Edge of Dusk - by Colleen Coble

3.5 stars "She never saw her sister again." Annie Pederson's life had been heavily impacted by that night. Nearly losing her own life, while helplessly watching as her younger sister was kidnapped, was a traumatic event from which she had never truly absolved herself. The "what-ifs" were relentless and even into adulthood Annie never gave up hope that her sister's remains might be found. But that was then, and this is now; apparently there is a killer on the loose in Rock Harbor . . . again. But just as troubling to Annie's psyche? Jon Dunstan is also back in town. Just as riveting as you might expect, Rock Harbor holds onto its secrets with an iron fist while it seems that Annie's past and Jon's present are destined to become tangled up. Will the knots loosen up enough to make amends or will Jon leave Annie behind for a second time? While it took awhile for this story to latch on, as first novels in a series have a habit of doing, once it did . . . . there was a lot to appreciate about the characters, their courage, and their continuing story. I certainly wouldn't have wanted to try and solve this case. "Normal life is not ever perfect. What kind of people would we be if God never allowed our faith to be tested? . . . . God never wastes these kinds of things in our lives. Bad things are never permanent, but neither are happy times. Life changes. It's supposed to. "

Edge of Dusk by Colleen Coble is set in the same setting as Colleen Coble’s Rock Harbor series. I thought Edge of Dusk was well-written with realistic, developed characters. I did feel that Taylor Moore’s character needed more fleshing out. It is a suspenseful novel with plenty of action. I thought the author depicted the Upper Peninsula with her descriptive words. She also captured the atmosphere (the spookiness of the woods, the isolation of the camp, the depth of Lake Superior). I like the different storylines playing out in the book. The missing teen girls from nine years ago, hikers being found dead, someone in Annie’s home, and a camper being attacked. I enjoyed following the clues that would allow me to identify the killer (I love solving mysteries). There are twists and unexpected details that keep everything interesting. I like the action and suspenseful moments. There is romance as well as Annie and Jon are flung together. The feelings are still there between them (very evident). Of course, there is the added complication of Annie’s daughter, Kylie. I was a little disappointed with the ending. It was incomplete and we must wait for Dark of Night for answers. There was repetition of details throughout the story (two examples are that it has been nine years since Annie saw Jon and that Annie married Jon’s best friend). There is one incident that I am surprised Annie did not figure out on her own or at least suspect. It seemed so obvious (I cannot say more because I do not want to spoil it for you). It will be interesting to see what happens next. We get to catch up with some of the key characters from the Rock Harbor series (Bree for example). Edge of Dusk is a compelling tale with a missing sister, a second chance romance, a precious puppy, a lethal killer, disturbing happenings, an adored daughter, and a fretful mother.

I have been a huge fan of Colleen Coble's romantic suspense novels for a very long time. I have completed five of her series and several of her stand-alone novels. Edge of Dusk, her latest release, is my least favorite of her books that I have read thus far. In my opinions the writing is amateurish and not typical of her writing. The story's premise was good,but the dialogue was simple and lacked consistency. The same is true for the character development. I am grateful, however, to have received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own.