About The Book:
A powerful family with lots of secrets. A forensic artist with his own tragedies. And a hurricane drawing bearing down on their private island.
Fifteen years ago Piper Boone’s only child died in a boating accident, and Piper’s almost perfect life came to an end too. After living through a divorce and losing her job, she retreats to Curlew Island and her childhood home—a secluded mansion for the politically powerful Boone family, who are practically American royalty.
But Piper’s desire to become a recluse is shattered when a mass shooter opens fire and kills three women at a café where Piper is having lunch. The crisis puts her family in the spotlight by dredging up rumors of the so-called Curlew Island Curse, which whispers say has taken the lives of several members of the Boone family, including Piper’s father and sister.
Forensic artist Tucker Landry also survives the shooting and is tasked with the job of sketching a portrait of the shooter with Piper. They forge a bond over their shared love of movies and tragic pasts. But when police discover a connection between the shooting and two more murders on Curlew Island, they face a more terrible lineup of suspects than they could have imagined: Piper’s family.
Unraveling the family’s true history will be the key to Piper’s survival—or her certain death.
Carrie Stuart Parks is an award winning artist, writer, speaker, and law enforcement instructor. A Certified Forensic Artist, she met her husband, Rick, in the romantic hallways of the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia. Together they formed a dynamic and successful team in their fine and forensic art, working on major national and international cases and creating exquisite watercolors and stone carvings. They travel internationally, teaching forensic art to a variety of participants: from the Secret Service to the FBI, from large law enforcement agencies to the smallest two-man departments in their one-week classes. They are the largest instructors of forensic art in the world. Carrie has won numerous awards for her innovative teaching methods and general career excellence and is a signature member of the Idaho Watercolor Society.
Carrie’s Gwen Marcey series chronicles a forensic artist from Montana and is loosely based on Carrie’s forensic cases.She began her fiction writing career while battling breast cancer. Mentored by NY Times bestselling author, Frank Peretti, Carrie’s debut novel, along with her subsequent novels, have been met with critical acclaim, including:
2017 Christy Winner: mystery/suspense (When Death Draws Near)
2017 Carol Winner: mystery/suspense (When Death Draws Near)
2017 RT Reviewer’s Choice Best Book Awards for 2016 finalist (When Death Draws Near)
2017 Christian Retailing Best Finalist:mystery/suspense (When Death Draws Near)
2017 Inspy Award Finalist (When Death Draws Near)
2016 Idaho Author Awards: winner: mystery/suspense (When Death Draws Near)
2016 INSPY winner: mystery/suspense (The Bones Will Speak)
2016 Christy Award Finalist: suspense/mystery (The Bones Will Speak)
2016 Christian Retailing Best Finalist: mystery/suspense (The Bones Will Speak)
2016 Family Fiction Readers Choice: 15 Best Books of 2015 (The Bones Will Speak)
2016 Idaho Author Awards Finalist: mystery/suspense (The Bones Will Speak)
2015 Carol Award Winner: mystery/suspense/thriller (A Cry From the Dust)
2015 Christy Award finalist: mystery/suspense/thriller (A Cry From the Dust)
2015 Selah Award finalist: mystery/suspense/thriller (A Cry From the Dust)
‘No one had an alibi and everyone had a motive.’
There’s an old saying that every family has skeletons in the closet. Well, welcome to the closet. Piper Boone suffered a great loss fifteen years ago when her only child, two year old Dove, was killed in a boating accident. She returns to her childhood home on Curlew Island, South Carolina, after a divorce and determines to live as secluded life as the home is secluded. Her family is practically American royalty but she wants no part of all that. Her longing for a quiet life is suddenly destroyed when a mass shooter opens fire and kills three women at a café where she is having lunch, one woman at her table. It’s not long before the press is bringing up the old Curlew Island Curse that hovers over the Boone family.
Tucker Landry, forensic artist is also a survivor of the shooting and also saves Piper’s life. He is given the job of sketching the shooter because Piper remembers how he looked. They have a bit of a bond between them but soon the police make new discoveries and Piper’s own family is suspect.
Carrie Stuart Parks, an internationally known forensic artist herself, is in fine form here. Her skills as a forensic artist absolutely make her books come alive. She deftly crafts a puzzle which is gripping and she has a great eye for detail. This is a compelling read, and as the action draws to a conclusion, with a hurricane bearing down on the island, no one seems to be safe and everyone looks like a suspect. A riveting conclusion that I absolutely did not expect! Bravo! Highly recommended.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Publishers through Net Galley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Publication Date: July 14, 2020
Simply Susan 