Sheldon Harris is a jerk, but he doesn’t deserve to wash up dead on an island off Nova Scotia during a hurricane. Devon Ritcey doesn’t deserve to be blackmailed, and Greg Cunningham doesn’t deserve to have his pity party interrupted by finding Sheldon’s body, but that’s life. Greg has withdrawn from his former life as an undercover police officer and come home to Nova Scotia to recover from his physical and mental wounds. Between the arrival of Devon Ritcey—a childhood friend with whom he shared one passionate night—and the finding of Sheldon’s body, Greg is forced to face life again whether he wants to or not.
Came Home Dead is a story of secrets. Nearly every character—alive or dead—is harboring a secret, some deadly to their most valued relationships, others just plain deadly. As Greg and Devon move closer to exposing the killer’s secret, they also move closer to exposing their own. What I most liked about this book is the way the human drama plays out against the backdrop of nature and weather—the ocean, the rocks, a hurricane, and heat. It’s almost like nature itself is another character. The hurricane cuts the island off from the rest of civilization, as if Mother Nature decided to dump the rest of the characters into a Petri dish and see what develops. If you enjoy cozy mysteries that take place in isolated settings and build to an exciting climax, then you’ll enjoy Came Home Dead (love that title!). |