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Reef Road

A Novel

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

"Reef Road is magnificent. It feels utterly real, a novel of deeply personal context. It swerves between truth and lies—the lies that lead to an even deeper—and more devastating—truth. Though pure fiction, it reads as compellingly as a mixture of memoir and exposé. It has left me shaken to the core. Deborah Goodrich Royce writes with brilliant understanding of the mystery and occasional grace of trauma." —Luanne Rice, New York Times bestselling author

A young woman's life seems perfect until her family goes missing. A writer lives alone with her dog and collects arcane murder statistics. What each of them stands to lose as they sneak around the do-not-enter tape blocking Reef Road beach is exposed by the steady tightening of the cincture encircling them.

In a nod to the true crime that inspired it, Deborah Goodrich Royce's Reef Road probes unhealed generational scars in a wrenching and original work of fiction. It is both stunning and sexy and, like a bystander surprised by a curtain left open, you won't be able to look away.

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    • Publisher's Weekly

      November 7, 2022
      The discovery of a severed hand washed ashore on the Florida barrier island of Palm Beach propels this tightly constructed psychological thriller from Royce (Ruby Falls). Linda Alonso, who lives on Palm Beach, fears the hand may be a clue to the recent disappearance of her husband and their two small children. Another resident affected by this grisly find is a reclusive writer who identifies herself as Noelle, the name of a 12-year-old girl whose murder 75 years earlier obsesses her. Linda is more than the distraught wife and mother she seems to be, and Noelle’s obsession is rooted in a grim truth that has been buried for nearly a century. The stakes increase as the Covid pandemic forces the two into lockdown. A deadly cat-and-mouse game ensues, but who is the predator and who the prey? Royce keeps the plot twists coming as she vividly depicts the uncertainty and mistrust generated by the pandemic, which drives both Linda and Noelle inexorably toward madness. Readers should be prepared for some disturbing scenes. This is an expertly paced thrill ride. Agent: Beth Davey, Davey Literary and Media.

    • Library Journal

      November 11, 2022

      In 1948, 12-year-old Noelle Huber was brutally murdered. Seventy-two years later, an obsessed, lonely writer named Noelle (after the murdered girl) stalks Linda Alonso in search of the truth. Noelle is convinced that her namesake was killed by Matthew Huber, her older brother. She latches onto Linda because Linda is Matthew's daughter-Noelle Huber's niece-and inserts herself into Linda's life and befriends her. Noelle wants to know everything about Linda's marriage, her children, and the secrets in her house. Noelle even knows what happens when Linda's husband and children supposedly fly to Argentina, leaving Linda behind-she can't go during the pandemic because she's not an Argentine citizen, unlike her family members. Linda isn't suspicious until Noelle reveals her ties to the long-ago murder. Now, Linda is trapped in Palm Beach, FL, her family is AWOL, and she's being stalked by a writer who believes she knows everything. VERDICT Inspired by an actual murder, this title by actress and author Royce (Ruby Falls) will be appreciated by fans of psychological thrillers and stories of traumas affecting multiple generations.--Lesa Holstine

      Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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  • English

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