Double Exposure

by Carol Smith

Seven strangers, escaping reality, meet by chance on a Caribbean island and form a charmed circle of lasting friendships.Newly qualified London doctor, Joanna Lyndhurst, is taking a well-earned break on the romantic island of Antigua - ten days of glorious sunshine, without anyone knowing she's a doctor. But Jo is not the only one concealing the truth. Amongst the enchanting and diverse bunch of characters she meets, it turns out not one is quite what they seem.Lowell, the American lawyer, and Vincent, an art-dealer from Amsterdam, have travelled the world in a long-standing relationship, while maintaining separate lives and private worlds that do not overlap. Feisty New York banking executive, Merrily Morgenstern, keeps them all in stitches with her lurid tales of Manhattan high-life yet conceals her real anxiety about the threat to her own career. Sandy-haired Jessica, steeped in a world of culture and classical music, mourns a lost love whom she dare not discuss. And Cora Louise and Fontaine, mother and daughter from the steamy South, keep up appearances and dread the exposure of their own murky secret. By mutual consent, the holiday becomes an annual tradition as close friendships develop and the group starts to meet on each other's home ground. Yet the Caribbean sunshine has its own darker side. Someone is on the trail of a killer ...Double Exposure is a hugely entertaining novel combining the charm and wit of a group of friends with a brilliant and nail-biting mystery.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Crime

Paperback

First published May 1, 1998

About the author

Librarian's Note: There is more than one author with this name.

Carol Smith was born in London and worked in the book trade, both in London and New York, before becoming a full-time writer herself. For much of that time she ran her own literary agency, focussed on finding and developing new talent, although now her own writing takes up most of her time. She lives in Kensington. She also writes under the name Alex Crowe.

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very disappointing read.
It's a thriller novel, but it felt more like I was reading a pitiful romantic.It didn't even start to look like a thriller until the very end. It was so tedious, and the ending felt rushed. In theory, it should be a good novel, as the plot behind the murders are a little different than usual but it failed to be good on paper.

[Michelle Stevenson · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very slower starter. It took about half to book to establish the plot and at times it was needlessly complicated. The twist at the end was not as surprising as the author seemed to think it was.

[Caroline · Rating 1 out of 5]

This deserves less than 1 star, a very disappointing read and I barely got halfway through before I gave up it's very rare for me to give up on a book, as I would have frequent breaks and read something else and come back to it hoping that this time it will grab my attention, but nada this pretty sums it up

I really tried to place a gif or image on here, but I'm not that great with technology even though there are formatting tips to choose from, but imagine an animal or a person being bored shitless and you get the idea 😂

[Petra Beck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very slow start and I didn't know what to think and if this was really a thriller. But the story did come into its own towards the end with a bit of a twist and all. BUT there was more than one point that I wanted to slap one or the other protagonist for behaving exceedingly stupid. And I must admit I was a little bit shocked by the "happy ever after" ending considering the group lost two of their beloved ones. Still a decent read and I enjoyed it. But it's not a 5 star.

[Vanessa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good in part... a beach read really. Too many gaps and holes that didn't help you to determine what was going on. Wasn't sure if it was a murder mystery or a thriller or was going to turn into horror. Squire liked Jo though,but the last chapter is weak, too much happening in a short space of pages.

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘Murder,’ she wrote!!
I wasn’t prepared for a dark twisted mystery that involved long time friendships, annual December vacations, secrets and a whoooole world of culture- arts and music!
I’ll probably need anti acids for a while…

[Carol Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this story interesting from the beginning. It was different because of it's setting and the English style way of writing. I enjoyed the groups and the relationships that were formed to continue after the vacation.
It was not one of my favourite books but I would read more from this author.

[Andrea Hickman Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun, light read. I thought a number of aspects were rather blatantly obvious, but then I do remember the author's technique. Or perhaps this book is just less striking than Darkening Echoes was. Either way, I enjoyed it. I liked most of the characters (though Fontaine wore on my nerves, rather), I enjoyed the various settings and the way everything intersected so well.

[Pauline · Rating 2 out of 5]

An average read - doesn't make me want to rush and get anymore books by her.

[Jill · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very disappointing. Knew what was going on from quite early on. Couldn't believe how dense the main character was! Very slow going.

[Ann Tonks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Each character separately was interesting but I couldn't believe for a minute that they'd like each other and holiday together for years. Too chic lit for me.

[Alejandra C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

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