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Orcas Intrigue
Camille Tate has always run away...but vanishing whenever life gets too frightening has never solved anything. When a broken heart sends Cam to remote Orcas Island to try her hand at caretaking and writing a screenplay, she finds quiet beaches and cozy bookstores, plus a host of intriguing folks, including a rugged boat-builder, a glamorous neighbor, and a reassuring sheriff's deputy. But an escalating nest of mysteries and the haunting sense of being watched soon leave Cam wondering if she can believe her own perceptions. As intrigue turns to danger, she must decide whether there is anyone she can trust, or if it's time for her to vanish yet again.
- GenresMystery
214 pages, Paperback
First published October 18, 2016
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November 24, 2016The reader should know going in that this is not the usual book one of a mystery, in that this one ends on a gigantic cliff-hanger. Only one of the many, many questions is answered, setting things up for a multi book single-story arc.
I think if you know that going in, you won't be distracted by the gradual diminishing of pages as you think how can this possibly resolve?
Because the key is, I was reading fast, thoroughly absorbed in this story about Cam, a young woman in her late twenties, freshly dumped by the guy she'd thought to marry. But she has certain secrets she really can't bring herself to reveal.
And so on the spur of the moment she accepts a job as caretaker for rich people on Orcas Island, off the Washington and Canadian coastline. The descriptions of island life, the flora and fauna are as vivid as the distinctive (and puzzling!) characters Cam encounters.
Next door lives a woman who earned her wealth in tech, and is now devoted to theatre. She is so very friendly, almost overpoweringly so, and meanwhile, are all those people coming and going from her place actors, or what?
I zoomed through this intriguing read in an afternoon, and look forward to the next!
I think if you know that going in, you won't be distracted by the gradual diminishing of pages as you think how can this possibly resolve?
Because the key is, I was reading fast, thoroughly absorbed in this story about Cam, a young woman in her late twenties, freshly dumped by the guy she'd thought to marry. But she has certain secrets she really can't bring herself to reveal.
And so on the spur of the moment she accepts a job as caretaker for rich people on Orcas Island, off the Washington and Canadian coastline. The descriptions of island life, the flora and fauna are as vivid as the distinctive (and puzzling!) characters Cam encounters.
Next door lives a woman who earned her wealth in tech, and is now devoted to theatre. She is so very friendly, almost overpoweringly so, and meanwhile, are all those people coming and going from her place actors, or what?
I zoomed through this intriguing read in an afternoon, and look forward to the next!
February 24, 2017
What a hoot to read a mystery set in your neighborhood! Gayle did a great job capturing the "feel" of Orcas-not just the physical beauty, but the quirkiness and opinions of the locals. The mystery is good and there's a whiff of paranormal (fits well here too) but it's the island that's the star. Five stars because it would feel disloyal to give it less.
March 6, 2026
This has to be the most frustrating book I've read in a long time. I'm a complete sucker for stories set on cold, rainswept islands, so this one had the perfect opening for me: a young woman arriving after dark on Orcas, the most remote of the San Juan Islands, and driving through heavy rain to a big oceanfront house, whose absentee owner has hired her to be the new caretaker--the previous caretaker, another young woman, having mysteriously disappeared after just three weeks on the job.
Of course, Cam, our first-person narrator, has a mysterious backstory of her own, including something she couldn't bring herself to tell the boyfriend who's just broken up with her because she's so unforthcoming. She rattles around in the big house that night, with nothing to eat except a packet of animal crackers she's brought with her--the wealthy owners apparently don't leave even stable staples like tea or sugar in their vast, empty kitchen when they leave for the season--before eventually finding her way to the much cozier and better-stocked guest house where her predecessor lived. It even has a fireplace, where as the story unfolds she lights more than one cheerful log fire. But not before seeing a murder take place on the property next door.
Or does she? The policeman who arrives after her frantic 911 call returns from interviewing the neighbors to tell her that she's just witnessed a couple of actors rehearsing a scene for their upcoming play at the local community theatre. At the crack of dawn, using their real names, and one of them isn't really an actor but the gruff personal assistant of the very wealthy woman who owns the estate and founded the theatre, but still, the cop smiles a little and suggests that our heroine call the non-emergency number next time, rather than tying up 911.
