Whiskey Beach review

The latest release by Nora Roberts, Whiskey Beach, is quintessential romantic suspense. It's a fun, interesting ride and it kept me guessing for most of the story. 

Eli is a very "real" character - he's not perfect, he's fighting to come back from an emotionally and personally shattering event and Roberts manages to convey the sheer work involved in overcoming something so consuming and shattering without bogging down the story or depressing the reader.

Abra cracks me up as she is the perfect counterpoint to Eli's current morass. She's vibrant, perky, funny, and has more energy than any three people should and yet she's not annoying or a caricature. She's serious when necessary as well as being smart and a good friend. 

Roberts doesn't spend as much time with the rest of the Landon family but when they are involved, they feel like a family we know - they are a unit but know when to give space to members. Eli's grandmother, the grande dame of the family, is whip smart and feisty. She was quite possibly my favorite character and I hope to be half as awesome when I'm her age :)

The original mystery in the story is who killed Eli's wife but then, as he spends time on Whiskey Beach, the mystery of the pirate treasure legend crops up over and over, weaving it's way into the murder mystery for an intriguing plot twist that keeps Whiskey Beach from being "just another romantic suspense" and takes it up a level creating a classic Nora Roberts story that remains fresh.

For Roberts fans old and new, Whiskey Beach is a must read.

Synopsis

For more than three hundred years, Bluff House has sat above Whiskey Beach, guarding its shore—and its secrets. But to Eli Landon, it’s home…

A Boston lawyer, Eli has weathered an intense year of public scrutiny and police investigations after being accused of—but never arrested for—the murder of his soon-to-be-ex wife.

He finds sanctuary at Bluff House, even though his beloved grandmother is in Boston recuperating from a nasty fall. Abra Walsh is always there, though. Whiskey Beach’s resident housekeeper, yoga instructor, jewelry maker, and massage therapist, Abra is a woman of many talents—including helping Eli take control of his life and clear his name. But as they become entangled in each other, they find themselves caught in a net that stretches back for centuries—one that has ensnared a man intent on reaping the rewards of destroying Eli Landon once and for all…