutch at her, to betray all the promise of happiness life and love held out

Genres: Gothic

189 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1967

About the author

A pseudonym used by Paul Little.

Reviews

[Macey Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

The environment of this book and the characters had such potential for a great story, but the execution was poor. There was so much exposition, telling instead of showing, and disorganized writing. The back of the book and the teaser in the front both make you think you'll be reading a tense gothic novel, but instead, most of the book is really boring. There isn't much tension at all actually, until the mysterious part comes in on around page 136 out of 189! That's a lot of book to read before enjoying the story at all. I was determined to finish it, so I did, but it's not my type of book. I think the parts about the racism against the natives was very important and I'm glad it was included and a major theme, but I wish the story itself was written in a more immersive way. I felt disconnected from the characters most of the book, and wished there was more descriptions of how the main character felt. I also wish it was more atmospheric, as that's what I'm used to with other gothic books. The whole first half or maybe even three-quarters, we aren't given enough atmosphere. The house on Lombard Street is supposed to be creepy and cold and tense, but I didn't read that much of that into that section of the book at all, unfortunately. That section was written more matter-of-factly, and not enough describing the terror that was supposed to be felt there. Also, it seemed to me that the adoptive father and sister both had inconsistent personalities. Sometimes they seemed loving and good and other times, they were horrible!

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you judge this book by the cover, you will be pleasantly surprised. It is not a romance novel. It is a novel about the Hawaiian people and the racial prejudices they faced as Hawaii became a state. A good novel.

[Gena Lott · Rating 4 out of 5]

A semi-modern gothic mystery romance.