Publishers Weekly
09/16/2024
A woman stumbles across a murder victim while escaping from a remote island in this deliciously twisty standalone from Short (the Kinship series, as Jess Montgomery). In 1931, Aurelia Escalante arrives on Lake Erie’s Trouble Island to work as a maid for Rosita McGee, owner of the island’s only mansion. Gradually, readers learn that “Aurelia” is an alias, that she’s running from a crime she committed years earlier, and that her relationship with Rosita has slid from comfortable to complicated. Aurelia is alarmed when crooked ex-cop Cormac Herlihy, who once vowed to kill her, arrives at the mansion as a guest of Rosita’s husband, Eddie. She tries to flee to the mainland with a box of jewels she recently discovered at the bottom of the lake, but shortly after she arrives at the shore, she discovers Rosita’s bloated corpse. Then an ice storm cuts her off from the mainland. She informs Eddie of Rosita’s death, and a search begins for her killer, with suspects including Herlihy and Eddie’s other guests—a doctor, a famous actor, and a gangster. Aurelia’s urgent first-person narration bestows the narrative with plenty of tension, which Short supplements with well-drawn supporting characters and several devilish reversals. Readers will have little trouble finishing this in a single sitting. (Dec.)
From the Publisher
Deliciously twisty . . . Aurelia’s urgent first-person narration bestows the narrative with plenty of tension, which Short supplements with well-drawn supporting characters and several devilish reversals. Readers will have little trouble finishing this in a single sitting.”—Publisher’s Weekly
“Trouble Island is a spectacular locked-room tour de force that grabbed me by the throat with the first page and didn’t let me take a breath until I finished. It is jam-packed with everything I love in a book: A unique and breathtaking setting. A hero to root for. A cast of characters to be loved or hated, but never trusted. All of it tied together with a heart-pounding, heart-rending story told in prose as beautiful as poetry. Do not miss this book!” —Linda Castillo, New York Times bestselling author of The Burning
“Sharon Short’s historical thriller Trouble Island is a stunner; a compelling and atmospheric tale that kept me enthralled until the very end. Set in a gangster’s mansion on an island in Lake Erie during Prohibition, this is a story in which no one can be trusted, and everyone has something to hide. Short takes a little-known slice of Great Lakes history and brings it spectacularly to life. As the situation gets worse and worse and worse yet again, all I could think was that this can’t possibly end well—all while praying that it would. So engaging and masterfully written—I loved this book!”—Karen Dionne, #1 internationally bestselling author of The Marsh King’s Daughter and The Wicked Sister
“Trouble Island is a land-locked mystery full of guns, gangsters, secrets, and surprises, with twists I didn’t see coming and 1930s atmosphere to burn. I found myself rooting for both Aurelia and Rosita while not quite trusting them, as Short masterfully waits until the very end to reveal the truths they’re hiding. This story hooked me from page one!”—Erin Flanagan, Edgar Award-winning author of Deer Season
"This is total immersion storytelling! A classic locked-mansion mystery with a brilliant twist: bootleggers, gangsters, movie stars—and fascinating women with powerful and heartbreaking secrets. Sharon Short is a master of suspense, and her unique skill at creating intensely evocative settings and uniquely realized characters will keep you glued to the pages. Do not miss this!"—Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today bestselling author of The House Guest
"Everything a historical mystery should be: atmospheric, spine-tingling, and full of intrigue, with not a single character above (or below) suspicion. Trouble Island is irresistible."—Jessica Strawser, USA Today bestselling author of The Last Caretaker
"Trouble Island transported me into a world of gangsters, speakeasies, Hollywood glamor, and deadly betrayals. A winter storm traps a dangerous group of visitors in Trouble Island’s mansion and all of them want the lady of the house dead. Fans of historical locked-room mysteries will inhale this mesmerizing tale of one servant’s fight to survive as she uncovers the island’s secrets."—Mindy Mejia, USA Today bestselling author of To Catch a Storm and Everything You Want Me to Be