Customer Reviews

Sand Castles

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Eight co-workers including Jim Hodene win the Powerball lottery of eighty-seven million dollars. Jim knows that his victory insures the financial present and future for his family, making them secure beyond their wildest dreams. Though the constant solicitations bug Jim and Wendy, she is particularly pleased to see her dream of expanding their house begin.

Zina Hayward insists that the lottery winner shown in the newspaper is her runaway husband Jimmy. Her brother Zack Tompkins thinks Zina is nuts as she has been since Jimmy left her and she began collecting the stray cats. Now he thinks she has gone even deeper into the loony bin with this wishful thinking about the lottery winner. Unable to dissuade her from her belief and worried about her mental state, Zack agrees to check out whether the lottery winner is his missing brother-in-law. To stealthily accomplish this task, Zack accepts a job with the Hodene house construction crew. As Zack begins to uncover the truth, Wendy also learns new ugly things about her spouse who is not the paragon she though he was. However, what she learns may prove deadly.

Antoinette Stockenberg shows her ability to provide a powerful suspense thriller with the exciting SAND CASTLES. The characters are a superb group especially the key foursome whose motives feel real even those of Jim and Zina. Though the plot is filled with twists and turns, readers will know what is going to happen next, but will not mind at all. Fans of taut thrillers with a pinch of romance will want to read Ms. Stockenberg's strong intrigue.

Harriet Klausner

Ms. Stockenberg is a maestro when it comes to creating realistic characters...I am certain I'll run into Wendy at the grocery store tomorrow! This book has it all--suspense, heartbreak, romance--and a setting that makes me want to pack up and move to New England tomorrow!

Antoinette Stockenberg has captured my heart again with Sand Castles. I found the story of Wendy, Zack, Zina, and Jim fast moving and could not put it down - I believe I finished this one in record time. Again, I can't wait for her next book. Kudos to Ms. Stockenberg.

This was a real page turner for me. The book is written wonderfully and will keep you up late at night. The twists and turns at the end of the novel, make it hard for you to put it down. This is a great beach book.

Never read any of A. Stockenberg's books before - when I read the synopsis on the back - I really didn't think it was my kind of book. Boy, was I surprised. I could hardly put it down. The characters are so believable and you really like "Wendy" and "Zack" and hope Wendy finally finds out what a creep her husband (well, not really) is. I will now read more of A. Stockenberg's books. Can't wait!

Something about the cover of this book made me pick it up. I loved it! The characters were so real that I want them to move next door to me. The story has a protective hero and a heroine you can relate to, not some superwoman. Also, a family you'll recognize right away. I hope we see Zina's story next.

This book was not quite what I had expected. It started off a little slow, going back and forth between character stories that eventually fell together. Jim Hodene was a bigamist and trying to puzzle together his story was difficult. It was a captivating page-turner, but it took me a little while to get into. I didn't like the hokey romance that occurred between two of the main characters. It was a little too unrealistic but followed the "Hollywood Happy Ending" idea. Overall I did like this story, once I really got into it. The main character, Wendy Hodene, Jim's current wife, was a very likeable character.

One good thing I can say about this book is that it's a quick read. I was expecting more excitement, more drama with this book. It was disappointing. The only remotely intersting character was Zack. This book is more like a Harlequin romance book, very little substance. I don't recommend it.

This book was nothing special. The story could have been better. There were several typos in the book. It really affected the story when the wrong type of SUV was noted (made me wonder if they bought a new one and I missed a memo). It again affected the story when the wrong person was named looking for the key. I guess I just expected better.

As a huge Stockenberg fan, I went right out and grabbed this book the day it was published. Please do not buy this book! If you want to read it, rent it from the library. It is not worth the time or money. It is not your usual Stockenberg suspense, romance, mystery. It is very boring and slow. You keep waiting for something to happen and the book just drags on. I finally closed it with 30 pages to go I was so disappointed. I will still buy her future books with the intent that this one was just a "fluke" as I love all her other books.