Set in the Caribbean where suspense fills the air with this read. Generally enjoyable and a good read. Thank you to netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Not one of my favorites, but still a good book. The main aspect of the book and the part that usually got my attention was the lack of trust for the characters, and that alone gripped me enough to finish the book to find out what's next.

Perhaps this should be slightly less than 5 stars, but I think that is only because I wanted to slap the 'heroine' for being quite stupid at times! Apart from that, it was quite an interesting read. I requested a review copy because it was set in the Caribbean, but the young female heroine did seem to expect things to be the same as back in the US. A lot of ends seemed to be left open, as though there would be a sequel, which was a little annoying.

This thriller starts with a journey for Olivia to the Caribbean to find out details about her mother's death. Her mother was a photo journalist and was presumed drowned in a boating accident, but no body has been recovered. A friendly good looking neighbor happens to be at the airport when Olivia arrives and offers her a ride and to help her as he lives close to her mother's bungalow. Soon after Olivia's arrival there is a break in at the bungalow and it is obvious that someone was looking for something of her mothers. Then her father arrives unexpectedly and just adds to the mystery surrounding her mother's death. Olivia begins to unravel the series of events, but then wonders who she can really trust. The book will keep to guessing until the final page and definitely has an unexpected twist at the end.

A good beach read. Olivia is a bit naive, and most oft the male characters are an unlikeable bunch but she grows stronger as the book progresses. Ending was a surprise, lots of suspe;nse and plot twists.

This is one of the few thrillers I've read lately where I didn't catch the bad guys before the characters did. That's only because they came out of nowhere at the end of the book without any buildup to them. The story spent so much time dropping red herrings in your path that it forgot to include real clues as well. It's also one of those books where all of the problems could have been solved if any of the characters had bothered to have a five minute conversation with anyone else. But instead, everyone thought they could take care of themselves, which we all know never works.

I tried to like this book. I read over 10 percent of it before I put it down; I just couldn't finish it. The plot was very slow-moving, and the dialogue was just not realistic. Seriously, when was the last time you heard a woman in her twenties use the expression "Heavens me"? That is just not how people speak. It seems like the author was more intent on showing off how much knowledge she has about the roads on St. Thomas than in moving the plot along. Plus, the old adage about writing--show, not tell--was non-existent in this book. The author narrated how the characters were feeling at all times rather than showing us and allowing us to draw our own conclusions. I had high hopes for this book but was disappointed.

Riveting. More scenarios than I thought could fit in one book. And more trouble than I thought one person could summon at a young age. Having never been to “The Islands”, except for an overnight in Bermuda on a submarine, I am convinced I do not care to go there, yet feel I may be missing something. For sure I would not be doing any driving but that is a small part of this mystery/thriller. An all-inclusive story, that’s to say most every adventure one can imagine. Love, or sex anyway, loss of life, bad guys, good guys, police, parents, friends and new acquaintances some desirable many not. A missing mother and a condescending father. A burned cabin, or two, and illegal activities being investigated by an amateur, in and out of jail and too many visits to the morgue. Not wanting to put is down and then being left hanging at the ending. So, I anxiously await the next chapter and hope it is as good as this five-star novel.

This book started out with some promise--a seemingly interesting plot, nice setting, and fairly good writing. But as it progressed, it became so terribly overwritten that I had to go back to the beginning to check whether I had changed my standards or the author had changed her style, and I found it to be the latter. It read like it was written by someone for whom English was not the first language, but who had a hefty thesaurus by her side. As the writing style deteriorated, the plot followed suit. To be honest, I didn't finish the book because the writing style became too irritating, but in lightly skimming to the end, I don't feel like I missed anything. For example, the passages where her father reveals his illness and her cold reaction to the news was both poorly written and highly disturbing. I wavered between 2 and 3 stars, but ended up giving it 3 because I felt the author tried hard--though often too hard. Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the electronic ARC.

Here is a book I can do. Warm waters, missing one mom, and a twisty good read is coming your way. I love the photography parts as well. From the romance to the mystery and back again, this book was a nice diverting read.

My copy came from Net Galley. My thoughts and opinions are my own. This review is left of my own free volition.

This was an interesting story about a young woman who returns to St. Thomas because she received a phone call that told of her mother's death. This was well written and I found myself struggling to trust any of the characters. Olivia was a bit frustrating at times because I felt as if she was being careless and not using her brain when it came to trusting everyone.

I enjoyed this story and the mystery of her mother's disappearance and/or murder. The twist of not really knowing if Olivia's mother was alive or not made this story a bit different from other mystery novels I've read.

