Review: Will Keep You Turning the Pages Well into the Wintry Nights
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 16, 2014
Up and coming Chef, Darcy Fletcher, is back home in Banksia Cove.  Recovering from the closure of her once successful Sydney restaurant as well as a broken relationship, she is also trying to offer support to her ailing mother whilst having to deal with an estranged father that she’s never forgiven for abandoning her and still get her new venture, Whale Song, up and running.A volunteer with their local marine rescue team, when she is called out in the middle of the night to assist a yacht in distress and rescue the single occupant on board, she doesn’t hesitate to rush out and aid the rescue boat’s captain and Noah Moreton, her childhood friend and the Cove’s local policeman, little knowing that her world, like the stricken yacht, is about to turn upside down.Both Darcy and Noah are more familiar than they want to be with a rescue of this kind and for both of them, it dredges up a lot of painful memories of another rescue ten years earlier that went horribly wrong – one which saw both of them leave their little home town to escape the pain.Offering to shelter Tyrone while he recovers from amnesia, neither Darcy nor Noah realise the consequences that this one selfless act will have on their lives, until Noah begins to dig deeper and the discovery of Tyrone’s true identity sees both Darcy and him on the run with a truly threatening presence on their tail and something far more sinister than the little town of Banksia Cove had ever have dreamed would darken their shores.When unsavoury truths, familial lies and deception are uncovered, everyone’s safe harbour will be threatened.Helene Young has done it again and, like a fine wine, she just gets better and better.Renowned for her well-written and carefully constructed romantic suspense novels, Helene has a rare talent for writing without the stereo-typical male broodiness of most mainline novels in this sub-genre, and gives her stories a fresh and distinctly Australian feel to them.Having been a fan of hers for a long while now, I waited on pins and needles for this latest offering which, needless to say, didn't disappoint.  Right from page one I was immersed as she assaulted me with a relentless battering of suspense, keeping the tension high as she moved towards the exciting climax, resulting in a journey with many twists.As always, Helene’s deft hand has created a strong likeable heroine who I was immediately drawn to, and empathised with, as she battled her confronting memories and dealt with her dysfunctional family, at the same time being caught in the midst of a love triangle and suffering the most devastating blow of all.Her sub-characters are just as skilfully drawn, with Stirling proving to be so cold-hearted he could freeze hell over, while Noah’s somewhat quiet presence remains her rock, and her relationship with Rosie renders a true portrait of unconditional love.While the simmering romance is somewhat understated, the heart-pounding action coupled with the mystery surrounding the stranded sailor, and an underlying theme of drugs in sport which highlights some of the challenges that our young people living in rural and remote areas face every day, is sure to delight all her fans and keep them turning the pages well into the wintry nights.