Ghost Point: Murder and Thwarted Love - the Potomac River Oyster Wars

by Diane Scott Lewis

Luke, an oysterman, is tangled up in the fight over the Potomac River rights in 1956 Virginia. He loves his wife, but they clash over his illegal dredging of oyster beds. His life is under threat from Maryland’s notorious Oyster Police.Yelena, the once pretty, popular girl, struggles to rise above her dull existence as Luke’s wife. She defies her husband and takes a job in a used bookstore. A mysterious older man is interested in her, or is he simply after her husband for his unlawful activities as he inspects the murders out on the river? She's tempted to plunge into intrigue and perhaps more. Can Luke and Yelena rekindle their love or drown in the hurricane of their actions? Will the crew-killers be found before Luke becomes their next victim?Editorial Review “A rich plot with building suspense, the writing is perfect and flows well. I loved this story.” History and Women“What can I say, this is your best book yet!” author Sherry Morris

346 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 1, 2021

About the author

Diane Scott Lewis grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, and joined the Navy at nineteen. She wrote book reviews for the Historical Novel Review magazine and was a historical editor for The Wild Rose Press. She'd been on editorial panels and a digital panel for the HNS. Her first novel was published in 2010. She's had numerous historical novels published since: adventure, romantic elements, and a time-travel. She also published a Revolutionary war novel told from the British side-Her Vanquished Land.
Her current release is a WWII romantic suspense, Bretagne, a forbidden affair.

Reviews

[N.N. Heaven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yelena years for more than her lot in life but when a handsome stranger shows her love, she wonders if he’s after her husband instead. Being a young mother and oysterman’s wife is not the life Yelena read about in books growing up. The struggle is hard on her, especially when her husband, Luke, is fishing illegally and at any moment he could be killed or arrested. She’s thinking about her little boy when she takes a part-time job at a bookstore. She meets an older gentleman, and they start an affair. But Yelena is unsure if he’s playing her just to nail her husband for his illegal fishing. It’s an all-out oyster war where anyone could be a spy and Yelena’s husband could wind up dead. With both feet in the turbulent waters, which side will Yelena choose?

Ghost Point is an intriguing historical fiction from start to finish. Before reading Ghost Point, I knew nothing about the Oyster Wars. Diane Scott Lewis did incredible research on this time period and both sides of the war because her book is historically accurate with intricate descriptive narration. The reader is thrust into what happens to both Yelena and Luke with taut emotional tension. The plot moves at a good pace. While it’s a little slow at the start, it quickly picks up speed. Yelena is an interesting character. I don’t honestly know how I would react to similar circumstances, but her reactions are authentic. The ending took me by surprise but in a good way. I thoroughly enjoyed Ghost Point. If you’re a historical fiction reader, you’ll love Ghost Point. If you’re a fan of sagas and dramatic fiction, you’ll enjoy Ghost Point. Highly recommend!

Disclaimer: I received a copy from the author in the hopes I'd review it.

My Rating: 5 stars

Reviewed by: Mrs. N

This review first appeared: https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/po...

[Diane Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote this novel to honor the hard-working watermen of Colonial Beach, VA. A friend of mine was dating a waterman who witnessed some of these events. His brother was killed during the Oyster Wars. She begged me to write the story

[Diane Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote this story at the urging of a friend who lives in the coastal town of Colonial Beach and has a boyfriend who informed her about the Oyster Wars. His brother was killed during this event that tore Maryland and Virginia apart in the 1950s.
My main characters are fictional, but intermixed with actual people who lived and died during this turmoil.

[Dean Hovey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mystery and romance

The book was well-written and moved at a pace that kept me engaged with the oystermen and the post WW2 life on the Potomac. The characters were engaging with depth.