One Night Gone by Tara Laskowski

One Night Gone

In 1986, young runaway Maureen is traveling with a summer carnival when they arrive at Opal Beach.  Maureen just knows that it is her destiny to stay there.  She is befriended by some of the locals and the kids who summer at Opal Beach and finds the courage to quit her job and start her new life.  And then she disappears.

Thirty years later, Allison, a former television meteorologist come to Opal Beach to housesit and flee the very public demise of her marriage.

The story is told from Maureen’s point of view and Allison’s.  When Allison meets Maureen’s best friend, Tammy, who still lives in Opal Beach, the two become friends and Tammy enlists Allison’s help to figure out what happened to Maureen all those years ago. 

An interesting premise, lots of local color, the haves and the have nots, and tons of red herrings, this had all the markings of a great suspense tale but it fell a little short for me.  None of the characters were particularly likeable, the whispers and near premonitions that Allison experiences were a little too cheesy for me. 

The resolution of the murder was a little too predictable and the happily ever after way the book tied up made it just 2.5 rounded to 4 for me.   

This would probably made a good rainy day at a beach vacation read. 

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.