Calderwood Cove - (A Deborah Strong Mystery) by Sharon L Dean (Paperback)

About the Book

Deborah Strong looks forward a weekend reunion on the Maine coast with old high school friends. Instead, she finds rivalries that still flare, an unexplained tension in the house, and a murder that casts her once again as a reluctant sleuth.

Book Synopsis

When Deborah Strong accepts an invitation for a reunion with high school friends who will all be turning fifty, she anticipates a lovely Fourth of July weekend in Maine. Her friend Brenda's summer house is rustic and beautiful, but from the moment Deborah arrives, something seems wrong. Old rivalries flare between Brenda and Rachel, and Krista plays the role of peacekeeper the way she did thirty years earlier.

Soon, a murder disturbs the quiet of the summer homes that dot the isolated cove. Deborah's suspicions follow her like the Maine landscape-plenty of sunshine, plenty of fog, and plenty of evening mosquitoes that, like the questions now plaguing their reunion, arrive like the sparks of fireworks. Where is Brenda's husband? Where have her caretaker and cook gone? Who is the thin young man who keeps appearing? Is one of them a murderer? Or could it be the old woman who lives across the street; her son, who runs an oyster farm in the face of global warming; or the poet-tenant who lives in her apartment? Deborah even suspects each of the friends she grew up with. Her idyllic summer retreat has turned as deadly as contaminated shellfish. Will she find the answers before it's time to leave Calderwood Cove?

Review Quotes

Praise for the Deborah Strong Mysteries:

"Fascinating and clever! Sharon L. Dean has woven fascinating historical references with her fictional heroine into a compelling drama, and although sans any murder, the mystery is very engaging, and Deborah's research and investigation into the thefts has put her in danger. Couldn't put it down."

-Kings River Life on The Wicked Bible

"Something wicked comes to a New Hampshire college campus.... Past relationships rear up, new ones tease, and The Wicked Bible rocks along a bumpy path to conclusion. A delightful read. 5 Stars."

-Matt Cost, author of the Goff Langdon Mainely Mysteries

"I plummeted into Sharon Dean's The Wicked Bible and did not come up for air until the final satisfying lines.... A genuinely gripping story and a fascinating woman at the center, with remarkable prose and rich sensory details, this story is a genuine pleasure to read."

-Louise Foerster, GoodReads

"I was intrigued by the title and the unusual plot did not disappoint.... There were plenty of red herrings and potential culprits to keep me guessing, and as the tension grew, I just didn't want to put the book down."

-Anita Dow, GoodReads, on The Wicked Bible

"Starting a new series with a new protagonist is a difficult undertaking, but Sharon Dean brings this off with aplomb."

-Michael Niemann, award-winning author, on The Barn

"Quiet, but quite deadly... captures the New England vibe with an economy of words, wealth of detail and crisp characterizations."

-Carole Beers, author of the Pepper Kane Mysteries, on The Barn

"A fascinating yarn about past events coming to roost in the present. As always, Dean's sense of place and vivid and compelling characters blend together to provide the reader with an intriguing look at life in her native New England. Highly recommended!"

-Clive Rosengren, author of the Eddie Collins Mysteries, on The Barn