A man, scarred by the memories of his mother’s mistreatment and sister’s untimely death, has never found a way to heal from this trauma. He decides to teach the world a lesson about the unhealthy statistics surrounding broken homes by going after children of divorced parents in a sadistically disturbed way—torture and murder.

This book by author Willow Rose is the first in the Eva Rae Thomas Mystery series.

The main character is also a product of divorce, though her mother has kept this fact hidden from her. This is just one of the reasons her mother has a hard time warming to her daughter. But the fact that Eva Rae’s sister was kidnapped when they were children is the central rift between them. Channeling this overwhelming sense of guilt and anger into her career, Eva Rae went to work for the FBI and also found success as an author. When her own husband leaves her for a younger woman, she abandons her government work and with her children, returns to her hometown of Cocoa Beach, Florida where she plans to work on her next book and on her relationship with her mother. But when a young girl’s mutilated body is dumped in the middle of town, Eva Rae is

Divorce is the central theme of this bone-chilling suspense book. Let me lay the groundwork for you. Things become unhinged and spiral out of control when the two parents in each of the families in this story decide to separate. Yes, children are incredibly challenged to thrive in a broken family, but many do. Yet, in this story it is the polar opposite. At least at first. And that makes this read utterly fascinating, especially when Eva Rae and her childhood sweetheart, Detective Matt Miller start to put the puzzle pieces together.

This is also one of those books you’ll be challenged to put down.  Maybe that’s why it received the moniker “The Beach Read of the Summer.” The pace is fast, with every moment of the day has something challenging Eva Rae’s plan for a peaceful new beginning. One other element that makes this book great is the protagonist’s authenticity. She’s not perfect. She’s choosing doughnuts and cookies over apples and carrots and finds herself okay with the fact that she’ll never be supermom. But boy does she try. Her three kids—challenging in their own unique ways—come first and, despite the fact that she continues to make one parenting mistake after another, everything she does centers around their happiness and wellbeing.