Shadows on the Sand: A Seaside Mystery (Seaside Mysteries) [Paperback]

Gayle Roper (Author)

Book Description

Release date: July 19, 2011 | Series: Seaside Mysteries

She serves him breakfast at her café every morning … but he never seems to notice her.
 
Carrie Carter’s small café in Seaside, New Jersey, is populated with a motley crew of locals … although Carrie only has eyes for Greg Barnes. He’s recovering from a vicious crime that three years ago took the lives of his wife and children—and from the year he tried to drink his reality away. While her heart does a happy Snoopy dance at the sight of him, he never seems to notice her.
 
When Carrie’s dishwasher is killed and her young waitress disappears, Greg finds himself drawn into helping Carrie solve the mysteries … and into her life. But when Carrie’s own painful past becomes all to present, her carefully constructed world begins to sink.
 
Will the fragile relationship she’s building with Greg implode from the weight of the baggage they both carry?

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for Shadows on the Sand

“Gayle Roper’s mysteries get deeper and develop more tangled threads with each book. The characters and setting are so real I wanted to run out and help them. Happily ever after was in serious doubt. Very well done.”
—Lauraine Snelling, author of the Daughters of Blessing Series and the Red River of the North Series

“There’s nothing quite like a long-awaited vacation, especially when it’s served up with a Gayle Roper novel. Shadows on the Sand, a tale of faith, forgiveness, and fresh starts all wrapped in a captivating mystery, was just what I needed to return to the real world refreshed and inspired.”
—Tamara Leigh, author of Nowhere, Carolina and Restless in Carolina

“With vivid, realistic characters and a tightly woven plot, Shadows on the Sand is a novel I couldn’t put down. The emotional ride stayed with me long after the last page. Highly recommend!”
—Robin Caroll, author of In the Shadow of Evil

“Shadows on the Sand is a rare mix of love story, spiritual warfare, and crime drama all rolled into one fabulous tale. Gayle Roper has once again created fascinating characters and a rich story that kept me up well into the night.”
—Mark Mynheir, homicide detective and author of The Corruptible

About the Author

GAYLE ROPER, a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America, is the multiaward-winning, best-selling author of Fatal Deduction and more than forty other books. She teaches and leads mentoring clinics at writers conferences across the country. Gayle lives in eastern Pennsylvania.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Multnomah Books (July 19, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1601420846
• ISBN-13: 978-1601420848
• Product Dimensions: 0.7 x 5.5 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (101 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,028,161 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Gayle Roper rejoices every day that God has called her to be a writer because she's in love with story. Even on the days that words rebel and have to be coerced onto the paper, there is nothing else she'd rather do. When readers like her work, it's like God says, "See? I knew what you were wired to do." When her books win awards like the Carol Award (Caught Redhanded) or the RITA Award (Autumn Dreams), the Holt Medallion (The Decision, Caught in a Bind, Autumn Dreams) or the Reviewer's Choice (The Decision), it's icing on the cake. And she gets to teach others how to write at conferences too. She spends a lot of time smiling.
Her latest project is her blog, www.widowsjourney.com.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Unusually Serious Topics for the Suspense Romance Genre July 22, 2011

By MereChristian

Format:Paperback

Sometimes a story can catch you by surprise in it's quality. A book from a genre not known for it's serious tone can really catch your attention. This is the best way to describe my surprise upon reading *Shadows on the Sand* by Gayle Roper.

The story starts with a young restaurant owner, Carrie Carter (whose sister co-owns the restaurant), teasing one of her waitresses, Andi, about her boyfriend fighting with one of Andi's co-workers named Jase. As more customers hear about the boyfriend, more dislike him, and we in the audience are meant not to like him either.

It turns out that Jase is found murdered, with his body dumped in a lake, and Andi is suddenly terrified. No matter what Carrie does, the teen will not tell her what is wrong. Carrie and her friend, Greg, a former police detective whom she is dating, must race against time to discover Andi and Jase's secrets, as well as deal with their own.

This seems like a traditional set-up for a suspense romance, so I probably have plenty of rolled-eyes at this quick synopsis. In many ways, that would be a correct and expected reaction. I found myself becoming quite aggrieved at the over-used staples of the genre.

What made a difference is that the plot was actually *believable*. The author did not shy away from tough subjects, or gruesome details. That is not to say, of course, that Roper went overboard in any graphic ways, but just to say that she did not pull her punches either, as it were.

Besides the typical murder plot for a suspense romance, the book dealt with important real-world themes and problems. Adultery, cults, runaways, dysfunctional families, the need to forgive others, and the difference between cults and the truth of the Bible.

Instead of covering the reader's eyes, the author put on full display the depravity and wickedness of mankind, and how people can hurt themselves and others to such a brutal extent. She also, however, showed the amazing love of God, and what people who are in His image (Image-Bearers as author Randy Alcorn puts it) can do with His help.

This is much-needed in the realm of Christian fiction. Too many Christians do not know how to respond when people say that "religion is responsible" for "x" bad thing in the world. They don't know how to argue that just as the truth is different from a lie, so belief in Christ is different from a cult, radical Islam, Catholic pedophiles, pastors who rape their counselees, and other horrors.

