Review: The View from Rainshadow Bay

The View from Rainshadow Bay by Colleen Coble
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The View from Rainshadow Bay (Lavender Tides #1)
by Colleen Coble

SUMMARY: It’s been a year since her husband’s death in a tragic rock-climbing accident, and Shauna struggles to raise their young song and make ends meet. A friend’s final words to her before he is murdered convinces Shauna she is in danger. She teams up with her husband’s best friend to unravel secrets that have been around since her childhood.

MY REVIEW: Well, I wonder if I’m the only one who has never read Colleen Coble before? I admit I picked this one up because I love the smell of lavender and it’s got a gorgeous cover. LOL. Although murder mysteries are not my usual cup of tea (because I never know “whodunnit” until the author reveals it!), I have seen this author’s books everywhere and thought “Why not?” And I was pleasantly surprised. I actually enjoyed it!

I really liked the characters. They felt realistic in their struggles with their faith and with their grief. There was enough doubt cast on various characters in the story to make you suspect several, and yet a few surprises were also thrown in. I would recommend it to my friends, and I will be purchasing this one for our church library. I also plan to read rest of the series when they are published. Hmm, perhaps Colleen Coble will get me hooked on murder mysteries!

The only thing I felt was off in the story was that the killer seemed so much more cold-hearted in the beginning than the end. At the end, he didn’t really want to kill again. I don’t know it just seemed inconsistent with the development of his character at the beginning.

MY RATING: 4 stars. I decided to go ahead and give it 4 stars despite the off feeling with the killer at the end. I did really enjoy the story. It kept me wanting to read to find out what happened.

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At my request, I received a free electronic copy of this book from NetGalley. I was not required to give a positive review.  This review reflects my honest thoughts and opinions on the book, and I received no compensation for this review other than getting to keep the e-book.

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