From Publishers Weekly Starred Review. MacDonald (From Cradle to Grave) offers a fresh, suspenseful spin on the vacation gone bad crime tale. Shelby Sloan, a well-to-do Philadelphia working woman, gives her daughter, Chloe Kenricks, and Chloe's husband, Rob, a Christmas treat—a Caribbean cruise to make up for the honeymoon the couple never had. Shelby even offers to care for their four-year-old son, Jeremy, while they're gone. Then Shelby receives a disturbing call from Rob, who tells her Chloe has fallen overboard and is missing off St. Thomas. Apparently, Chloe had been drinking. Shelby, unwilling to accept that Chloe had a drinking problem like Estelle Winter, Shelby's dying alcoholic mother, is sure that her daughter met with foul play. Shelby has further cause for alarm when Bud Ridley, a fellow Philly resident who saw Chloe the fateful night, kills himself after she questions him. The author nimbly reveals links to other murders—and to someone desperate to keep a secret. Fans of early Mary Higgins Clark will be rewarded. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved. Review The latest page-turner from MacDonald (Suspicious Origin; From Cradle to Grave) features Shelby Sloan, who raised a daughter on her own and after many difficult years now enjoys a successful career and spending time with her grandson. She purchases a Caribbean cruise as a gift for her daughter, Chloe, and her son-in-law, Rob, offering to babysit Jeremy while they're away. When Rob calls to tell Shelby that Chloe has disappeared from the ship, the nightmare is only beginning. Unable to accept that her daughter might be dead, Shelby keeps digging for the truth and uncovers a number of unhappy secrets that someone would prefer to keep safely hidden. VERDICT MacDonald's tale of domestic suspense will keep readers guessing and is sure to appeal to fans of Mary Higgins Clark and Joy Fielding --Library Journal, February 1, 2011
