Island Bluffs by Alan A. Winter

350 Pages
Publisher: KBP Publishing, Independent Book Publishers Association, Members’ Titles
Release Date: April 7, 2015

Fiction (Adult), General Fiction (Adult), Mystery, Thriller, Psychological

Island Bluffs is in an area near the Jersey Shore. Since Dr. Carly Mason is considered a high-risk pregnancy, her doctor and fertility specialist required to live close to the facility during the last three months. Her husband, Gabe Berk, finds an abandoned/foreclosed house for them near his grandmother’s old house. The house is old and since Gab did not investigate the property well enough, he depends on the engineers’ report. Now they find the area is not as friendly as they hoped because they are Jewish.

The doctor convinced Carly to be a surrogate and carry a second baby for him. She learns that he already has ten sons. She is approached by a woman outside the clinic. She tells Carly that is also was a surrogate. She is disturbed by that and begins to regret her decision. Gabe’s daughter, Megan, and his father, Yehuda find evidence in the basement that men used the area as an unusual meeting place.

The story has a nice steady pace. The characters are developed, and it is written in the third person point of view. There is a lot of antisemitism and references to Nazis. It was a riveting read and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers.

This well written story is very thought provoking and has many elements. I found it hard to put down because I wanted to know what happened next.
Many thanks to KBPublishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.