When Darby arrives in Hurricane Harbor she learns her aunt has died and that there are several offers on the house, each with its own set of problems. What Darby doesn’t expect to find is the dead body of Boston surgeon Emerson Phipps, one of the bidders, on the property. Darby had hoped to be in and out of Hurricane Harbor, but now she realizes her business may keep her there longer than she wishes. 

Everyone is exceptionally kind to Darby, especially Mark Trimble who may just give Darby reason to hang around a little longer. The harder Darby tries to close the deal on the house, the more complicated things get, even to the FBI showing up to interview her. Before long, Darby is so entangled with the goings on in Hurricane Harbor it’s as if she never left. And unless she can find a murderer, Hurricane Harbor may become her final resting place as well.   

A House to Die For is not as simplistic a mystery as it first starts out to be. There are many characters connected with one another, and many are not who they appear to be. As impatient as she is to get the sale of Fairview over with, once Darby settles down and begins to enjoy her surroundings and some of the new people she meets, she realizes Hurricane Harbor is not such a terrible place after all. 

There are enough clues along the way to help readers figure out who killed Dr. Phipps and why and to help unravel the other part of the plot. Darby is a character who takes some time to get to know but, given her childhood, those seem like the natural defenses she has set up as coping mechanisms. Once she begins to let her guard down and decides Hurricane Harbor is not such a terrible place, she relaxes and slowly becomes part of what was once her home town.                                                    

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry