The Seafarer’s Secret by Carol Ann Collins #BookReview #MysteryThrillers #Romance #Pirates @booksgosocial @NetGalley #TheSeafarersSecret
My Rating
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
Book Review
Edward Teach or more famously Blackbeard and his life as a pirate is one of wonder. For a pirate to spurn violence and still instill the fear of gods in his opponents is no mean feat. Author Carol Ann Collins uses the pirate’s story and the rumor of his treasure to create a tale with all the ingredients mixed in perfect proportions and also provide us with food for thought as to his marketing skills, so much that 300 years later he is still remembered as this ferocious pirate. The author offers mystery, murder, secrets, and a slow burn romance in this fascinating tale of a treasure hunt set around a small town called Eden in North Carolina.
The opening scene of four oldies getting together to gossip over coffee and Eva Knightly shamelessly eavesdropping on the foursome to gather the shenanigans happening in the town was like an instant attention grabbing one that I felt invested wholly into the story from the word go. Eva as the town historian has more than a passing interest in the coin discovered with the body of a drowned victim and to know that the same had been found with Catherine, her best friend’s body also spikes her curiosity. Knowing that the town views William, Catherine’s husband, and the police chief with suspicious eyes, Eva decides to get to the bottom of both suspicious deaths.
The Seafarer’s Secret has the plot going wondrously in parts but losing steam somewhere in the middle. Even though the murder mystery begins as the central plot point, the investigation I felt could have more gripping. The author beautifully crafted the romance between Eva and William as the reader connects to the emotions of William whilst he doubts his ability to give his 100 percent to another woman after being burned by the previous one. There are minor discrepancies in the story, like William, despite being the police chief unaware of the coin found on his wife. Definitely not a big deal just me being a weirdo, especially coz the author has very skilfully merged the history of Blackbeard thru snippets of diary entries and giving glimpses of his love story with Mary. Though I did guess the suspense and the identity of the murderer there were still things that were cleared up only with the reveal and made it thoroughly enjoyable.
Carol Ann Collins writes with an ease that the reader gets transported to the little town of Eden and its secrets effortlessly. The secondary characters including Amelia, and her grandfather Elbert, Julia, and Emmerson have been sketched with depth that they feel like people you meet in real life.
Sold for Blackbeard and his treasure.
Book Blurb
Secrets are revealed. Lies are exposed. And in order to have a future, William and Eva will have to delve into the past.
William Templeton, widower and police chief of Eden, North Carolina is working the scene of a local woman’s drowning when the body is found with an old gold coin in her pocket — identical to a coin that was discovered on Catherine’s body, his estranged wife, over a year ago. Catherine’s case, originally deemed a tragic accident, has been reopened, forcing William to step down as police chief.
Historian and Blackbeard expert, Eva Knightly, is brought into the investigation to help identify the coins and can’t understand why her good friend Catherine never mentioned anything about it. When more coins surface at a local church, Eva and William know it’s more than mere coincidence. With the entire town whispering about Blackbeard, cursed coins, and lost treasure, it becomes hard to separate what is true and what is a myth.
The Seafarer’s Secret is a thrilling cinematic mystery featuring the exigent slow-burning romance between William and Eva as they work together to reveal the secrets and lies of Eden, North Carolina. Though, in order to have a future, they’ll have to look deep into the past to keep from being a modern-day killer’s next victim.
Many thanks to Net Galley, Books Go Social, Beaufort Books, and the author for a chance to read and review this book. All opinions are expressed voluntarily.
This review is published in my blog Rain’n’Books, ## Goodreads, ## Amazon India, ## Book Bub, ## Medium.com, ## Facebook, ## Twitter.
Originally published at http://rainnbooks.com on August 3, 2023.
