Some information
Title: Dangerous Waters
Author: Anne Allen
Pages: 302
Genre: chicklit, romance, mystery
Published: April 2012
Publisher: Matador
My source: author (thank you!)
My score on Goodreads: 4 stars
Covertext
'Oh my God, what's happening to me? After all this time, please, not again ' Jeanne Le Page, gripped by fear and panic, struggles to breathe as the ferry arrives in Guernsey, the island she had fled 15 years before, traumatised by a family tragedy. Now she has to return after her grandmother's death. Jeanne has inherited her cottage and she plans to sell it before returning to the UK. Deeply unhappy after the recent end of a long-term relationship, she has no desire to pick up her old life on the island. Suffering traumatic amnesia after being involved in the accident that killed her family, Jeanne has experienced nightmares for years. The return to Guernsey triggers frightening flashbacks and Jeanne undergoes hypnosis to recover her memory, reliving the tragedy as the ghosts continue to haunt her. But someone on the island does not want her to remember, and she faces danger from an unexpected source... A contemporary story of love and loss that will capture the reader's imagination, Dangerous Waters will appeal to fans of female fiction. Anne is inspired by a number of authors, including Robert Goddard, Katie Fforde and Mary Higgins Clark. A comparison can be drawn to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.
Review
Although I needed some time to get "into the book", I must say "Dangerous Waters" by Anne Allen is a must read for chicklit lovers as well as for mystery lovers (and others of course). Even if you don't think it's your taste, you have to continue and give it more than a chance! The writing of Anne Allen gets better and better throughout the book. I thought the book went from "Hmm I like it" to "Oeeeeh I really like it" to "I just loved the story".
The reason I "only" gave 4 stars is that I found some unnecessary pieces in the book (that's just my opinion). Some parts slowed the reading down because they didn't have an additional value to the story. That's just a minor thing I didn't like, so in fact you could say I gave the book 4.5 stars! Good job, Anne! What I appreciated is the way Anne misled her readers sometimes. It's good to give your reader the feeling you're writing a predictive book, but just don't at the same time!
The story Anne tells us is about Jeanne Le Page, a former resident of Guernsey (man, I want to visit this island after reading the book). Jeanne left the island after her parents (and she herself almost) died in a boating accident. The question is: was it really an accident? Jeanne suffered amnesia as the only survivor of the accident and didn't want to recover her memory because it just was too painful. Also the loss of her beloved grandmother, her own unborn child and her lover Andy,... hurried Jeanne to forget her past.
Now Jeanne's gone back after she inherited the cottage of her grandmother. Because of the loss of her child and man, there's nothing that keeps her in London (except for her aunt Kate). With the cottage she inherits lots of old stories and memories. Times become even more difficult for Jeanne, but she's strong and finds lots of old and new friends on the island that are most willing to help her. The sad thing is some of them aren't as friendly as the seem to be...
I recommand the book because it's a love story with some mystery added to it. Those two elements are a great combination I think. Anne did a beatiful job in describing the characters and the island. She makes me eager to visit the island one day. This proves she really made the story vivid and gave me the feeling I knew Jeanne for real. It makes the story alive and smooth reading!
Thanks Anne for sending me this great book :)
