Colleen Coble brings us another installment to her latest Lavender Tide series, picking up immediately after the series’ first novel and accompanying novella in “The House at Saltwater Point.”
This novel follows two different storylines — primarily following the new stories of Ellie Blackmore and Grayson Bradshaw, but also picking up the story of Shauna Bannister and the search for her siblings she lost in an earthquake 24 years ago.
Ellie co-owns a house flipping and renovating company. Grayson is an investigator for the Coast Guard Investigative Services, who learns he is also Shauna’s long-lost brother, Connor. Ellie’s and Grayson’s paths cross when he finds himself in Lavender Tides investigating a missing shipment of cocaine — which he believes was stolen by Ellie’s sister, Mackenzie.
After Mac goes missing off her beloved tall ship, leaving too much blood behind, Ellie works tirelessly to prove Mac is not only alive, but innocent. And as Ellie’s and Grayson’s investigations draw them closer together, they learn there is more to the story than initially believed.
And while all this is going on, Shauna and Grayson work on rebuilding the relationship that was taken from them as small children, as well as work toward finding their newborn sister, Brenna, who disappeared without a trace after the quake.
Filled with kidnappings, terrorism, murder and espionage, “The House at Saltwater Point” is another great suspense novel by Coble, filled with plenty of plot twists, heart-pounding action, and just enough romance to leave the knees weak.
“The House at Saltwater Point” offers a few great themes like not deserting those we love; dealing with betrayal; and looking at what defines us and what makes or breaks us. This book only makes brief and mild mentions of God, like asking Him for help and direction, so it’s not heavy on the “religious” level.
Interestingly, readers will find this novel doesn’t start with the typical Coble opening scene — a girl running from a mysterious person aiming to hurt them. And they will also recognize a brief mention to another of Coble’s communities — Rock Harbor, Michigan. It will be interesting to see how Rock Harbor may be incorporated into future Lavender Tides stories.
Although this novel could be read as a standalone, I’d highly recommend reading the first novel, “The View from Rainshadow Bay,” as well as the following novella, “Leaving Lavender Tides,” first.
Five stars out of five.
Thomas Nelson provided this complimentary copy for my honest, unbiased review.