Aurelia, nee Susan, is hiding on Trouble Island, an island on Lake Erie between Ohio and Canada. A stopping point for bootleggers, Trouble Island is also home to the reclusive Rosita, still mourning the death of her young son. Aurelia serves as a sort of lady's maid to Rosita who is estranged from her husband, Eddie, since their son's death. When Eddie shows up on Trouble Island with an assortment of gangster friends and others, trouble follows.

When Rosita goes missing, everyone assumes she's managed to escape. Aurelia hopes to join her in escaping, but instead she finds a woman's body under the dock. Soon others of their group die under mysterious circumstances, and when the furnace is sabotaged, the remaining members of the house party are forced to cohabit in the drawing room in front of the fire.

Gothic-inspired, this closed door mystery is riveting and features a few of my favorite things (in addition to a Gothic mystery): prohibition, Great Depression, island setting. The resolution seems abrupt and unsatisfying after the long buildup, but as it is based on a true story, may be historically accurate. #TroubleIsland #NetGalley

Trouble Island was a compelling read. Set in the 1930’s on a remote island on the shores of Lake Erie, a murder occurs. So very many suspects…who could be the killer. As they continue their life in the mansion on the island the bodies begin to pile up. Who is the killer and what is their motive?
Although many of the interactions between Aurelia and Aurelia and Rosita and Eddie seemed very far -fetched
to me, the events are loosely based n a real event. Who would you trust? I was impressed that Aurelia was able to swim in the icy water but that became an integral part of the storyline. I appreciated the frequent background tidbits that Sharon Short included throughout the book. Each character seemed to have multiple secrets they were hiding from the others. I kept changing my predictions and enjoyed being semi correct when I reached the enc.
Sharon Short’s is a talented writer that certainly kept this reader engaged. The real star of the book for me was the brooding island itself and the eerie mansion on its shore. Loved the descriptions of the island, especially the view lighthouse. The time frame of the prohibition made perfect sense to justify some of the characters behaviors. Also loved the inclusion of Rosita’s beloved bird, Largo. Some of the twists seemed a bit confusing, especially the one involving Rosita and her cousin.
Many thanks to Sharon Short, Minotaur Books and NetGalley for providing me with an arc of this atmospheric mystery.

From the beginning to the end, there was a sense of dread throughout this book. What else could there be when you have a bunch of gangsters, murders, “dames”, Hollywood types living in a gorgeous mansion on the very large Lake Erie in the dead of a very cold winter. The book continues from there. And trouble it is. Read this book!

oung woman with a difficult past stands up to the Mafia, her best friend, and a host of bad memories when trouble comes to Trouble Island.

Aurelia Escalante has been exiled to a remote island surrounded by the icy waters of Lake Erie. It is an island owned by the McGee crime family. She and Rosita, the estranged wife of crime boss Eddie McGee, used to be friends. However a string of murder and tragedy has put strain on their relationship. It doesn’t help that the fact that Aurelia is treated like domestic help on the island. When Eddie and a small entourage arrive one frigid November day, intending to convince Rosita to sell the island to a rival family, Aurelia has just put in motion a plan to escape. She fires that the lockbox full of gold and jewels she’d found washed up on the shore. But there will be no easy opportunity to slip away. Instead, Aurelia finds herself embroiled in what is essentially. People on the island start dying, she must uncover past truths and false identities while doing her best to preserve her own secrets. What are her secrets?

The isolated island is well described. I liked Aurelia as she was a spunky woman who defied the Mafia family. The conclusion of the novel is a suspenseful crime book with a surprising ending.

Page turning historical mystery novel set during prohibition. The setting and characters make this a hard to put down read. Lots of intrigue and action and a sympathetic protagonist. Lots of twists and turns. A 3.5 from me. Murder on an island during a winter storm, with mobsters gathered, what’s not to like!

Trouble Island is indeed full of trouble! Set back during the 1930's Prohibition Era, in the Lake Erie region, this book kept me on the edge of my seat.
With gangsters and molls, and a Fed thrown in for good measure, this is a great mystery to read during the cold winter months as the ice forms on the Great Lakes, as it does in this book.
Pity Aurelia, our main character, a typical and very young, niave lady on the run - but from what, exactly?
A great historical mystery!

Thank you #Netgalley and #Macmillan for this advance reader copy. I thoroughly enjoyed this story!

