Book Review: Salt Water Wound by C. Michele Dorsey (Sabrina Salter #4)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Sabrina and company in two strong stories

Cons: Plot could be flushed out a bit better

The Bottom Line:

Secrets from the past

Deadly danger on island

Diff’rent but good book

Facing Wounds from the Past and Danger in the Present

I’ve been enjoying the Sabrina Salter Mysteries since the beginning.  After the events of the third book in the series, I was thrilled to hear the author was working on Salt Water Wounds, the fourth in the series.  It is one that longtime fans will enjoy.

If you are new to the series, Sabrina and her business partner, Henry, own a property rental business on the island of St. John.  The third book in the series took place in September of 2017 as Hurricane Irma was bearing down on the island.  This book picks up two months later as Sabrina, Henry, and the rest of the gang are trying to figure out how to deal with the after math of the storm.

And, if you are new to the series, I don’t recommend you start with this book.  This book involves plot threads from the previous books in the series.  Yes, enough information is given to follow what happens here, but it will mean so much more to you if you are coming to the book having already met the characters.

As I said earlier, this book opens two months after Hurricane Irma decimated the island of St. John.  Sabrina and her friends have spent the time trying to survive on an island that is having trouble getting the basic necessities of life and trying to figure out how to rebuild their lives.  Sabrina’s grandmother has the resources to purchase the supplies the group will need to rebuild, and she has asked Sabrina to go with her to the mainland to gather them.  While they are off the island, they are going to start searching for Sabrina’s mother, who disappeared when Sabrina was a toddler.

However, before they can get off the island, two explosions rock the group.  One of the explosions leaves behind a dead body.  Sabrina may be off the island, but the investigation into the explosion takes some dangerous turns that impact those closest to her.  Will she find out what happened to her mother?  What is happening on the island?

This book really has two storylines.  It does a great job of balancing the two of them, keeping us interested in both.  The series has always featured scenes from several different characters’ third person point of view, but that technique is put to excellent use here.  Don’t worry, the point of view changes always happen at the chapter breaks, so it is easy to follow.

While Sabrina’s portion of the book involves her following a trail of clues, the events on the island unfold more like a thriller.  Since I know and care about all the characters, I cared about both parts of the story equally.

I’ve got to admit, I went back and forth on Sabrina’s behavior in this book.  At times, I felt she was being too harsh on others.  But then, I’d fully put myself in her shoes and understand exactly where she was coming from.  I actually appreciated that and in the growth I saw in her as the events in this book unfolded.  I thought the final scene in the book was perfect.

And the events on the island?  I got so caught up in them that I read the final half of the book in one day when I really should have been doing other things.  I had to know how the book ended.

I know this almost sounds like it was two different books.  And in some ways it feels like that at times.  Yet, the stories start together and converge before the book ends.  This isn’t a traditional mystery story, but it works well and gives us the answers we’ve been looking for about Sabrina’s past.  Parts of the book do feel a bit rushed, especially as we near the climax, but it’s a small complaint overall.

I’ve focused a lot of Sabrina because she gets so much of the spotlight here, but the rest of the cast get some interesting developments in their lives as well.  I’m curious to see where the series goes from here.  And yes, the author is working on the next book in the series.

This isn’t one of the cozies I typically read, and it’s a bit more of a PG-13 read as a result.  As long as you know that going in, you’ll be fine.

If you’ve already met Sabrina, you’ll definitely want to find out what happens to her in Salt Water Wounds.  If you haven’t started this series yet, you’ll be ready for this book before you know it.

Enjoy the rest of the Sabrina Salter Mysteries.

NOTE: I received a copy of the book.