The reader will be asking lots of questions already, and one of the charms of the book is how deftly the author (actually, two authors writing under a joint pen name) makes us question characters' motives only to show them a scene or two later in such a warm, charming light that you'd have to be a horrible cynic to think any of them could possibly be the bad guy. But it's a mystery, so there has to be a bad guy. And there has to be a murder. . . .
I found myself turning the pages quickly, drawn in by the puzzle and the evocative descriptions of local places, people, and scenery, and enjoying some of the touches of the writing, which at times is unexpectedly good. A little too good for me to really believe that the first-person voice that's talking to me this way belongs to a hairdresser--but then, Cam is a hairdresser who has a habit of running away from things and who is working on a screenplay, so maybe she got a degree or most of a degree in English under her belt before taking off for beauticians' school. If that was the only thing I had to complain about, I might have happily given this book four stars, or even five. But it isn't even close to being the biggest problem in this book.
Bizarrely, the deftly written passages of scenic description and dialogue are blended from the start with others so blunt and baldly written they made me cringe. Cam is constantly telling us exactly what she feels, and what she feels ricochets back and forth between fear--accompanied by tingling skin on her arms, which she describes for us frequently and in detail--and non-fear, attraction--she never meets a man she doesn't find hot, hot, hot--and the reminder that she doesn't want to be attracted, she isn't ready, she just wants her old boyfriend back. (The Seattle foodie who dumped her when she was expecting a proposal.) It's the sort of thing one expects to find in a mediocre fanfic.
Worse (and more fanfic-y) still, Cam has a supernatural power--she freezes and then becomes invisible, even to herself, when she's frightened. I wasn't sure what to make of this at first. The rest of the book seemed so effectively written and so committed to realism that I thought maybe this was just the psychological fallout of her mysterious childhood trauma. I could imagine a terrified child believing that if she just doesn't move, other people won't be able to see her and she'll be safe. I could even imagine this taking over to the point where, even years later, she's so convinced of it she can't even see herself. And this is almost the explanation she finally gives us. But the "almost" is there for a reason: she doesn't just believe she can disappear, she really does do it.
I realize that some people like "paranormal" elements mixed into their genre fiction. I'm not one of them, so I would really, seriously have appreciated this getting mentioned in the blurb. But no. Instead, one of the other-author reviews tells us that Cam is suffering from "a real and unusual" problem. Unusual, yes. Real? Not in my world.
But even this isn't the worst thing about the book. That's the fact that the authors didn't bother to tie off ANY of the mysteries they raised. Oh, there's a dramatic conclusion that reveals one person as being capable of violence and possibly responsible for at least one death. But the more that scene unfolds, the clearer it seems that while they're undoubtedly connected to the killings, they're probably not the actual killer--or not the only one.
All designed to make us buy the next book, I guess. But that's not how good mystery series get written. Some might leave a tantalizing small question hanging, but the best ones tie everything off in each book and rely on our interest in the main characters and their world to make us want to keep reading the series. This could have been one of those best ones, if the writers had written their main character with the same finesse and commitment to realism they brought to the scenery and the other characters, and if they'd tied up the mystery in the usual way. Instead, it's one of the most frustrating books I've read in a long, long time.
Of course, Cam, our first-person narrator, has a mysterious backstory of her own, including something she couldn't bring herself to tell the boyfriend who's just broken up with her because she's so unforthcoming. She rattles around in the big house that night, with nothing to eat except a packet of animal crackers she's brought with her--the wealthy owners apparently don't leave even stable staples like tea or sugar in their vast, empty kitchen when they leave for the season--before eventually finding her way to the much cozier and better-stocked guest house where her predecessor lived. It even has a fireplace, where as the story unfolds she lights more than one cheerful log fire. But not before seeing a murder take place on the property next door.
Or does she? The policeman who arrives after her frantic 911 call returns from interviewing the neighbors to tell her that she's just witnessed a couple of actors rehearsing a scene for their upcoming play at the local community theatre. At the crack of dawn, using their real names, and one of them isn't really an actor but the gruff personal assistant of the very wealthy woman who owns the estate and founded the theatre, but still, the cop smiles a little and suggests that our heroine call the non-emergency number next time, rather than tying up 911.
