This is a very entertaining nautical mystery novel! Well researched, well written, well done! ( )

Great summer beach read (even when you're not on the beach!). The characters are likable, unless you're not meant to like them. The history is interesting but doesn't overtake the story. And their are a few good twists and turns. Some moments were a bit predictable, though. ( )

A surprisingly good thriller,if somewhat predictable. We’ve got our heroine who is independent and capable, but not a superwoman; she actually shows weakness when appropriate, but doesn’t dissolve into tears at every sign of trouble. We’ve got our hero who is tough, brawny, brainy and sensitive. We’ve got our villain who is evil, manipulative, devious and twisted. We’ve got a couple of sidekicks who exist just to help out our hero and heroine and provide some reflected insight into their personalities. We’ve got sexual tension and confusion which (of course) is resolved with the appropriate scenes. We’ve got action, nicely paced and convincingly dire. We’ve got a plot interwoven by two primary timelines; one featuring the action aboard the Soucourf just before it sank, and the other featuring the action of our hero in trying to locate the wreck and solve the mystery that consumed his father until his untimely death. Nice exotic location, too. We’ve got codes, secrets, murders and treasure. We’ve got a shadowy organization with hooks at all levels of government and commerce; uncovering their agents and means along with the main mystery adds a lot of interest and who doesn’t love a good conspiracy theory now and then?

Decent writing and turns of phrase. Nice imagery scattered about. Enough telegraphing and dropped hints to make the reader engaged and feel smart at the same time. Not too much drippy romance, but some. And an open-ending that leaves you wishing for a sequel. Come on Ms. Kling, you know you want to. ( )

Clive Cussler and Dan Brown move over!

This is a rip-roaring sailing adventure set in the Caribbean islands.
A young woman, Riley, retired from the Marine Corp, sails the Caribbean while she tries to forget the loss of her fellow marines in a tragic bombing. A diving archeologist, Cole, whose absentee father mails him coded letters about a WWII French submarine sends him on a quest to see if the clues will help him realize the prize.

The submarine, which may or may not be is sitting intact under water somewhere near the Caribbean islands of Dominica and Guadeloupe, has attracted the interest of pirates, a secret society that is desperate to keep the sub at the bottom of the Caribbean sea, and a psychotic killer whose lust for power among the hidden elite is almost as frightening as his desire to possess and then destroy Riley.

That all of the above are connected by the French submarine gets the heart pounding in this fast-paced adventure story.
Somebody needs to make a movie outta this book!

RP Dahlke, A Dangerous Harbor, a mermaid, a bald parrot and the love of her life ( )

With mid-summer weather arriving early this year, I was in the mood for a typical "beach read." The weather didn't last, but the book was pretty good.

Circle of Bones involves a sunken WW2 submarine, a modern day treasure hunter, and a secret society of Illuminati-types that have the world's finances (and commensurate power) by the short hairs. Then there are a pair of goons -- brothers -- trying to steal what they are incapable of earning. At the nexus is Maggie Riley, a former marine who is just taking some time off sailing around the Caribbean.

The one argument I have with the book is the way all parties are conveniently brought together into the main plot. A few too many coincidences are involved. Looking past that, however, the story is well-written and researched. The back story regarding the sub puts us aboard on its last days. The "Skull and Bones Society" is equally we developed, and we can see how it creates a membership so powerful nothing is outside of their grasp. Kling also knows a thing or two about boating, perhaps she has an aspiration to become a modern era Patrick O'Brien? She does leave the door open for a sequel. ( )