I had high hopes for this book but I did not enjoy it at all. It was frustrating to read when a grown woman who wants to live with her mother on an island can't because her daddy said so. I did not enjoy her pausing to wax poetic about the view and not give any depth to the storyline. Overall I did not enjoy this book

The Empty Chair is a great vacation read! The Virgin Island setting adds to the mystique of this mystery. I was compelled to read this story in record time - it was hard to put it down. The chapters are short, the characters are well defined, and the story kept me enthrall to the very end. Would have given it 5 stars, but I did have to go back and reread a tad in order to confirm the ending.

When they received a call telling them her mother had died, her father sends her over to make the arrangements needed to sell the house and bring her mother back for burial. When she reaches the island and visits the police station, they know nothing of her mother's death. They tell her to come back the next day and fill out a missing person report.

Secret Harbor Press and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you). It has been published.

The mother was supposed to have drowned but even the Coast Guard know nothing about a boat accident. Where's her mother and why is she gone?

Olivia has been to her mother's home on the island before. She finds no clues there. She met an interesting man at the airport and he's inviting her for drinks. She asks him what he knows and doesn't find much out. In the meantime, she keeps looking for her mother.

This story talks about island life and how things move slowly there. It's hard to get a police investigation started. She's an outsider and the residents don't want to help. When she overhears a conversation, she decides to snoop and see what's going on. She almost gets killed there. Her mother's house is torched. Her mother's car is tampered with. Nobody wants her snooping around. Then her father gets impatient and comes to "finish things up". He just gets in the way.

I wish the main character had been portrayed as a stronger woman, but she did what she needed to do.

The last line of the book, though, makes you wonder if it's really all over...

Olivia receives a call that her mother was in a boating accident, in St. Thomas where she lives. Olivia flies down from Boston to take care of what needed to be done. Except that the police know nothing of the accident or where her mother may be. Her mother’s car is missing then reappears. Her mother receives a fax which Olivia finds worrisome. Her mother’s bungalow gets broken into and more. Whatever her mother was involved in, Olivia wants to find out what and if her mother could still be alive. It seem like a lot going on, yet I couldn’t sympathize with Olivia. She wasn’t very likable for a main character. I enjoyed the Caribbean setting and people, but overall not really a mystery or a thriller, just an easy read in a tropical location.

Penny Goetjen's The Empty Chair: Murder in the Caribbean was a great thriller. Olivia Benning travels to the Virgin Island of St. John after a call from authorities notifies her that her mother has died in a boating accident. When she arrives she is befriended by a young man at the airport named Colton, He gives her a ride to her mother's home on the island. After that nothing is as it seems. The police know nothing about her mother's death, Something suspicious is going on and it appears that her mother was linked to some sinister plot but why and what? Is it possible that her mother is even still alive? This book has everything murder, arson, breaking and entering, vehicle sabotage, animal cruelty, shady and suspicious characters. This is a book that will keep you guessing until the very end. (ARC)

Olivia goes to St. Thomas to take care of her mother's affairs after a phone call that she has passed away in a boat accident. She meets Colton at the airport and offered a ride ot take her to her mother's house. She is having trouble finding out anything about her mother's death. No body and no accidents reported. Then things start happening which can't be explained/ The house is ransacked but then it seems like one thing after another happens Olivia does not know who to trust. Olivia does some growing up as this story progresses too. It seems like anyone who comes in contact with her gets hurt. One of those stories that keeps you guessing on who to trust or who is behind what is happening.

Thank you Netgalley and Secret Harbor Press for the eARC in return for an honest review.
It was difficult for me to rate this book. I loved the Caribbean setting, especially since I enjoyed sailing vacations in St. Thomas and St. John. My love did not extend to Olivia, however, her choices and decisions made me want to slap her. And why could she never give a straight answer; constantly lying and obfuscating, it just didn't make sense to me.
An anonymous phone call regarding her mother's fatal boating accident makes her fly from Boston to St. Thomas, where her mother's house is, without trying to find out details by contacting the authorities. She has hardly any money, nobody to meet her at the airport and no ride to her mum's house. There are many other surprising and questionable scenes that had me shake my head.
On the other hand, I wanted to finish the book and after the final chapter, I want to know what happens next! I assume there will a follow-up after that ending!

Halfway through this book I almost lost my patience with it. Olivia not wanting to be a damsel in distress, but ending up like that several times.
Then there were all these twists and turns:
1 - leaving her bruised or worse, but miraculously recovering every single time within two days, even a gunshot wound;
2 - People dying all around her, but somehow being alive later on.

Plus the loose ends that suggest a sequel to this story.., but I will not be the one waiting for it to be published.

Good crime drama. I was kept guessing and couldn't wait to find out "whodunit!"