Terence Faherty

One thing I especially liked about this suspense/romance novel is the quote at the beginning of every chapter. Each quote from the fictional book, Camelot Guide to Romance Writing, is a so-apt plot device since the story's heroine, Danny (Danielle) Furey is a writer of Romance novels. Example of Chapter 2: "Make your setting a springboard to conflict." Here the author follows his own advice because most of the story takes place in Ireland as Danny and her brother, Kerry, return to the island after a years-ago disastrous trip they made together when looking for their grandfather's birthplace town of Letterfenny in County Galway. The siblings once spoke of writing a book together---Danny's brother is a journalists--but they're now somewhat on the outs after their prior trip together. Still, Danny agrees because Kerry is ailing with Chronic lymphocytic Leukemia, a slow-acting type of Leukemia that some sufferers do actual outlive, and she believes that her brother needs this excursion. The sibs are fans of the long-ago John Wayne/Maureen O'Hara film, The Quiet Man, and while en-route to their destination through the scenic Irish countryside they hire a charming car driver and also a tour guide, who knows all about the 1951 movie's shooting locales and filming lore. Complications aplenty keep popping up, one being that Danny's ex-husband shows up. And then there's the silent woman wearing a coat and a no-longer fashionable headscarf--a woman who only appears when Danny is alone out of doors.

With the whole purpose of the sibs' Ireland visit being to do research on The Quiet Man movie for their someday book, the story advances as heroine, Danny, delves into discovering what the spectral woman's connection might be to the movie. The pieces all come together as the story closes off with a surprising emotional punch.… (meer)