BOOK NOOK: The return of Sharon Short with a standalone historical mystery

Now she’s hiding out on Trouble Island, working as a maid in a mansion owned by her friend Rosita. At least they used to be friends, back in Toledo. Now Rosita treats Aurelia like a servant. But she’s a special kind of servant. Since the death of her child Rosita has been hiding out herself and Aurelia is the only member of the staff who ever sees her.

It is all very tragic and also slightly weird. Early in the story Aurelia is swimming in the frigid lake, it is November and the icy waters are concealing a secret treasure she finds. She hopes her discovery could lead to her escaping the island, where she doesn’t feel very welcome.

As she is going back to the mansion she happens upon another staff member-they each realize neither of them was supposed to be there. So why were they there? My lips are sealed. Not too long after that a yacht arrives. It belongs to a gangster named Eddie McGee. He’s married to Rosita, but they are estranged.

Short has now assembled her cast of characters. The yacht brought the rest of them. There’s Eddie and he has taken along another mobster, his arch rival Marco. Eddie and Marco each have bodyguards, The other passengers are a guy who used to be a major movie star, a disgraced physician, and Rosita’s loopy cousin, Claire.

When they arrive they are greeted by Rosita’s staff: Aurelia, Seamus, Liam, Henry, and Maxine. Rosita remains concealed in her chambers. Eddie demands to see her. Before too long we have a murder. Now it is Aurelia’s turn to shift into sleuth mode to try to figure out who the killer is.

While she’s doing that the two gangsters are maneuvering, trying to work out a business deal involving the island. Aurelia spends her time investigating and shifting her theories about who the murderer is. Throughout the course of the novel she ends up considering almost everybody else as a potential suspect.

As Aurelia’s suspicions grind along she takes breaks for romance with someone who she’s attracted to but she’s not certain who he really is. “Trouble Island” is a simmering cauldron of intrigue that bubbles into quite a batch of red herring stew.

Many readers will recall Short’s columns in this newspaper. Her previous four books were in the Kinship series written under the pen name Jess Montgomery. “Treasure Island” is a stand alone mystery.

Credit: Contributed

Credit: Contributed