I don't want to give readers the false hopes that Gayle Roper gives a guide to combating these slanders and misperceptions. She does not. She *does* however, mention the evils of these false teachers, and present a vivid case for how they must be battled in the field of ideas so that we may, if God wills it, win souls for Christ.

The other issue is one of forgiveness. At first it seemed like the typical Christian book of how the character is bad for not forgiving, but then the novel went in a unique direction. I won't spoil it, but it did raise some interesting points, and ones that I have thought on.

All in all, a good mystery, and one of the few suspense romance for me to be above-average happy with.

Highly Recommended.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome suspense and sweet romance July 22, 2011

By ibjoy1953

Format:Paperback

MY REVIEW
Shadows on the Sand is a wonderful suspense, full of romance between Carrie and Greg. Carrie was owner of a small restaurant in Seaside, New Jersey while Greg was a property manager for an apartment building in the same little community. Both Carrie and Greg had a sad past but even though Greg had frequented her restaurant every day for about 3 years, they knew nothing about each other. You will enjoy their story as they struggle with the difficulties of everyday life and learning to love again in this small community of Seaside.
Shadows on the Sand is my first Gayle Roper book and I loved it!! I will sure be reading her books from now on. The suspense kept me reading this book until the end. I didn't put it down unless I really had too...which wasn't often. I just had to find out what happened next. I didn't figure out the killer, I would think I had him, and then read something that had me doubting. This is what makes it an amazing and wonderful book to read! And the part about the cult added even more suspense and drama to the book, well informing readers the dangers of falling for cults.
The romance between Greg and Carrie was just sweet romance! Carrie worked hard for what she ad, and was so very caring. She needed a man in her life to take care of her. Greg was so sweet and loveable you have to love him. I was heartbroken about the loss of his family and wanted so much for he and Carrie to find love they both so needed.
The Biblical content was well written into the story, teaching the reader grief, forgiveness and love. Grab a copy of this book and read it! You will not be disappointed; it is well worth your read. Shadows in the Sand is at the top of my list of summer reads.
I received this book free from the publisher Waterbrook Multnomah to read and review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 55

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars This is a Reading Good Books review. July 20, 2011

By Catrina T.

Format:Paperback

I must admit, I had my doubts when I found out that this was in the Christian fiction genre. I am not the most religious person and I tend to keep my distance from conversations about religion. I was raised Catholic, did very well in my Religion classes, and even participated in a couple of bible studies and rosary crusades. But do not totally subscribe to the whole religion thing. I have beliefs and I respect other people's beliefs (as long as they do not shove theirs down my throat). I just want to get that out of the way.

Having said that, I did enjoy reading this book. The story is set in Seaside, New Jersey where locals frequent a quaint cafe owned by Carrie Carter. Carrie and her sister Lindsey have an unstable past which they eventually overcame. Carrie is not-so secretly in love with one of their regulars, Greg Barnes. Some years ago, he lost his wife and children and succumbed to alcoholism to dull his pain. But the former cop rose above all that.

The town is rocked by the murder of a local boy which happened to be Carrie's dishwasher. Then one of her waitresses disappear. Greg realizes her feelings toward Carrie. Carrie's past comes back to haunt her. With everything happening all at the same time, will anything be resolved?

Basically, the book is divided in to two stories. One about Carrie and Greg and the other is the actual "mystery" as referred to in the title. Point of view shifts from Carrie to 3rd person and in some chapters, the "killer". I am guessing the Carrie/Greg plot is the B-story. It was cute, a nice distraction from the whole murder mystery storyline, sort of the fill out the book. A good balance between romance and suspense. The chapters where the killer was the one talking were in italics and it did keep me guessing who he was. The twist about his identity was a surprise.

The characters were great as well. Carrie, so vulnerable and unsure. It was easy to relate and sympathize with her. I really wanted her to be happy. I could relate to Greg's grief over losing his family. Everybody grieves differently and no matter what they say, the pain never really goes away completely. The author did a good job of assembling the mishmash of characters in Carrie's Cafe. She definitely covered all the bases from the geeky guy (Ricky) to the wise old timer (Mr. Perkins).

Although there is one part of the book that I did not appreciate. In fact, it kind of offended me a little bit. I did not agree with the way users of social networking were portrayed. Not all "avid" users of social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube are gullible individuals, harassing people we read about in those sites. I may be spoiling a bit here but I doubt if news spreads about something happening locally, especially in a small town, people will camp out in front of the scene of the crime or follow around a victim or a suspect asking him or her what happened. In real life. Talk about invasion of privacy. I know all about what being "Twitter famous" is all about but it is not at all how it was portrayed in this book. We "avid" social network patrons have a word for those overly invasive... creepers. And those of us who practice netiquette loathe to be bunched in with them. But I digress. This is another discussion altogether.

Having mentioned that this is a Christian Fiction story, there was not much quoting from the Bible as I first thought. It was not at all preachy. There were conversations with God and that did not bother me at all. Their internal struggles and conversations helped moved the story along and that's what matters.

Rating: 3/5.

Recommendation: It is a good book club read. A nice book to accompany a pleasant afternoon.