Island Life

by Michael W. Sherer

How do you live without someone who’s been part of your life for twenty years? Jack Holm begins to find out when his wife doesn’t return to their suburban Seattle home after shopping one day. Her absence is not unusual given her flight attendant’s job, and it’s a respite from recent marital discord, so Jack feels relief not worry. But when a day goes by with no word, then another, Jack, his teenage daughter and ten-year-old son do worry. After three days, Jack reports her missing. Suddenly, Jack is swept up in a terrifying conflagration of events that threaten to tear his world apart. The police suspect him of foul play. Children and Family Services suspects him of abuse. And someone is spying on his kids. Now a single dad, Jack tries to help his kids deal with their mother’s disappearance, but when he’s arrested on suspicion of murder, he stands to lose it all. The state and his mother-in-law want to take away his kids. The police want him in jail. Abandoned by friends and family, Jack has nowhere to turn, and the mounting evidence begins to make him think he might actually be a killer. But mysterious phone calls and a CD containing child pornography that turns up in his wife’s belongings convince him otherwise. He quickly realizes the only way to stay ahead of the law and prevent his children from being put in foster care is to find out what happened to his wife. With new-found courage from a woman who believes in his innocence and the help of another outcast, Jack pursues a shadowy Japanese Yakuza crime boss from Seattle to Las Vegas and back, putting himself and all the people he loves in mortal danger.

Genres: Mystery

385 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2008

About the author

Mike is a member of and frequent judge for International Thriller Writers and Mystery Writers of America and the author of "Mistaken Identity" and "Stolen Identity," four books in the Seattle-based Blake Sanders series, including "Night Strike" and "Night Blind," which was nominated for an ITW Thriller Award in 2013. His other books include the award-winning Emerson Ward mystery series, the stand-alone suspense novel, 'Island Life," and the Tess Barrett new/young adult thriller series, currently in development for television.

Mike and his family now reside in the Seattle area. Please visit him at www.michaelwsherer.com or you can find him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thrillerauthor and on Twitter at @MysteryNovelist.


Series:
* Emerson Ward Mystery

Reviews

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could not put the book down. A man, Jack Holm, wishes his wife was gone (dead). "Be careful what you wish for, right?" Now he finds that he is alone raising two children and the fact that he is the only suspect for her murder. Now, being a single dad, he finds himself trying to keep his family together at all costs. This book had me turning every page wanting to know more. With strong characters, solid plot and slight humor, I would recommend this book. I really enjoy a great mystery and this one fit the bill.

[Mary Newberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

For 412 pages,it was a quick read, which I like.Not gruesome at all which is a nice change. I didn't want to put it down.

[Jocelyn Rhindress · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 It started good and had potential as a story about a dad wrongly accused of killing his wife and the struggle to retain custody of his children but the ending went off the rails in a testosterone filled blockbuster style ending where a regular dad and his one friend take down a major Japenese mob and save the day.

[Theresa S. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Would have liked this better if the police had actually done anything to solve the murder, and if the husband who just lost his wife didn’t start a new relationship a few weeks after his wife was killed.

[Paulette Stubblefield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! It should be made into a movie! Couldn't stop reading.

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

BEWARE OF SPOILERS. I DON'T HIDE OR PROMOTE MY REVIEWS.

For me, the most interesting aspect of this book was the author's choice to make his main character the prime suspect in a crime of which he is innocent.

Authorities think that Jack Holm, freshly widowed, killed his wife. Before solving the crime, Jack joins a support group of single parents, who turn out to be mostly divorced or dumped woman who are mad at all males.

Perhaps the "Go On" TV comedy starring the actor who played Chandler in "Friends" was inspires by this book, as Jack makes two key friends out of the man-hater group.

He also goes on to solve his wife's murder.

It was implausible to me that Jack, just months after the wife's death, could already end up in love in a new relationship.

Being a Las Vegas resident, I enjoyed the portion of the book set in a seamy section of town, Industrial Road, which parallels the fabled Las Vegas Strip, but is known for strip joints.

[Arthur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow paced thriller. Not quite as interesting as you may think some books may be with the same material. At first I thought the author merely was borrowing from other books that it seemed so unoriginal. It takes a slow 250 pages before anything makes sense or becomes bearable to read. I’m almost certain as a reader I was to feel sympathy or something but the story dragged for too long in the first two hundred pages to have gotten close to the idea of what to think about the character’s lives. But a masterful suspenseful climatic point and we see a lot of development meant to entertain readers upon the end.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the book and would recommend it to anyone who likes suspense. A husband is accused of killing his wife and is arrested for her murder. In the process he loses his friends and seems to be all alone dealing with raising his two children and getting them to all their after school activities and daily life. He attends a singles support group and becomes friends with the only other man that attends. With his help they do some investigating and find some interesting evidence that could change everything.

[B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had an interesting premise and showed a high level of promise, but the further into the book I got, the worse it became. It became harder and harder to maintain a suspension of disbelief and the characters just started acting ridiculously. At the same time, this was a book where I felt as though if I DNF'd it, which I considered several times, I would be annoyed because I did not find out what happened. I finished it, and was not impressed, but I was still glad that I knew what happened. If you want to annoy someone, give them this book.

[Cher · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this had the potential to be better than it was...it was a bit slow at times and predictable as well. But there was enough story line to keep me reading and suspend my doubts over the sometimes implausible events. This would not be a book that I would highly recommend if you are looking for deep reading or something to keep you on the edge of your seat! But, if you want a fast, easy, no thought type book, this was ok.

[Judie Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book takes place on the "island" of Seattle.When a man's wife of 20 years fails to return home after a trip to the mall, her husband isn't worried, at first, since she is a flight attendant and sometimes has unscheduled flights. When he finally reports her missing, he is suspected of foul play.A hard-to-put-down book!

[Patti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book. It was different from others that I have recently read, in that it took the man's point of view in a difficult situation. It showed how the dad handled a family tragedy and how he loved his kids and tried to be there for them. I really liked it.

[Marla Sommer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good murder mystery. After 3 days a husband and father notices that his wife is missing. That is what drew me to this book. I know we can all get caught up in our everyday life, but to not notice that a spouse has been gone for 3 days is pretty sad.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is similar to Gone Girl, but not nearly so psychotic. A decent thriller, but one of the most interesting aspects is that it's set on Mercer Island. I would have rated it higher if the author hadn't thrown in a sappy romance towards the end.

[Jayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it!

[Bev Walkling · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Written from the Dad's perspective we also get to sit in on his sessions with his counsellor which appear to have been ongoing since before his wife's disappearance.

[Shannon Coates · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad for less than $2.

[Dan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Formulaic beach read. Picked it up because it was set in the Northwest. Not much to recommend it.

[Jana Richards · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have given this a 4 star but there were some topics in the book which are uncomfortable for me to recommend to someone to read about-rape, adultery, pornography.