Ah. The good ole summertime! Freedom! No
coats, hats, boots, gloves, slippery roads. . . . Well, you get the idea.
Summer is the time when most people take their annual
vacation. In my opinion, getting away from it all is crucial to a person’s
mental health. Every day through the year each of us deals with a multitude of
“challenges” and we need a break from all of that sometimes. Whether you prefer
the mountains, the desert, the beach or another location, a change of scenery
and daily routine is healthy.
For many years, I've looked forward to a
vacation and, most years, my traveling companion and good friend, Jan, and I
have gone to the ocean. Jan’s husband goes on golf trips with his buddies and
Jan and I normally plan a “girls’ getaway.” But, this year for several reasons,
it doesn't look like that will happen. We may manage a mini-vacation late in
the summer but that's still up in the air.
So, what’s the next best thing to physically
getting away? Escape into a book! Let it take you places you’ve never
been and, as you get involved in the lives of the characters, your own problems
will disappear – at least until you reach the last page. Then, all you have to do is start reading another book and your "vacation" will be extended!
Imagine this: It's the Fourth of July and
you're sitting on the beach watching the fireworks over the ocean. The crowd "Oohs"
and "Aahs" as beautiful colors explode in the night sky. It's breathtaking!
Early the next
morning, you go for a walk on that same beach and discover the body of a young
woman in the sand. Once again, it takes your breath away.
Ann feels like she’s in Paradise as she digs her toes
into the soft, white sand and gazes out at the ocean. She’s looked forward to
this trip to South Carolina for a long time and all she wants to do is bask in
the sun, resting and relaxing.
She and her two young children are enjoying their time
on Fripp Island with Ann’s sister, Marnie, and Marnie’s elderly friend and
former neighbor, Clara Brunner, a longtime resident with a vast knowledge of
the island and the people who live there. At the Fourth of July fireworks,
Clara introduces them to newlyweds Jenny and Mark Hall and their families.
But Ann’s plans for a peaceful vacation are shattered
the next morning. When she goes for a solitary walk on the beach, she discovers
the body of a young woman with the chain of a gold locket twisted around her
neck and she immediately recognizes the locket as the one Jenny Hall was
wearing the night before.
But
things aren’t always what they appear to be.
Shocked and saddened, Ann is determined to try to find
the killer and to see them brought to justice. She convinces Marnie and Clara
to join her in conducting an investigation but, in the process, she places her
own life in jeopardy.
Happy Fourth of July!
