The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea: A Jersey Shore Mystery (Mass Market Paperback)

Meanwhile, Anne's latest ghostwriting project has turned into a nightmare as child raising authority Dr. Arlene Handelman has moved into her house so they can work on the book uninterrupted. However, with the deadline looming, all "Dr. A" seems interested in is shopping day after day.

I love this series; it always feels like taking a vacation. The characters seemed a little better developed this time around. I had worried about this book, but the author managed to portray the reaction of the community to the witchcraft without offending this Christian. The plot was a little disappointing to me, however, as it didn't seem quite as intricately plotted as normal for the series. Still, it kept me interested and confused until the end.

This is the fourth book in a great series with a fun location. This series isn't as progressive as some others I read, so pick up one today and enjoy a trip to a resort town.

I have only read one of the books in this series. I really enjoyed it and always meant to read another. I am glad that I did. There is alot going on in this mystery. Dr. Arlene has other issues than the book and there is more to the coven than meets the eye. I didn't guess the murderer until the author wanted me to, and that's getting harder to do, the more mysteries that I read. I am definitely going to read more of this series.

Set in Oceanside Heights, just a bit north of the famous Cape May, the ocean is an ever-present backdrop to the events that happen in Anne Hardaway's life. Anne is a 30-something ghostwriter, who inherited her small ocean-front home, and resides there with an elderly, one-eyed cat, Harry.

A lot seems to have happened in Anne's life since the first book (I've yet to read books two and three, but will remedy that lack very soon.) Thank goodness, there is a new policeman in charge--the handsome, enigmatic Mark Trasker. (This is a relationship to which I look forward with great anticipation., but you'll have to read the book to find out just exactly why.)

To find a grandmother caring for a grandchild or other young relative isn't exactly news any more, in today's world. Delia Graustark, the town librarian, has her teen-age niece Tracy, living with her; a typical cynical teen-ager who thinks no one in the world can understand her problems. When one of her friends is found dead, the aura of witchcraft quickly raises it's head, linking the two young women with others in town.

Anne is still supporting herself with her ghost-writing, and the current live pretend-author, Dr. Arlene, as she's known to her supposedly adoring public, is a self-help guru, particularly in the field of parenting. For reasons mostly known only to herself, Dr. A. descends on Annie for the duration--ostensibly to help with the book, but in reality, because Dr. A. has an entirely different agenda.

The two sets of stories are beautifully interwoven throughout the book. One set is Anne and Mark and the old-timers of the town who haven't forgotten Anne's mother, and aren't going to let Anne forget it either--and the other set is the loneliness and isolation of the teen-agers, set against the frantic Dr. A.

Wonderful. On every level, this is a terrific book. Highly recommended!