J. A. Terry, Destination Unknown

Destination Unknown

J. A. Terry

Aventine, 2003

ISBN: 1593300387

Thirty-eight year old widow Hannah feels lonely and weary after the several months long legal battle against her late spouse's adult children sired in his first marriage. Max's children were nasty, harassing and threatening Hannah as their wealthy father left his entire estate to her. Finally settled and with these ugly people out of her life, Hannah sells the corporation to those who helped Max make it so successful.

Very rich and successful in her own name, Hannah needs a diversion and it apparently arrives in the mail. Her Willaville High School is hosting a twentieth graduation party inviting her to attend. She decides to go home, dreaming of the home that she was raised in though ignoring the dark memory that sent her parents fleeing from town. Hannah buys her home and finds herself still attracted to Dr. Jeremy Larson, whom she had a crush on when they were in high school. As she re-makes friends and heals silly disputes Hannah still must deal with a killer and the force that propelled her parents to move if she wants to claim that you can go home.

Though there is a romantic subplot and a murder mystery, DESTINATION UNKNOWN is a combination relationship drama inside a supernatural thriller. The story line works because Hannah and the secondary players, mostly her high school friends and enemies and her beloved physician seem so genuine especially how each interacts over the course of the book with the heroine. That in turns enables the killer to be more than a caricature, the paranormal to feel real, and the reader to finish this suspense tale in one sitting.

Harriet Klausner