Slowly plunged in to a locked-room Prohibition era mystery on a Lake Erie Island. Winter is quickly approaching and the inhabitants on the secluded island include gangsters, fading actors, maybe a snitch, caretakers, a doctor, and bodyguards. Everyone is trying to obscure their past, current motivations, and get the upper hand on whatever the changing situation requires. Revenge and self-preservation, as well as getting away with riches, secrets, and murder are foremost. Alliances shift and no one can be trusted. Aurelia Escalante, the narrator, has her own secrets as she tries to survive her past and discover what is going on and who may be trying to kill her (and some others). The author captures the vibes of the period, but the characters did not capture me as much as the setting. Yet, locked-room mystery lovers may well like this book of twists and turns. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing this title.

In Lake Erie, a watery border between Canada and the United States, lies Trouble Island. The forty-six acre island was a stopping place for escaped slaves and military runaways fleeing the states enroute to Canada during the Civil War. Like all islands, it has seen its fair share of storms.

We join the residents of Trouble Island in 1931, during the Prohibition era. A time of gangsters, molls, mobs, and goons. We meet Rosita McGee, the wife of a gangster, and the owner of the island. Rosita is in mourning for her her four year old son Oliver, who was killed in the crossfire of a gang altercation. She blames her husband Eddie for his death and they have been estranged since it happened.

Also, we meet the protagonist and sole narrator of this novel, Aurelia Escalante (aka Susan Walker). Aurelia is an enigmatic character. Once friends with Rosita and the wife of a gangster's goon, she murdered him when she could no longer withstand his constant abuse. Now, she is hiding out on the island posing as a maid to Rosita. Their friendship has withered and now Auriela is uncertain as to her status in this strange household. In her free time, Auriela watches and takes notes on the birds who reside and/or visit the island.

Also, Auriela cares for the bird of the now deceased little boy, Oliver. The bird, a blue and yellow macaw, is called Largo. I felt that Largo symbolized innocence and freedom in a place that had little of each commodity.

We meet the black couple who help to run the old mansion on Trouble Island. Henry is the cook and handyman, while his wife Maxine works as the housekeeper.

We meet Seamus Grover, one of the bodyguards, who Aurelia is attracted to.

Everyone on Trouble Island is harbouring secrets of their own, including Auriela.

When Rosita's estranged husband, gangster Eddie McGee and his right-hand man, Cormac Herlihy make a surprise visit to Trouble Island with a doctor, a starlet (who is Rosita's cousin), and a movie star in tow, events on the island take a drastic turn for the worse. Allegiances are tested and found to be constantly shifting, the mansion is sabotaged, there are murders...

Who is to be trusted? Tension and unsettling undercurrents permeate the island.

With themes of avarice, corruption, shame, guilt, betrayal, vengeance, and what it means to be free, this novel was a compelling fictional snapshot into a time period that I personally have read little about. The author notes that this novel was based upon true events from her own family history.

This isn’t my usual sort of read, but I came across it on NetGalley and it sounded intriguing so I thought I’d give it a try. All in all, it was just an okay read for me. The twists and turns of the story were interesting, but it overall was a little dark for me and I didn’t love the ending. I am glad I branched out and tried something a little different even if I didn’t end up, loving it.

I was interested to know that this mystery is half historical, half autobiography. I'd never read something like this before.
I liked the atmosphere, the eerieness of it all, the main character and, mostly, the matriarch character. To me, she was the most interesting and fascinating character in this book.
The writing was good, not overly descriptive, efficient. However, there was something lacking for me. Probably because I never felt engaged with the main character struggles and fears - and troublesome past.
I liked it all, but I didn't relate or connect with anyone.
I had a good time and that's it. Maybe...too many suspects? There were few moments when I failed to follow through so many suspects.
Yet, I had a good time.
Unfortunately, it won't be a very memorable book, but I had a good time, and I believe other readers might enjoy this one, too.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for providing me with a free eARC of this book.

This novel is locked-room mystery set on an island in Lake Erie. An island that’s the notorious home to a Toledo bootlegger and gangster, Eddie McGee. Nefarious things happen on this island, including murder!

The plot incorporates real bits of history from the area, and a piece from the author’s aunts life. This story has many mentions of Toledo, my home town.

Thank you, St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books

Trouble Island by Sharon Short is a suspenseful locked room historical historical fiction.

