Customer Reviews

Truth or Dare - on Playaway

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

 

 

Zoe Luce, an interior decorator has settled down, in Whispering Springs, Arizona, with her private investigator husband, Ethan Truax. While working on redecorating their family home, easing into married life and spending time with their friends, Zoe and Ethan are also thrown into the mystery of "who" is stalking their tiny group and why. There are some interesting characters that make up the group: Arcadia Ames (jewelry shop owner); Harry (love interest/protector of Arcadia); Bonnie (Ethan's sister-in-law and mother of his nephews); and Singleton (a rare book collector who is in love with Bonnie). There are tons of plots, that for some reason I thought would form (in the end) one cohesive plot, with one resolution, but they didn't, which explains my "2" rating.

The first half of the book goes into great detail about someone stalking the new Whispering Springs residents, as well another private detective reporting to a mysterious stranger on their whereabouts. We learn that Zoe is psychic and hears voices in the walls, which makes it difficult for her to visit some places (like hospitals) where there is great anger, sorrow or despair. She has also spent time in a mental institution after her husband's death because his family was trying to kill her. Although she escaped Candlelight Manor, with her friend Arcadia, several moths ago, she still suffers from nightmares about the place. Apparently not only were the very rich housing their family members there against their will, but some of the employees were trying to take advantage of them (sexually). Anyway, Zoe also struggles with the knowledge that Ethan does not believe in her "intuition" but loves her enough to accept it. She never had the courage to tell her first husband about her gift for fear that he would never understand. She also is competing against another designer for a large job for an eccentric living in Whispering Springs. Also, fearing she is going insane, after encountering "spiderweb like sensations" when she visits certain places, she wants nothing more than to understand what is going on. On the other hand, Ethan doesn't believe in the paranormal, but loves Zoe. He fears that now that her life isn't in danger, and she is free of Candlelight, she will no longer want or need him. Also suffering from nightmares and guilt about the murder of his brother, he clings to Zoe like he had never done with his three previous wives.

Now, Singleton likes Bonnie (Ethan's sister-in-law) and loves her kids, but isn't sure if she likes him as anything other than a friend. Making a career out of selling rare books and making roots in Whispering Springs, he wants nothing more than to get the courage to tell Bonnie how he feels. Bonnie lost her husband (Ethan's brother), and you aren't sure if she is interested in meeting someone or if that is just thrown in there to explain all those pizza dinners and long looks from Singleton. Then there is Arcadia, who use to be married to a rich man who tried to kill her. Hiding away funds and changing her real identify she has started a new life, and found a new love in Whispering Springs. Escaping Candlelight with Zoe had been simple, now she wonders could the man she believed to be dead still be alive and realized she accessed some of those stolen funds. And finally Harry (described as a "ghoulish" looking man who can be deadly) worships the ground that Arcadia walks on. Wondering how she can love a man like him, he floats thru the story grateful that she does.

There are other plots in the story: a mayor seeking resolution to a decades old murder, thus clearing her ancestor's name; an attempt to locate a "valuable" manuscript; a resident manager who seems determined to ruin Zoe's life and write up every infraction; an elderly PI who wonders should she be out of the business; and a rival who wonders if his wife is cheating. My biggest criticism is that all of these plots should converge and form one nice big plot. Instead most of the plots had different resolutions. For example, once the stalker is revealed and he had nothing necessarily to do with Zoe's "spidey senses", I begin to wonder why all the build up. And once the other plots were resolved, I felt a little let down.