The reader will be asking lots of questions already, and one of the charms of the book is how deftly the author (actually, two authors writing under a joint pen name) makes us question characters' motives only to show them a scene or two later in such a warm, charming light that you'd have to be a horrible cynic to think any of them could possibly be the bad guy. But it's a mystery, so there has to be a bad guy. And there has to be a murder. . . .
I found myself turning the pages quickly, drawn in by the puzzle and the evocative descriptions of local places, people, and scenery, and enjoying some of the touches of the writing, which at times is unexpectedly good. A little too good for me to really believe that the first-person voice that's talking to me this way belongs to a hairdresser--but then, Cam is a hairdresser who has a habit of running away from things and who is working on a screenplay, so maybe she got a degree or most of a degree in English under her belt before taking off for beauticians' school. If that was the only thing I had to complain about, I might have happily given this book four stars, or even five. But it isn't even close to being the biggest problem in this book.
Bizarrely, the deftly written passages of scenic description and dialogue are blended from the start with others so blunt and baldly written they made me cringe. Cam is constantly telling us exactly what she feels, and what she feels ricochets back and forth between fear--accompanied by tingling skin on her arms, which she describes for us frequently and in detail--and non-fear, attraction--she never meets a man she doesn't find hot, hot, hot--and the reminder that she doesn't want to be attracted, she isn't ready, she just wants her old boyfriend back. (The Seattle foodie who dumped her when she was expecting a proposal.) It's the sort of thing one expects to find in a mediocre fanfic.
Worse (and more fanfic-y) still, Cam has a supernatural power--she freezes and then becomes invisible, even to herself, when she's frightened. I wasn't sure what to make of this at first. The rest of the book seemed so effectively written and so committed to realism that I thought maybe this was just the psychological fallout of her mysterious childhood trauma. I could imagine a terrified child believing that if she just doesn't move, other people won't be able to see her and she'll be safe. I could even imagine this taking over to the point where, even years later, she's so convinced of it she can't even see herself. And this is almost the explanation she finally gives us. But the "almost" is there for a reason: she doesn't just believe she can disappear, she really does do it.
I realize that some people like "paranormal" elements mixed into their genre fiction. I'm not one of them, so I would really, seriously have appreciated this getting mentioned in the blurb. But no. Instead, one of the other-author reviews tells us that Cam is suffering from "a real and unusual" problem. Unusual, yes. Real? Not in my world.
But even this isn't the worst thing about the book. That's the fact that the authors didn't bother to tie off ANY of the mysteries they raised. Oh, there's a dramatic conclusion that reveals one person as being capable of violence and possibly responsible for at least one death. But the more that scene unfolds, the clearer it seems that while they're undoubtedly connected to the killings, they're probably not the actual killer--or not the only one.
All designed to make us buy the next book, I guess. But that's not how good mystery series get written. Some might leave a tantalizing small question hanging, but the best ones tie everything off in each book and rely on our interest in the main characters and their world to make us want to keep reading the series. This could have been one of those best ones, if the writers had written their main character with the same finesse and commitment to realism they brought to the scenery and the other characters, and if they'd tied up the mystery in the usual way. Instead, it's one of the most frustrating books I've read in a long, long time.
October 11, 2025
I picked this book up while on a trip to Orcas and loved feeling like I was back on the island while reading. The characters and setting were immersive and fun. I love a good cozy mystery and this delivered! I’m excited to read the rest of the series🍂🐈🍺🚤
December 19, 2016
This is a cozy, strange-things-afoot-in-a-small-town kind of murder mystery set in the San Juan islands of the Pacific Northwest. With an added character-driven paranormal element for the main character, Cam-- whenever she's frightened she literally "chameleons out" and disappears.
This can be awkward at times, as you might imagine. In fact, when we first meet her, she's escaping a failed relationship where her chameleon-ing messed things up by agreeing to suddenly take off for this small island and house sit a gazillion-dollar estate for a former hairdresser client.
I wanted to like this one more than i did. The biggest issue for me is that although all the hallmarks/trappings of a "curl up on a comfy chair on a rainy day and experience a small town with eccentric characters while solving a murder' were there, this read like the first 2/3's of that kind of book, with absolutely nada resolved at the end.
Except for the local police finally seeming to believe Cam that her neighbor shot someone, and that all the weird zuchinnis and notes and catfood being left on her doorstep is cause for alarm.