Aurelia is a maid to Rosita, a prohibition gangsters wife living on Trouble Island between Canada and the United States. But all is not what it seems on the surface, and these women have secrets of their own.

An engaging novel.

I received an ARC of this book. Interesting story written in a way that kept me in suspense. Very well written.

Death is stalking those staying on Trouble Island

To escape the consequences of actions she took to leave an abusive relationship, Aurelia relied upon her friend Rosita and Rosita’s gangster husband Eddie to provide her with temporary shelter in the manor house Rosita owns on Lake Erie’s Trouble Island. It turned out not to be the gesture of friendship she thought it was; instead, she finds herself working indefinitely as Rosita’s maid on the island as Rosita, devastated by the death of her young son, decides to stay on the island and refuses to see Eddie. Eddie has allowed Rosita some time to grieve the loss of their son and has continued to use the island as a staging area for the liquor runs his gang makes to keep Prohibition-era Ohio supplied with the alcohol they want. But Eddie’s patience has reached its limits; he arrives on the island one November day with a motley crew of associates, and isn’t going to tolerate his wife’s continued brush-offs. With him are rival gangster Marco (whom Rosita partly blames for the death her son), Rosita’s cousin Claire, a Hollywood actor who was friendly with Rosita and Claire before he became famous, the family doctor, and two bodyguards (one each for Eddie and Marco). Secrets and past events tie the various guests together to one another and to those already on the island. Aurelia had been plotting to find a way off the island and away from the forced servitude to her onetime friend, but these new arrivals are putting a crimp in her plans. Winter weather is approaching (and with it, a closing window of opportunity to escape across the waters of Lake Erie to freedom), and suddenly people are turning up dead. Who is behind the killings and why have they chosen this moment in time? Can Aurelia keep herself safe from the killer and find a way off the island?
Trouble Island is told as a variation of the locked room mystery, with a set group of characters the only possible suspects for the crimes being committed. With a large chunk of said characters being gangsters or at least gangster-adjacent there is no paucity of possible villains, and the story holds plenty of twists and unexpected reveals to keep readers guessing right up until the end. Aurelia is the most likable character in the bunch (although Largo the macaw has her admirers), but even she is hiding elements of her past that seem to be less than admirable. As the victim in an abusive relationship she certainly has the reader’s sympathy, and she does seem to be paying far too high a price for doing what she had to do to escape the violent Pony. Rosita lost her young son and is lashing out at those around her whom she considers complicit in his death, understandable given the circumstances, but her treatment of Aurelia seems inexplicably harsh. They are the two most developed characters, with the rest being more two-dimensional. The story keeps the reader guessing, and while attention must be paid to keep the characters’ stories and their ties to one another straight; there’s even a hint of an unlikely romance mixed in with the Agatha Christie vibe. I wish that there had been a stronger sense of the time period in the story (much could have been mined to add Prohibiton-era glamour to the tale), but it was an enjoyable read made more so knowing that it was based partly on real events from the author’s in-laws’ history. My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for allowing me early access to a copy of Trouble Island.

When I first started this as an arc I thought it was going to be more of a fast paced thriller on an isolated island full of rich people, however that is not what it is. It was definitely more of a who done it mystery, which I do also enjoy.

I thought the fact that this story is inspired by true events from the author's family was incredible and really cool. The heavy presence of the leaders bootlegging gangs was very interesting to read about, a lot of the stories I've read surrounding this time period with similar influences have been about people in the lowest tiers of the gangs doing most of the grunt work and how they were affected. The isolated atmosphere was chilling, not only are they stuck on an island but it is the beginning of a huge storm and as the plot intensifies so does the storm.

My biggest gripe with the story I guess was during the main investigative parts when the main character was trying to figure out who the killer is, she asks people a bunch of questions and they just tell her their life story, there wasn't much poking around where she found a clue or evidence against someone. It was all just everyone has a motive but how to prove who did it. I also felt that the stakes weren't very high because I never believed that the Aurelia would be killed especially with the way that Eddie would flip back and forth between her.

But I still really enjoyed my time with it, it was perfect to start off the winter with as the book happens in December in the cold. The story was very interesting, even when I wasn't reading it I was thinking about it but it just didn't give me the 5 star, I'm obsessed feeling.

