Review: A clever and thoroughly enjoyable mystery
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 19, 2014
4.75 starsThe world the extremely rich Arlingtons live in is a far cry from Griff’s, yet he ends up quickly developing an easy rapport with the likeable grandfather of Brian. The same can’t be said when it comes to the family’s ruthless lawyer, Pierce Mather. As Griff gets drawn into the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Brian, he also finds himself drawn to the surprisingly charismatic man. Sure, he was a bit of a jerk at first, but as events throw them together, Griff discovers that there’s a lot more to Pierce than just his good looks and cynical attitude. In fact, it becomes obvious that Pierce is fiercely loyal to the family, which treats him as one of their own.Stranger On The Shore is first and foremost a mystery, and a very good one at that. With a tight, cohesive plot and just enough clues to formulate theories on but not obvious enough to become annoyingly easy to solve straight away, I really enjoyed the way this story was put together. The interest-grabbing story combined with fascinating characters made this book very difficult to put down, especially so once the premise of the story is established. Griff was an easy MC to like, smart; determined, sometimes prickly and eminently believable, I really enjoyed experiencing the story through his POV.I loved Griff and Pierce’s evolving romance. As this was predominately a mystery, the romance was well balanced as a story element without competing or taking over from the mystery. The chemistry between Griff and Pierce built slowly, and not always smoothly, lending a realism to the romance, especially given their abrasive start. Just like he did for Griff, Pierce grew on me, although, also like Griff, I didn’t ever truly dislike him. I found him intriguing despite his initial apparent arrogance.The writing is beautiful with a surreal, almost dreamy feel to it, which perfectly matches the story. Every word has a purpose, whether it be to paint a vivid picture of the location, to create an atmospheric sense of anticipation or to portray wonderfully realised characters and convincing dialogue. All in all, a clever and thoroughly enjoyable mystery.Read the full review at Live Your Life, Buy The Book