"The death of the clan patriarch has thrown the tiny Shetland Islands community of Whale's Reef into turmoil. Everyone assumed MacGregor Tulloch's heir to be his grand-nephew David, a local favorite, but when it is discovered that MacGregor left no will, David's grasping cousin Hardy submits his own claim to the inheritance, an estate that controls most of the island's land. And while Hardy doesn't enjoy much popular support, he has the backing of a shadowy group of North Sea oil investors. The courts have frozen the estate's assets while the competing claims are investigated, leaving many of the residents in financial limbo. The future of the island--and its traditional way of life--hangs in the balance.
Loni Ford is enjoying her rising career in a large investment firm in Washington, DC. Yet in spite of her outward success, she is privately plagued by questions of identity. Orphaned as a young child, she was raised by her paternal grandparents, and while she loves them dearly, she feels completely detached from her roots. That is until a mysterious letter arrives from a Scottish solicitor. . . .
Past and present collide in master storyteller Phillips's dramatic new saga of loss and discovery, of grasping and grace, and of the dreams of men and women everywhere."
I wouldn't even begin to try to better the summary on the back of the book so didn't attempt. Michael Phillips is a family favorite, from me to my mother and my aunt. Filled with romance, suspense, and well thought out and researched history and plot, you can't find better if you are searching for a meaty get-lost-in-the-story kind of read. Phillips never disappoints and this new title starting the Secrets of the Shetlands series is no exception. The biggest downfall is having to wait somewhat patiently for Book 2 in the series which, to the best I can find, will be released in the fall of 2016. In other words, get ready for an ending that isn't tied up with a pretty bow but still has lots to reveal.
I love the setting Phillips chose for this series. I have never had opportunity to visit Whales or Scotland and the beautiful countryside portrayed in these pages wants me to visit even more. I wonder if Phillip's slower, easier pace in his writing foreshadows the lifestyle one might find there. While it may take you a bit of time to grasp onto all the characters, I have no doubt you will love them as much as I as Phillips has a knack of developing them in a way that almost makes them part of your life. Slower start than others of Phillips' but it will grab you and you won't want to put it down.
Good thing I can pass this on to my mother....she might have just already bought it herself! I did receive this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review and am in no way obligated to write a positive one.
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