The Island

By Heather Graham

A slice of paradise in the turquoise waters of southern Florida, the island is a lush, breathtaking sanctuary. Few can resist its allure, or its primitive beauty. Fewer still know its secrets

On a weekend away with her brother and niece, Beth Anderson is unnerved when a stroll on the beach reveals what appears to be a skull–instantly recalling the retired couple who disappeared off the island's coast a few months earlier. Sensing someone approaching, Beth quickly covers the 'evidence'. But when she later returns, the skull is gone.

Only her niece is a witness, there is no proof of foul play, and to her brother the missing skull is just a good tale to tell at an island camp–out that night–a tale heard by an eager group of holiday–makers including charismatic Keith Henson, the stranger from the beach. The events are dismissed as the product of an overactive imagination, but when Beth hears someone outside her tent she instinctively knows her fears are justified

Determined to find solid evidence to bring to the police, Beth digs deeper into the mystery of the skull. Everywhere she goes, Keith Henson seems to be, claiming he is keeping an eye on her safety though Beth senses otherwise. Then a body washes ashore, and Beth begins to think she needs help–because investigating is a dangerous game, and someone wants to stop Beth playing.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Australia
• Release date: Jul 1, 2012
• ISBN: 9781460883822

Heather Graham

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Heather Graham has written more than a hundred novels. She's a winner of the RWA's Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Thriller Writers' Silver Bullet. She is an active member of International Thriller Writers and Mystery Writers of America. For more information, check out her websites: TheOriginalHeatherGraham.com, eHeatherGraham.com, and HeatherGraham.tv. You can also find Heather on Facebook.

Reviews for The Island

[olivermagnus · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I have no one to blame for reading this but myself. I noticed it would fulfill two of my challenges so I thought, what the heck, I read Heather Graham many years ago and she's not too bad. She's not bad, but this book was simply awful. The basic premise of the story is that our heroine, Beth Anderson, is on a boating weekend with her niece, brother and her niece's friend. They have traveled out to Calliope Key where they have camped and explored before. Before long they are joined by strangers, as well as people from the yacht club where Beth works and Ben is a member. While out exploring Beth finds a skull. She hides it when one of the strangers, Keith Henson, arrives. But, when she goes back to show it to her brother later it is gone.

 

The characters were insipid, the story slow moving and I was hoping the boat would sink and everyone would disappear. On the bright side, I've been able to finish two challenges.

"

[carl_alves_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

In The Island Beth Anderson goes on a trip to a remote island near Florida with her brother and her nephew. She finds a skull there and gets all freaked out, recalling a story about a missing couple. This leads her to investigate the situation in what turns out to be a convoluted mystery.The Island is a very flawed novel. For one thing, none of the characters are all that interesting, and it's hard to care about them, in particular the love interest that Beth develops with the mysterious manly man Keith. The plot holes in the story are too numerous to mention. The tension never fully develops, or perhaps it didn't matter because I could not get myself to root for or against any of the characters. In the end, this is a very forgettable novel. I've read better from Heather Graham, and I would suggest skipping this one.Carl Alves - author of Blood Street