3 out of 4 stars
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Betrayed In Beaufort by Linda Heavner Gerald is a psychological suspense novel about a woman named Tory. One day she finds herself strolling along the beach with no memories of her life. She has forgotten her name, her house and her past. She sees a handsome man standing on a balcony waving and smiling at her. She finds that his name is Jack, and he tells her that it is her home. He also tells her that they are engaged to be married and that she is suffering from amnesia.
There are two other people in that house – their cook Estelle and their gardener Willie. They feed her and give pills to her. Tory starts living in that house with Jack. Slowly, he introduces her to the elements from her past life. He takes her to their vacation house near the mountains. He also takes her to their boat, Honey. Throughout all this, Tory suspects that something is not right. She seems unable to know whom to trust and is confused. The only thing she is sure about is that she is an amazing sailor. Why has she lost her memories? Is Jack who he says he is? Will Tory ever regain her memories? These questions are answered in this suspense novel.
The author has portrayed Tory as someone who had a traumatic past. Even when she is unable to remember anything, she has deep convictions about certain parts of her psyche. I liked this aspect of the character, where she is sure that certain things define her, and she will never be otherwise. One of them is the conviction that she is a sailor. Another one is her faith in God. She also feels that she needs to give back to society. However, later on in the story, Tory believes in people who are not trustworthy. She feels like she has to believe in someone and places her trust in people who do not deserve it. This caused a bit of discomfort for me. But then again, perhaps that is how the author has envisioned Tory.
The story unfolds in front of the reader at a very fast pace. I enjoyed the way the story unravels. The narrative is in the first person and I felt like I was experiencing everything Tory was going through. Facts about sailing and boats are strewn in various places in this book. Conviction in God constitutes a significant part of Tory’s psyche, and non-believers might find it a bit odd and slightly disconcerting to see her steadfast belief even when she should think logically. Perhaps, her helplessness reinforced her faith since she had to believe in something. There is no element of romance in this story. There are no explicit scenes or profanities.
I found several grammatical errors in this book. For this reason, I give Betrayed In Beaufort by Linda Heavner Gerald 3 out of 4 stars. I recommend this book to anyone who likes fast-paced psychological thrillers with mystery elements. However, if you require a bit of romance in your psychological thrillers, you will be disappointed.
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Betrayed In Beaufort
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