Emma Elliot’s A Thin, Dark Line is the perfect heart-wrenching suspenseful romance for that end of the summer reading list. Readers will not want to miss getting this intriguing read in before the holiday season begins.

Eloise Carmichael, the black sheep of her prestigious family, has always been a disappointment to her parents and her uncle. This year is no different as she defies their warnings, as well as those of the entire town, when she hires Cormac O’Malley as her handyman at the library. Fresh out of jail after doing time for murder, Cormac is distant and untrusting, but sees something in Eloise that keeps him from leaving the town, even at the insistence of nearly every member of the population. Only when Eloise tries to explore too deeply into his past does he start to pull away despite his attraction to her.

As Eloise digs further into the town’s archives and is handed a key piece of private history: the people she thought she knew have morbid secrets that cannot be overlooked. Far more people are involved in Cormac’s past then she ever imagined, but the more she tries to solve the mystery the more danger starts to follow her and those she loves.

Emma Elliott writes with such pure emotion in certain scenes in A Thin, Dark Line that readers will find themselves tearing up right along with the characters. If Elliott can make the emotionally strong and stubborn Eloise fight the welling up of tears than you can bet readers are having just as hard a time keeping back their emotions. Most of these scenes are either those of the romantic nature or deal with children, but they come upon readers so suddenly that the surprise is often what arouses feelings.

From learning what it truly means to be alone to being accepted despite one’s dark side to finding out what love really is, Elliott has it all in her newest novel. One of the only aspects of A Thin, Dark Line that becomes a bit confusing are the details, or lack of, concerning the setting. While Elliott’s descriptions of the town and its inhabitants get better as the novel proceeds, it is often hard to tell where each place is in relation to the other. Some of the only clear relations that become obvious to readers is that Eloise’s house is very near her best friend’s and Cormac’s place is far enough for the need to drive.

Despite this hiccup, the novel is still a joy to read and a great end to the summer season that will leave readers longing for the coziness of Fall.

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About the author

Kala Istvanek
Presently, I am attending Carthage College in Kenosha, U.S.A. I will be graduating with a degree in Asian Studies, with a minor in English and Studio Art. I have been a bookworm ever since I could read and I can never turn down a book. Art is also one of my loves and discovering new artists is always a thrill for me.