The compelling mystery Locked in a Box, part of The Kate O’Dade Art Crime Series by Sheila Sharpe, is set in 2009 and will immediately grab the reader’s attention. Thirty-three-year-old Kate O’Dade is a La Jolla, California psychologist trapped in her own trauma. She suffers from severe claustrophobia and experiences flashbacks and horrifying nightmares. Her childhood was tragically marked by her father’s sudden death, followed by a terrifying incident she can’t recall. Decades later, these unresolved issues continue to plague her daily and influence her choices and decisions. Separated from her husband, she lives with her young son and their dog.
Island Girl covers tough subjects such as alcoholism, sexual assault, and extreme emotional and family dysfunction. The emotional intensity is heart-stopping in places, especially in the scenes when Garrett struggles with grief and fights the pull of the ‘drink.’ The descriptions of the emotional assault that comes with intense anguish over sudden and tragic losses create relatable moments, making readers care about Garrett and urging them to read on to see whether he’ll survive danger and threats to come.
Island Girl, a novella by Charles R. Hinckley, introduces us to Garrett, a man who lost his wife and young daughter to an airplane crash. He dealt with this devastating loss first by heavy drinking, then by choosing to live on a small isolated island off the coast of Maine where they owned a primitive getaway cabin. It’s now his full-time home where he is attempting to sober up from years of blackout drinking. It would be an idyllic setting if he didn’t carry the full weight of regret and sorrow with him as constant companions that he refuses to release. But one night he realizes he’s no longer alone on his island, and he wonders what trouble has come to his door now.
