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One of the things I like best about reading small-press releases is that I often get something that falls outside the accepted guidelines for fiction—something that doesn’t totally follow the rules. A Spiral of Echoes is one such e-book.
Three years ago, during a storm, a boat capsized near Baja, Mexico. One man survived, one woman died, and another woman went missing—presumed to have drowned. Now, the Lost One waits on the island of Isla Santa Maria for her love to come back for her. He promised he would, but it’s been so long, and she grows weary of the wait.
Isabelle Allen’s cheating husband dies of a heart attack while with his latest conquest. Isabelle feels very little at his passing—except for a sense that she’s finally free—but she needs to get away. So she heads to Baja, Mexico, with her cat, Longfellow, and basset hound, Sammi-Sue.
Once in Mexico, she encounters a confused, injured, and frightened woman wandering around on Isla Santa Maria. But before she can get help, the woman disappears. Unfortunately, Isabelle has attracted the attention of a disturbed ghost, who feels that Isabelle is the key to bringing her love back to rescue her. When she can’t get Isabelle to cooperate, she becomes increasingly more violent.
When Isabelle discovers that the Lost One is the ghost of a girl who disappeared after a boating accident, she tries to figure out how to help her before the ghost’s violence leads to something much more serious.
Spiral of Echoes blends together romance, a ghost story, and a mainstream plot to make a heady stew of invigorating flavors. Colorful characters add a touch of lavishness to an already creative plot. The authors also bring Baja, Mexico, to brilliant life; I found myself wanting to plan a vacation to that very spot, so I could explore the islands and the local folklore.
At times, though, I wished that Isabelle would encounter the ghost by herself more often, which would add more frightening elements to the story, to create a creepier atmosphere—kind of like the ghost in Gothika, who haunted Halle Berry’s character.
Still, with its intriguing storyline, Spiral of Echoes kept me turning pages. There were a number of plausible outcomes to the plot, and I was curious to see which way the story would go.
So if you want to read a novel that falls just outside the norm, Spiral of Echoes is definitely an excellent choice.
