5.0 out of 5 stars Great Glue!, June 13, 2014By

Always consider the characters before the plot. They are the glue that hold the action together. What is so refreshing about the Mateguas Island ones is that despite their frail, human errors, they will think about their actions, take responsibility for them, and try to change. I like characters (and real people) who are able to acknowledge mistakes that we all make in our lives, characters we can relate to. Like a Stephen King horror story, Watkins develops her characters in a normal setting, making us care intensely for their welfare by the time the terror starts. Like a true suspense story, the onset of the horror is merely a fine drizzle, building up the tension that we readers suspect will engulf us as the storm begins. As I read, a part of my mind couldn’t help tinkering with the different ways to end the tale. I actually felt anxious about it because liking the characters, it was difficult to face who Watkins might kill off or who might divorce or, well, just lots of calculations and permutations—the sign of an excellent book. And it is. And I will not drop hints or spoil your reading although I was tempted to turn to the last page, at times. I’m impatiently waiting for her next book!

MATEGUAS ISLAND, on Amazon http://amzn.to/1l8VhYk