Lots of drama- often melodrama-in this tale set on an icy island in the winter of 1932. Aurelia wants nothing more than to escape but she's stuck, stuck by circumstance and by the fact that there's no realistic way off. So she cares for Rosita, once her friend now her charge who has shut herself off here- until Rosita's horrible criminal husband Eddie shows up with a group of people and all bets are off. What happened to Rosita's son? That's key to this story, but you won't know until deep in the novel. Nor will you know why Aurelia is there. To be honest, there are times when this goes over the top, that's it's just a bit too much, but then I found myself wanting the answers to the secrets. and then there's Largo. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. Atmospheric historical fiction.

Trouble Island by Sharon Short is an interesting first-person narration by a woman who is stuck as a servant on an island in the middle of LaKe Erie. She is there in service to Rosita, a woman she used to call friend, who is married to, but estranged from ,a mobster, Eddie. Suddenly Eddie appears with a boat load of guests, including his rival and bodyguard; Rosita’s cousin; her doctor, and her childhood friend and movie star. Aurelia want to escape and thought she could after she’d found a lockbox for of gold coins and jewelry. In order to keep it hidden she puts it in a net and ties it under the dock. When she goes to retrieve it, it is gone, but instead she finds Rosita’s bloated body. Thus starts a locked room mystery and a time of terror for Aurelia, as others were being to be killed. It is gripping.

Aurelia has her own secrets, as do the others on the island. She is not privy to them and that is OK with her. She just wants out and the reader can feel her terror as things escalate. No one wants her there. She is inches from being shot at any moment. Most of them know her secret. It is not a good one. As things progress, it gets more frightening. One of their guards is shot, then the bodyguard, then the doctor. Then they talk. Threats are made. It is always frightening to be in the presence of people who don’t value human life. These people do not, most of them. It is a wholly frightening novel, keeping the reader on the edge at all times. Not of them are quiet human, including Aurelia, the narrator. Interesting book.

I was invited to read Trouble Island by St Martin’s Press. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #StMartinsPress #Sharon Short #TroubleIsland

I was drawn right into this historical thriller based on real events.Really well written the characters come alive.and kept me engaged.#netgalley #st.martins

When I picked up Trouble Island by Sharon Short, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. A debut historical suspense novel set in 1932, during the height of Prohibition, and featuring gangsters, murder, and hidden secrets? It sounded promising. And while the suspense wasn’t as sharp as I’d hoped, I found myself enjoying the ride through the richly atmospheric world of Trouble Island.

The story centers around Rosita and Aurelia, two women whose lives intertwine on this secluded island on Lake Erie. Rosita, married to a notorious gangster, is far from the typical mob wife. She’s complex, grieving the loss of her young son while navigating the dangers of her husband’s world. Aurelia, posing as her maid, has her own dark past—a crime that haunts her and shapes her every decision. Their connection is as deep as the lake that surrounds them, and as the island becomes a meeting ground for rival gangsters, secrets bubble to the surface with deadly consequences.

The premise is fantastic: a secluded island, shady dealings, and the ever-present threat of violence. Add in the historical backdrop of Prohibition, and you’ve got all the ingredients for a gripping tale. While I didn’t feel the edge-of-your-seat tension I was hoping for, the book excels in other areas. The setting, for one, is utterly beguiling. The island feels alive, almost like a character itself, with its isolation and secrets.

As a bird-watching enthusiast, I loved the small details Sharon Short weaves into the story. It’s clear the author drew from her own family’s history, adding a personal touch that makes the novel stand out.

This book would make a fantastic pick for book clubs. There’s so much to discuss, from the well-developed characters to the themes of grief, loyalty, and redemption. And without spoiling anything, there’s a twist that will leave readers talking.

While Trouble Island didn’t deliver the nail-biting suspense I anticipated, it more than made up for it with its atmosphere and compelling characters. If Sharon Short continues to explore this era—and perhaps digs deeper into her family’s fascinating history—I’ll be the first in line to read her next novel.

A great fiction / thriller / murder mystery that has it's bones in the author's family history. Trouble Island is a real island used as a stop off for smugglers of just about everything that could be imagined. I've read some of it's history in several books of one genre or another but this one makes it a central character in the plot line. Stranded on the island with no clear means of escape, Aurelia narrates as the tension builds, Rosalita is killed and the life she had suddenly doesn't seem so bad. Sharon Short weaves the eerie island's landscape through Aurelia's escape, but is she escaping from something or to something? Some parts of the book are false clues, make sure you are paying attention.