Undertow

by Susanna Kearsley

Suffering from a severe case of writer's block, mystery novelist Laura Callaghan agrees to look after her sister's secluded beach house in Nova Scotia. There her only neighbors are long-time friend and artist, Ben Forrestal, and handsome Michael Sinclair who rents the small lighthouse nearby. Ben's studio is on the second floor of the large colonial inn he used to own, and Laura finds out through his old photographs and a diary that the inn was built in the 1790s by a sea captain whose descendants were both fishermen and smugglers. This inspires Laura to start working on a new novel, but when she realizes that Michael has a friend whose death was related to a current smuggling operation, she finds herself dangerously involved in more ways than one ...

Genres: Romance, Mystery, Suspense, Historical Fiction, Canada, Romantic Suspense, Adult

185 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1993

About the author

New York Times, USA Today, and Globe and Mail bestselling author Susanna Kearsley is a former museum curator who loves restoring the lost voices of real people to the page, interweaving romance and historical intrigue with modern adventure.

Her books, published in translation in more than 20 countries, have won the Catherine Cookson Fiction Prize, RT Reviewers’ Choice Awards, a RITA Award, and National Readers’ Choice Awards, and have finaled for the UK’s Romantic Novel of the Year and the Crime Writers of Canada's Arthur Ellis Award for Best Novel.

She lives near Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

(Aka Emma Cole, a pseudonym she used for one novel, Every Secret Thing, a thriller which at the time was intended to be the first of a trilogy featuring heroine Kate Murray, and which may yet be finished, some day. Meantime, Every Secret Thing has been reissued under Kearsley's name, and the Emma Cole pseudonym is no longer in use.)

Reviews

[Diane Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It is short, 185 pages, which doesn't leave a lot of time for character and plot development. Plus there was a big case of insta-love that went way beyond any insta-love I have read before. But I really did like the story idea and setting (Nova Scotia). As a matter of fact, I had a hard time putting it down and read it over the course of one day. It was predictable, but I didn't care and that must be due to Susanna Kearsley's wonderful writing abilities.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Susanna Kearsley and have such high expectation of her. This is one of her first novels and it was good. I found that she jumped into the story too quickly without setting up the story much. The character were all of a sudden in love but it was entirely too quick so I had a hard time believing. She also switched back and forth between perspectives which I found a little disjointed. I would love for her to rewrite this story because I think it has such potential if she wrote it today. Having said that I did run this this in 1/2 a day and didn't want to put it down - just ended to quickly for my tastes.

[Felicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've officially read all of Susanna Kearsley's books. There's a sweet irony in reading the first book she published last but it was also interesting seeing how much she's grown as a writer.

I really enjoyed this book but it was a little weird seeing from more than just the heroine's prospective. Normally Kearsley doesn't jump POV but she did in this.

I also found that I wanted more details from the plot. It felt rushed. Other than that I really enjoyed it.

[Sewingdervish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really, 3.5 stars. I really enjoyed this one, I wasn't expecting much because it was Kearsley's first, and she herself admits that they were not as good as her later works. I liked the story, I liked the characters. I have now read all of her books and I have two comments. Her heronies almost always get drunk or pretty tipsy, and someone is sure to not be religious. How terribly modern of her - not. I am getting a little bored, I would like to see a teetotaller and someone who has a little faith in something.

[CLM · Rating 3 out of 5]

Predictable and not up to the standard of her later, more fully developed romantic suspense.

[Andra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Undertow is Susanna Kearsley's first book. The story takes place in Canada.

Successful romantic suspense writer Laura Callaghan is struggling to write her next book. She's suffering from writer's block. To help her deal with it, Laura's sister Kathryn asks her to house sit for her and her husband and she accepts. Their house is in a beautiful place in a cove on the south coast of Nova Scotia. There Laura renews her acquaintance with her old friend and crush, Ben Forrestal, a famous painter who has taken up permanent residence at the neighbouring inn. She also meets Michael Sinclair, a handsome and mysterious executive on vacation who is renting the old lighthouse. Ben shares with Laura stories about the history of the inn and old research materials he discovered. The family who built the inn are associated with smuggling and murder. The change of scenery and the inn's history, inspires Laura to write. But it doesn't go far because weird stuff starts happening at the inn and Laura's curiosity gets her involved in it.

I enjoyed reading Undertow very much. I thought the mystery was fun and the romance surprisingly more satisfying than I would expect from this type of books. I loved the insta love thing the heroine had going with the hero and the passages with the hero's thoughts were a nice addition. The writing was pretty clean. The storyline and writing style reminded me of Mary Stewart and Caroline Llewellyn's books. I've read and liked a few of this author's other books, but I think it's a pity she hasn't written more books like this one.

[Madeline · Rating 4 out of 5]

The amount of pure expanding joy at finding this little jem made this weird year just that much better. As a huge Suzanna Kearsley fan, I (like many of her other fans as well) want to read all of her books. This includes two of her early novels Undertow and Gemini Game. These two books are out of print and sell on ebay for an astronomical amount. Then, one night (facing another bout of insomnia) while still trying to dig for these books -- I found it!!! Through a library that uploaded it. I could not have been happier to instantly delve into this short novel. I borrowed it for 12 days but was able to finish within three. I was just so happy to continue finishing the Kearsely cannon. Thank you to that library and thank you to Susanna Kearsely for creating such works that inspire joy at finding this book.

