Cocoa Beach / Beatriz Williams.
Material type:
TextPublisher: New York : William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, [2017]Copyright date: ©2017Edition: First editionDescription: 376 pages ; 24 cmContent type: - text
- unmediated
- volume
- 9780062404985
- 0062404989
- 813/.6 23
- PS
| Item type | Current library | Collection | Call number | Status | Date due | Barcode | Item holds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Book
|
Bedford Public Library Fiction | Fiction | F WIL | Available | 32500005402491 |
Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
The New York Times bestselling author of A Certain Age transports readers to sunny Florida in this lush and enthralling historical novel--an enchanting blend of love, suspense, betrayal, and redemption set among the rumrunners and scoundrels of Prohibition-era Cocoa Beach.
Burdened by a dark family secret, Virginia Fortescue flees her oppressive home in New York City for the battlefields of World War I France. While an ambulance driver for the Red Cross, she meets a charismatic British army surgeon whose persistent charm opens her heart to the possibility of love. As the war rages, Virginia falls into a passionate affair with the dashing Captain Simon Fitzwilliam, only to discover that his past has its own dark secrets--secrets that will damage their eventual marriage and propel her back across the Atlantic to the sister and father she left behind.
Five years later, in the early days of Prohibition, the newly widowed Virginia Fitzwilliam arrives in the tropical boomtown of Cocoa Beach, Florida, to settle her husband's estate. Despite the evidence, Virginia does not believe Simon perished in the fire that destroyed the seaside home he built for her and their young daughter. Separated from her husband since the early days of their marriage, the headstrong Virginia plans to uncover the truth, for the sake of the daughter Simon never met.
Simon's brother and sister welcome her with open arms and introduce her to a dazzling new world of citrus groves, white beaches, bootleggers, and Prohibition agents. But Virginia senses a predatory presence lurking beneath the irresistible, hedonistic surface of this coastal oasis. The more she learns about Simon and his mysterious business interests, the more she fears that the dangers that surrounded Simon now threaten her and their daughter's life as well.
Burdened by a dark family secret, Virginia Fortescue flees her oppressive home in New York City for the battlefields of World War I France. Driving an ambulance for the Red Cross, she meets a charismatic British army surgeon whose persistent charm opens her heart to the possibility of love. As the war rages, Virginia falls into a passionate affair with the dashing Captain Simon Fitzwilliam, only to discover that his past has its own dark secrets--secrets that will damage their eventual marriage and propel her back across the Atlantic to the sister and father she'd left behind. Five years later, in the early days of Prohibition, the newly widowed Virginia Fitzwilliam arrives in the tropical boomtown of Cocoa Beach, Florida, to settle her husband's estate. Simon's brother and sister welcome her with open arms and introduce her to a dazzling new world of citrus groves, white beaches, bootleggers, and Prohibition agents. But Virginia senses a predatory presence lurking beneath the irresistible, hedonistic surface of this coastal oasis. The more she learns about Simon and his mysterious business interests, the more she fears that the dangers surrounding Simon now threaten her and their daughter's life as well.
Reviews provided by Syndetics
Library Journal Review
During World War I, Virginia Fortescue escaped her New York City life by driving a Red Cross ambulance through combat zones in France. While picking up a new group of wounded soldiers, Virginia met the kindhearted and handsome Dr. Simon Fitzwilliam, and their bumpy relationship began. Only five years later, in 1922, Virginia, with her three-year-old daughter, Evelyn, arrives in Cocoa Beach, FL, to settle her estranged husband's estate and finds herself inspecting the shipping business and the ruins of a plantation home she's just inherited from him. Unconvinced that Simon had died in the fire that destroyed the house, Virginia sets out to investigate. With more exterior action than interior introspection, Williams's (A Certain Age) latest novel feels less engaged in emotional relationships and more focused on the impact of World War I and Prohibition. Given the multiple criss-crossing story lines, the neatly tied-up conclusion is especially impressive. Verdict The historical details will draw fans of PBS Masterpiece period dramas; it's also a great choice for readers wanting a book long enough to be taken on vacation but easy enough to read that it can be enjoyed in short bursts of concentration. [See Prepub Alert, 1/16/17.]-Stacey Hayman, Rocky River P.L., OH © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.Booklist Review
American Virginia Fortescue, an ambulance driver during WWI, meets enigmatic, older British army surgeon Simon Fitzwillliam. Virginia's family secrets complicate her relationship with Simon, a man with secrets of his own and a penchant for convenient lies, none of which stops the two from marrying. Fast-forward five years, the war is over, the Jazz Age roars, and Virginia arrives in Cocoa Beach to settle Simon's estate; he's been killed in a fire. His siblings, gruff Samuel and vivacious Clara, enlighten Virginia as to Simon's true character, and when Virginia delves into her husband's business interests, dark forces surface. Best-selling Williams' (The Wicked City, 2017) Prohibition-era Florida, in contrast with mud-sodden France and cold, dreary England, is all orange groves and warm beaches, an exotic place that is also dangerous, with sharp-fanged creatures lurking . . . brimful of poison and malice. Abundant with independent women and illicit booze, this mix of historical fiction and romantic suspense is a good choice for reading on one's own (hopefully less perilous) vacation in sunny Florida or snug at home.--Latham, Bethany Copyright 2017 BooklistKirkus Book Review
Romance and mystery, war and Prohibition, infidelity and murder, inheritance and liesthe list of ingredients is long and potent in this cocktail of dramatic suspense rooted in early-20th-century Florida.Scarred for life by her mother's murder when she was 8 years olda crime for which her father has now been convictedVirginia Fortescue has just learned of a new tragic loss: the death, by fire, of her estranged British husband, Simon Fitzwilliam. This is just one of the many layers of intrigue in Williams' (The Wicked City, 2017 etc.) latest, which picks up on characters from her earlier book, A Certain Age (2016). Is Simon really dead? What drove Virginia and Simon apart? And what about Samuel, the perhaps more truthfulor brutaltwin brother to seductive Simon? Williams stirs a whirlpool of enigmas around Virginia while pulling in secondary characters like Simon's flapper sister, Clara, Virginia's angelic daughter, Evelyn, and Revenue Agent Marshall, who's constantly warning Virginia about dangers to herself and her child. But cool Virginia, who drove a Red Cross ambulance during World War I, has mettle enough for these challenges despite being variously deceived, attacked, and drugged. Suspended between parallel time framesthe beginning of Simon and Virginia's relationship in 1917 in the field hospitals of France and the "present" day, 1922, in Floridathis vertiginous tale is characterized by deceptions and secrets held by many characters, Virginia included. Williams' story, a rich brew of suspicion and intensity, also has a flavor of Daphne du Maurier, with its Cornish roots, dubious housekeeper, and embattled heroine. While galloping late revelations and events may leave the reader feeling whipsawed, there's no denying the author's full-blooded commitment to her intricate edifice. Even if the novel's strength ebbs in the final serpentine twists, Williams spins a good, spirited yarn. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.Author notes provided by Syndetics
Beatriz Williams is a graduate of Stanford University with an MBA from Columbia. She is a USA Today and New York Times bestselling author of A Hundred Summers, The Secret Life of Violet Grant, Along the Infinite Sea, A Certain Age, and The Summer Wives.
(Bowker Author Biography)