Cam, despite being heartbroken and wanting her ex to come hug her whenever things get spooky, views every single guy she meets with eyes that gauge attractiveness and constantly tells herself "no, you're heartbroken why are you even noticing, you just want to be friends." Even about the policeman.
So my biggest problem isn't really the characters, or the setting, or the mystery. All of those things are fun and engaging, its just that this doesn't actually follow the rules of a cozy mystery, and all of my questions and suspicions about the residents of Orcas Island (and there are many) are left completely unanswered. Until the next book. Which, despite my griping, I may have to go get just to find out what happens next to Cam, and who murdered the prior caretaker, and what exactly is going on?
This can be awkward at times, as you might imagine. In fact, when we first meet her, she's escaping a failed relationship where her chameleon-ing messed things up by agreeing to suddenly take off for this small island and house sit a gazillion-dollar estate for a former hairdresser client.
I wanted to like this one more than i did. The biggest issue for me is that although all the hallmarks/trappings of a "curl up on a comfy chair on a rainy day and experience a small town with eccentric characters while solving a murder' were there, this read like the first 2/3's of that kind of book, with absolutely nada resolved at the end.
Except for the local police finally seeming to believe Cam that her neighbor shot someone, and that all the weird zuchinnis and notes and catfood being left on her doorstep is cause for alarm.
Cam, despite being heartbroken and wanting her ex to come hug her whenever things get spooky, views every single guy she meets with eyes that gauge attractiveness and constantly tells herself "no, you're heartbroken why are you even noticing, you just want to be friends." Even about the policeman.
So my biggest problem isn't really the characters, or the setting, or the mystery. All of those things are fun and engaging, its just that this doesn't actually follow the rules of a cozy mystery, and all of my questions and suspicions about the residents of Orcas Island (and there are many) are left completely unanswered. Until the next book. Which, despite my griping, I may have to go get just to find out what happens next to Cam, and who murdered the prior caretaker, and what exactly is going on?
June 29, 2017
Five stars purely for capturing the ambience and quirkiness of Orcas Island. I'm not usually a mystery reader, but thoroughly enjoyed getting caught up in the story of Cam, a newcomer to the islands who finds herself embroiled in what appears to be a murder mystery or a missing persons case or maybe simply the case of an over-active imagination or... The authors (Laura Gayle is a nom de plume for this writing duo) set up a series of books in this first installment. You might like to know going in that not everything resolves neatly with the first title. I don't mind waiting. The writing does not try to be especially lyric or literary, but instead makes for a fun, light escape into an intriguing story set on Orcas Island, just like the title says.
July 30, 2023
I really enjoyed this light mystery series set on Orcas Island, my favorite place on the planet. It was easy reading and enjoyable to watch the growth and evolution of the very likable main character as she explored not only her new environment, lifestyle and locale, but also her own life, fears and gifts.
I read all five books in the last week, as I recover from hip surgery, and I’m left wanting more. It was particularly fun for me as I’m an Orcas Island-Resident-Wannabe and could visualize all the places described in the books.
Who know? Maybe before I die I’ll get to live there. I’ll probably need to be a “two-jobber”, or get a gig as a caretaker to afford it, but nothing is impossible.
I read all five books in the last week, as I recover from hip surgery, and I’m left wanting more. It was particularly fun for me as I’m an Orcas Island-Resident-Wannabe and could visualize all the places described in the books.
Who know? Maybe before I die I’ll get to live there. I’ll probably need to be a “two-jobber”, or get a gig as a caretaker to afford it, but nothing is impossible.
January 2, 2024
I visited Orcas Island over my spring break and found myself in an adorable bookstore. I managed to get signed copies of books 1-3 of this series. I am excited to read them all, I love the San Juan Islands and this first novel definitely captured the essence and atmosphere of Orcas perfectly. I did not find the novel boring or slow by any means. I read it in just a couple hours and it was a nice cozy mystery to read before bed. I read quite a bit now between work and school, so I think I just found it nice, but not more than that. I would have appreciated more character development and I think that would have aided the conflict and plot issues that I felt.
April 8, 2024
I was leery of reading this book because it looked like a mystery that someone wrote because they thought, 'oh, I know, I'll write a mystery novel.' I love Orcas Island, so that added to the charm, but it is really a great first book. Interesting plot and just weird stuff going on. And the main character is very complex so I know there is much to learn about her as the series continues. There are some standard boy/girl plot lines, but all in all, I found it worth reading and am looking forward to going back to Orcas and getting the rest of the series.
