REVIEW: Shroud of Fog by Janice Kay Johnson

In Shroud of Fog by Janice Kay Johnson, Sophie hasn’t spent much time in Cape Trouble in the 20 years since her mother died there…in the sand dunes. When she has visited her aunt Doreen in Cape Trouble, she avoids that area like it doesn’t exist. Currently Sophie works on events for a major corporation in Portland, but she’s back to help her aunt with an event in Cape Trouble. An auction to raise money to buy and save the same land her mother died on from development.

Nothing goes as planned though…especially when Sophie finds her aunt’s dead body inside a locked storage unit the auction group was using to store donations and meets Daniel.

Daniel is the police chief in Cape Trouble. He’s done with big city policing, and Cape Trouble is right for him. Until now he hasn’t had many problems in Cape Trouble. Until now he hasn’t been tempted to go down the relationship path with a woman who he shouldn’t want. But “Sophie not only attracted him, she came with an end date.”

Sophie stays temporarily to take over where her aunt left off with the auction, and her and Daniel end up spending a lot of time together. Between helping her with the auction items, protecting Sophie and trying to solve a crime, Daniel starts to feel more and more for Sophie. Sophie is feeling things she never expected for Daniel also. Knowing their time together is temporary does not stop either of them … instead they end up becoming closer and the chemistry between them is sizzling! Not only is there chemistry, there are genuine feelings and caring. Daniel encourages Sophie to confront her past…but as she looks closer at her mother’s death memories long forgotten surface and questions start to arise surrounding the circumstances of her death 20 years ago. At the same time, the auction items are getting some unwanted attention from someone…someone who has secrets they’ll kill to protect. It becomes obvious Sophie is in danger and Daniel is determined not only to protect her, but to solve the crime. Will Daniel be able to do it? In time? And if he does will it be time to say good bye?

Janice gives us some great characters in Shroud of Fog. Some we come to know very well, others we only see in passing, and some we just want to know more about! Daniel might not be looking for a relationship but “The first time he set eyes on Sophie Thomsen, he’d felt something unfamiliar and suspected she could endanger his certainties.” He is protective of Sophie and encouraging, honest and very love-able! He takes things seriously and really listens. He is a man you would want on your side! Sophie is strong and she’s been through a lot. Since her mother died she’s never been quite the same though and being in the one place she hates might be the one thing that can start her healing. I admired Sophie, and loved how Janice presented her in such a realistic manner. The hero and heroine work well together, and the maturity of their characters shines through. Janice gives us enough background information on Sophie and Daniel to help us understand them without overwhelming the reader with unnecessary sub-stories.

Janice expertly draws the reader into Shroud of Fog quickly. The title of the book not only makes you think of death but gives you shivers up and down your spine as the hairs on your arms stand to attention! Janice draws the story out well so that even though you don’t get the whole story right away you want to stay right there and not only get to know Sophie and Daniel better, but find out who could possibly have done this? Janice’s descriptions of the scenery and the fog took you to Cape Trouble, the feelings of the characters were suggestive of real life, and she kept me guessing and on edge throughout Shroud of Fog.

Janice blends the romance and mystery of Shroud of Fog very well so that they really intertwine and work well together, neither overpowering the other.

I’d highly recommend Shroud of Fog for any romantic suspense reader looking to get lost in a story filled with credible characters and feelings.

Book Info:

Published February 1st 2014 by Shroud of Fog

The secrets of the past haunt the present…

Cape Trouble, a tiny Oregon coast town was named for the dangerous off-shore reefs. But some of its citizens seek refuge from their own troubles…which have a way of following them.

Sophie Thomsen’s life had a Before and an After – before the terrifying morning when she found her mother dead in the foggy sand dunes, apparently having killed herself. Now, twenty years later, she returns to Cape Trouble, only to find her aunt brutally murdered. Sophie takes over her aunt’s crusade to save the falling-down Misty Beach Resort and its old-growth forest and wild sand dunes and beach from development – even though she never wants to set foot again on Misty Beach. But Sophie’s memories threaten a killer…who doesn’t dare let her remember too much.

Having come to Cape Trouble to heal his own wounds, Police Chief Daniel Colburn investigates the present-day murder, but begins to suspect Sophie’s mother was another murder victim, not a suicide. Everything he learns increases his fear for this woman he is coming to love.

Sophie’s fate may be to die in a shroud of fog, just like her mother before her, unless she trusts Daniel to help her uncover her past in time.