I was so absorbed in "Stonebrook Cottage" by the story of Defense Attorney Kara Galway after her move back to Texas from Connecticut and the interactions with her godchildren and Sam Temple, a Texas Ranger that reports to Kara's brother that I missed clues as Sam interacted with Zoe West, sole detective in Bluefield, CT, that the next novel in the Carriage House series might be about Zoe West.

As "The Harbor" opens, Zoe is no longer a detective but has remained in Bluefield. However, a phone from Zoe's sister, Christine has Zoe packed and on the road "home" to Goose Harbor, Maine in no time.

This is not only a tale of suspense to discover about break-ins but to finally solve the mystery from a year ago of who killed Zoe and Christine's father, Police Chief Patrick West and the message that their grandmother was trying to share on learning of her son's death. The reveal of grandmother and author Olivia's star character Jen Perwinkle's (who sounds like a modern Nancy Drew) evil nemesis, Mr. Lester McGrath is an enticing subplot. The background of the evil nemesis name selection and much more is another highlight of the novel as well as why Olivia provided a special legacy to each of her granddaughters. The novel also portrays how each person in a family copes differently with the loss and grief of family members.

The suspense is characteristic of Carla Neggers with page-turning interactions, sharing her love of New England through the settings of many of her novels, and romance to add to the intrigue. ( )

Excellent! ( )

The beginning of the book confused me because it jumped from scene to scene. Eventually, everything was filled in and it turned out to be a good story. Just the right balance between romance and suspense. ( )

Ex-FBI agent on forced vacation stumbles onto a murder and falls for the victims daughter. Page turner with lots of interesting characters. ( )

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/12415045