The Beachcomber

THE BEACHCOMBER by Josephine Cox February 19, 2005 THE BEACHCOMBER by Josephine Cox is the second book I've read by this author, and so far I am enjoying her books. Her books are rather deceiving, however. She tends to take her time in developing characters and settings but once you get past that, her stories become somewhat intense and often times it is hard to put down her novels. She comes up with interesting plot twists that border on the soap-operaish, but with that said, I still feel her books are worth reading. If you want to be entertained and sink your teeth into a book, this could be it. Kathy Wilson and Tom Marcus meet when the two of them move to West Bay for the same reasons - to start a new life and contemplate the old. Kathy is mourning the death of her father, and her mother and sister do everything they can to make her life miserable. Tom is mourning the deaths of his wife and two children, who he thinks were murdered. He moves to West Bay to figure out how he can take revenge. When they do eventually meet, neither of them knows the other's history, and they do their best to keep their personal lives out of their relationship, at least in the beginning. In the meantime, Tom has the police back home working on the murder case, while Kathy learns about her father's life in West Bay, where he found happiness with his lover, Liz. The novel continues at a slow but gentle pace but speeds up as the mystery of Tom's family's death begins to unravel, and Kathy begins to deal with her despicable family, her mother and sister, who seem to only care about material things. Other characters also come into play, such as the friends Kathy makes in the village, her neighbor Jasper, who becomes such an important person to both herself and Tom, as well as her evil mother Irene and sister Samantha. This book gets four stars from the Ratmammy. It's not for everyone, but is aimed at romance readers and those who enjoy romantic suspense. It's not as fast paced as some readers may expect, but I think Josephine Cox's books are well worth the time spent reading.

Tom Marcus worked in a business where he designed buildings and worked in construction, until the day he lost his family in a brutal car accident. The accident just made everything harder for him to the point where he couldn't live in his own house, or even work at his job. What he needed was a place to get away, just a little place for himself where no one can track back to him, so he can think about a new life and start something where he could be happy. Just as he's planning his get away, Kate Wilson is desperately searching for an out of the life she's lived. She lost her father a few years back and doesn't get along with her sister or her mother so she feels like she has no one else but her good and trusty friend Maggie. Once her dad had passed way, he left to her his old cottage deeds to her name out in the town just a couple steps from Tom's place. After finding it hard for Tom to fall in love again Kate started coming around and he found himself getting weak in the knees, and finding herself getting the same way around him, just as well. They hit it off right off the bat, but it was hard to get used to something new in Toms life and he was having a hard time opening himself up to Kate. The one thing on his mind was to find out the murderer of his family. This book was the first book that I've read, other than Nicholas Sparks' novels, that I really enjoyed. When I first picked up the novel and read the first page, I knew I would be hooked. Jasper, who was both Kate and Toms best friend while living in Dorset, new about Kate and her fathers life before she knew herself. He was my favorite character because he was so compassionate when it came to Kate and Tom; he cared a lot for them like his own family and watched out for them. Maggie was another character that really caught my attention due to the character she played in the novel. She was hilarious, always had a come back for everything and when I picture her, I picture my co-worker Suzi because of the great times we've had together. I know she means a lot to Kate, just like Suzi means a lot to me. The Beachcomber was a novel that was easy to read, which really topped it of. I'm choosy with my novels, and if I can't sit there and just read through it without having to read everything over again then I'm happy. I liked how she used the different language of how the English would speak. The British have that sarcastic attitude to there language and I was glad Cox picked such a great city for this novel to take place. Cox is another author I could get easily addicted to.

This book had it all. It was a romance, a horror story, a family story, and a murder mystery. Somehow, Cox manages to pull all these elements together to make for one fascinating book. The local element of speaking (London 1952) might be difficult for some, but on the whole it's fairly easy to understand the characters. I enjoyed this book throughly and found the style of writing to be very similar to another one of my favorite books "The Shell Seekers". Definitely pick up this book if you have a chance.

The description on the back of this book does not do justice to what this story really is. It wsa more of a mystery than I expected, but still a romance. I never would have guessed who the driver of the car was. (Chapter 1 - a car runs Tom's car off the road.) The entire book is filled with interesting characters whose lives intertwine in bizarre ways. There are lots of nut cases, which keeps it interesting.Overall, a good story that I thoroughly enjoyed.

In 1952 someone nudges architect Tom Marcus' car over the edge of the road. His wife and two children die in the crash. After recovering in the hospital Tom is not the same as he goes through the motion at work and comes home to a lonely London flat. Tom eventually quits his job and relocates far away from London, but stops to say goodbye at the cemetery. After he leaves someone tosses Tom's bouquet away and replaces them with flowers.Kathy Wilson also leaves London when she learns her beloved dad had an affair in Dorset that included a house that has been deeded to her. Just leaving behind her hateful mother and sister is a winner for Kathy. In her new home Kathy meets a hurting Tom still mourning his loss. As they fall in love, Tom knows he cannot fully move on until he uncovers the stranger that ran him off the road and killed his family members, as he owes Kathy his total loyalty.This is an engaging second chance at love with a bit of intrigue and a historical feel to the tale. The plot is at its best when two individuals with divergent reasons for not starting a relationship are attracted to one another. When Tom turns amateur sleuth and tries to track down the villain it feels as if the author tried for a shocking twist that takes away from a deep character study that fans will enjoy.Harriet Klausner