Synopsis

A picturesque island. A shocking murder. A secret that could destroy everything.

It’s 1980, a time of peace and tranquility on a legendary island off the coast of New England. Inhabiting the island is a vibrant cast of locals that includes scallopers, tradespeople, and a mysterious recluse—the wealthiest man in Massachusetts. But that peace is shattered with the murder of a prominent lawyer, a pillar of the community.

For Peter Christie, a journalist seeking a fresh start, the case is more than just a headline—it’s a chance at redemption. As he delves into the island’s secrets, he finds himself drawn to Haddie Danville, a determined conservation ranger. But Haddie, reeling from her grandfather’s sudden death, begins to doubt both Peter and his true intentions.

Determined to win Haddie back, Peter sets out to solve the murder, joining forces with a local detective, navigating a web of confounding islanders, and pressing closer and closer to the heart of the tightly coiled secret . . . a secret that threatens to tear apart the idyllic island.

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Excerpt

Journal Entry

Fleeing

A crash. The wall shuddered like something under attack. Two sharp slaps. Please. Stop. Oh. Please, darling. Then another voice, a low growl, words inaudible. And her reply: I won’t do that again I promise. I will never spy on you again no matter what other women you—Oh!

I was seven years old, I stood in the hallway outside their room, I had no name for what was happening within. But I knew fear and I could sense terror. What would a loving child not do for their mother in a moment of crisis? I reached for the doorknob and took it firmly in both hands.

It was locked.

For a short eternity, I was frozen in place as the wall shook a second time and the cries grew louder. Then something broke and I ran. Out the side door and into the woods. Dodged trees and broken limbs. Found shelter beneath a canopy of honeysuckle draped between some pines. A sticky sweat on my skin. Grabbed handfuls of needles off the ground and brought them to my face,
the tart pure scent. Inside me, something was moving and changing. I sat in silence and plucked honeysuckle flowers off the vines and placed the slender tendrils on the ground. Yellow flowers and
white flowers, arranged in a gentle oval. An order that nothing could disturb.

But an image and a question stayed with me.

The image of what was happening behind the locked door.

The question, Was it really locked?

About the Author

James Sulzer was an Intensive English major at Yale, worked in television for a number of years, then moved with his family year-round to the island of Nantucket, Massachusetts. In his early years on the island, he labored as a commercial scalloper and sang professionally in a barbershop quartet, then taught English for three decades. Other published works include a novel about Emily Dickinson, The Voice at the Door and a novel about John Keats, Writ in Water, as well as the novel Nantucket Daybreak and a trilogy of middle grade novels for children, The Card People. All That Smolders is his first murder mystery and is written in honor of his mother, who was a big fan of Agatha Christie. Sulzer’s novel is heavily inspired by Agatha Christie. He even creates a backstory for his protagonist that places him as one of Christie’s relatives.

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