SMUGGLER'S COVE

3.5 stars out of 5

At the time I received an advance copy of this book for review courtesy of the publisher (via NetGalley), at least, this book was described as being in the "thriller" and "mystery" genres. Well, although I did enjoy reading the book - the first in what will be this prolific author's "Twin Lights" series - there's nothing in it, including a dead body, that to me was thrilling, and almost nothing mysterious. I can't even describe it as a cozy mystery, although a case probably could be made for that. Rather, it's just a story - albeit it an interesting one - about a brother and sister who grow up in the shadow of a father who was sentenced to 100 years in jail for bilking his financial clients out of millions back when they were barely dry behind the ears.

The "kids" are Madison and Lincoln Taylor, who starting out living and loving the good life with mom Gwen and dad Jackson. Their lives changed forever in 1996, when Madison was a junior at a prestigious fashion design college and Lincoln was in his first year of college elsewhere. Their mother called with the gobsmacking news that their father had been arrested and carted away to jail. 

Madison and Lincoln grow older, Lincoln  marries Madison's best friend and co-worker at the New YorkCity fashion magazine Madison heads up. Their father remains in jail, and they rarely speak to his brother, Kirby, who lives life along the New Jersey shores that's close to being off the grid. Then comes another smack in the teeth: Kirby dies, leaving the siblings his broken down but thriving marina in Smuggler's Cove, tucked away along the Navesink River where the infamous Captain Kidd and other pirates of the day are rumored to have buried treasure. Assuming they'll sell the property as fast as they can, Madison, Lincoln and Olivia pay a visit to check it out. During their visit, their plans take a twist when a dead body is found under their marina dock (for the record, this appears somewhere around the 60% mark of the book on my Kindle; a bit of a mystery, yes, but since there are no signs of foul play, it barely qualifies).

From there on - and there's not much left - it's more of their plans for the rest of the summer and hints of what may be in store for the next book. I can't say I'm looking forward to reading that one, especially if it's more of the same, which quickly became same-old for me. The writing is excellent, and I'd even describe the story as engrossing, but it went nowhere that I really wanted or expected it to go.

Smuggler's Cove by Fern Michaels (Kensington, July 2025); 288 pp.