Laura is a writer facing writers block, so she takes a break of the city life to stay in her sisters house. There she meets with old friends, new loves, and finds a mystery that is worthy of inspiration for her new novel. Her novels feel like a comfort blanket that is secure and interesting. This novel still hits that mark. The only part that had me questioning was the ending...

I loved this book so much! It was an adorable story that was quick and easy. The characters were simple (and a little irrational) but fun, and the plot twist was interesting. There wasn't a lot of development. It was really crammed into the 185 pages. However, though not as well written as her other novels, I still loved it that much more. This novel really helped to portray the growth that this wonderful author has undergone. I would only suggest this novel to other Kearsley fans because when looked at objectively it is not the best novel, but when looked at as part of a greater author study it sure hits this level of perfection. It stays true to what the author has done throughout her career but shows how much has changed as well. Fans should always appreciate the beginnings of an artists works to better understand where/how they came to be the success that they are currently. This was a fun read, rushed, and not perfect in plots points, character development, and relationships developed, but being quick to read it is still a joy to read for Kearsley fans.

[SusanwithaGoodBook · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first of Kearsley's novels, written a year before the last one I read. It's out of print and hard to find, so I signed up for it on ThriftBooks and was thrilled when they notified me that a copy was available and at a very reasonable price. I jumped on it and was so excited when it came. Not only is it in almost new condition, it's also a first edition and signed by the author!

I wasn't sure what to expect for a first novel, and the reviews I've read haven't been that great, but I absolutely LOVED this book. It definitely shows the Mary Stewart influence, plus it has all the things I adore - mysterious goings on, old houses with history, murky characters, and a fabulous (clean) love story. The bonus for me was the lighthouse (haha)! I wasn't expecting that because I hadn't seen a picture of the book before. Maybe I'm just a sap or too easily pleased, but I thought it was wonderful. Okay, yes, it's a much simpler and more straightforward story than Kearsley's later novels, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it.

In fact, I'll go one step farther. Kearsley's later novels don't always develop the male characters enough. This book did a much better job with the main male character. He had more to say and more emotion than many of her others, which made it more enjoyable for me than some of Kearsley's other novels, even though they're better on the historical and overall storytelling elements. If you can find a copy it's worth a read, imho, especially if you like Mary Stewart's books.

[Sheree · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Susanna Kearsley and was very happy to find this at my local library. I know this book is otherwise almost impossible to get unless you want to spend a lot of money on ebay.
All that being said, this book was just okay. The plot was decent and had a mystery I didn't figure out until the end. However, Susanna obviously had not found her voice yet in her writing. If I didn't know this was her book I never would have guessed it. It is a typical 90s romance/mystery book. I can see how she elevated and she wrote Every Secret Thing which is different but similar.

The plot is about a woman that is a best selling author with writers block. She is invited to her sister's house while she is gone for work. It's a town she knows well and knows most of the people that live there. She finds out that the inn use to be owned by smugglers and starts writing a novel based on a diary she was given. Her friend that gave her the diary, who is a well known painter, shows her secret passages in the inn that he lives in. Him and his brother are in an argument over which gallery he should work with. There are several charticars that seem to be involved in something and we don't find out what that is until the end of the book.
SPOILER: In the end we find out that painter is smuggling stolen art with a French man that he knows. This French man has been tracked by the main characters love interest who happens to be a cop. In the end everyone is caught and the heroine proposes to the cop.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I heard somewhere that Susanna Kearsley was embarrassed by her early novels (this one is her first), but I hope that isn't true, because she's got nothing to be embarrassed about. Was it a fairly simple plot? Yes. Where there some cliché lines? Yes. But, was it a good story? Yes. Was the romance satisfying but clean? Also, yes. And was the mystery suspenseful? I think so. It wasn't a whodunit, but there was a twist at the end that was a nice touch. It kept me interested to see how it was all going to work out. This book is nothing if not short, and you can tell that Kearsley's writing had not yet matured into what it would become, but for 180 pages, I was pleased.

[Greta Steinz · Rating 5 out of 5]

To have been able to get my hands on a copy of this was amazing!!! To read an author’s first work is truly a gift! As a whole it was worth the quick read. Well worth the few hours it took me to read this. Get your hands on a copy before you can’t!

[Harlow · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was okay. Honestly, it didn’t really pull me in and I had to force myself to finish it.

[Sharon Buxton · Rating 3 out of 5]

B. fiction, contemporary, suspense

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mystery set in Nova Scotia. This is the first book by an author that I love. Not her best work but her books get better!

[Deborah Strom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book but predictable.

[Michale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Her first book.

[Katherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Despite the low ratings and previous warnings that this book is a far cry from the Susanna Kearsley writing we know and love today, I decided to read it for a view of where Kearsley began with her writing. Yes, it's rough and lacks the consummate skill the author has since honed so well, but is interesting (as an experiment of sorts) if only to get a feel for the creative seedbed of an outstanding, talented, and well-developed author.

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's like a "light" version of her later books, but still a fun, quick read.

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good!

[Dawn Wells · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little to predictable especially if you've read other books by this author.

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating Clarification: 2.5 Stars

[Kathy Sebesta · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was her first novel, and was interesting if only from that standpoint. It foreshadows what she develops better and more fully in her current novels.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute quick little mystery romance. Looking forward to seeing the growth of this author, as this was her first novel.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an obvious first "effort" not awful but not as engaging as her current books.

[Lynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to read this since it's the only Kearsley book I haven't read. Not bad for a first go, but certainly not up to the quality of her others. Quick read.