November 23, 2016
I felt like I could almost touch the scenery, great story telling and a great start to series.
You know that feeling that something wasn't just right with an area but couldn't put your finger on it, that's the underlying story of the book. Characters you'd want to met and a beautiful setting. Ready for the next book!
I did receive this book as a free download but I'll be buying the next.
You know that feeling that something wasn't just right with an area but couldn't put your finger on it, that's the underlying story of the book. Characters you'd want to met and a beautiful setting. Ready for the next book!
I did receive this book as a free download but I'll be buying the next.
April 14, 2025
What a cute little mystery. I adored picturing the little island I love as the backdrop to this story. I would have given more stars, but I am honestly torn and confused by the main character's actual "vanishing." I really thought it was a metaphor for how she was feeling, not some strange, unbelievable power she has.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 12, 2022
Loved this mystery novel - great plot, great character development, and just enough loose ends to take you into the next novel in this series.
Also, there is nothing like reading a book set on Orcas Island when one is there on vacation, driving down the same roads, and buying this book from the bookstore mentioned numerous times in the novel.
As the bookseller said, "great mind candy" for a vacation.
Also, there is nothing like reading a book set on Orcas Island when one is there on vacation, driving down the same roads, and buying this book from the bookstore mentioned numerous times in the novel.
As the bookseller said, "great mind candy" for a vacation.
August 21, 2023
Paranormal mystery set in a small town. I don’t think I would have found this story as charming if the setting wasn’t my home county. This must be how people from NYC feel. I’ll pick up the next book in the series the next time I’m at Darvilles (iykyk) :)
September 16, 2017
Loved this cozy mystery. I liked the main character and the setting. I want to go there. I can't wait for the next installment to find out what happened! Hurry up, Laura Gayle!
July 23, 2020
I like the cast of characters but I really dislike it when in a cozy, the murder story is not completely resolved in the same volume.
August 12, 2020
Good descriptions of the setting (Orcas) but annoying that the mystery is not resolved ...greatb marketing ploy - I read the next 2 books but it still wasn't wrapped up.
August 29, 2020
A must read for lifelong fans of Orcas!
July 8, 2021
*3.5
I enjoyed this book and happy I have the next 2 on my shelf. Perfect beach read with some fun characters.
I enjoyed this book and happy I have the next 2 on my shelf. Perfect beach read with some fun characters.
August 29, 2023
Fun to read because of all the local detail. The writing is good but the plot weak.
Recommended only for Orcas islanders.
Recommended only for Orcas islanders.
December 8, 2023
Fun, I loved the setting and the mystery can’t wait to read more about cams story.
January 16, 2024
My grandparents have lived on Orcas, so I grew up visiting the Island every winter and summer. This was such a nostalgic read for me. I cannot wait to read all the books in the series!
April 1, 2025
I finished this book when I really should have just dropped it. Not a fan of the prose and the plot was a little anti climactic and confusing.
August 22, 2025
A quick fun summer read. Book one in a series.
August 17, 2022
So much fun reading this mystery about orcas island after visiting there! Nice heroine-and she IS a heroine-and simple mystery w high points. I actually stayed up late reading which is why it took me two days.
February 7, 2017
I received this book in exchange for an honest review, and because I'm horrible at getting around to ebooks it has been waiting for over a month. However once I decided to start reading it this afternoon I couldn't stop til I finished it and now I'm sitting here annoyed that book 2 isn't already waiting as well. Orcas Intrigue does a remarkable job of describing the characters in a way that makes them immediately important to you as a reader, which is tricky. I loved how real and down to earth they all seemed, and found myself laughing hysterically at a scene where Camille is talked into a tasting of a flight of beers, epecially once the adorable sheriff makes an entrance. It's not a long book, and I do love books that manage to keep me occupied for days at a time, but I will settle for the fact that there will be more coming to the story of Camille Tate, and I cant wait!
April 16, 2017
Ever since the term "cozy" has penned in one genre of mystery novels, I have felt they have been constrained, maybe intimidated, by the constraints. But I like the way this book encapsulates the expectations, but gently breathes more life into the book that is perhaps not anticipated. There is intrigue and murder, but the characters are written with more character: they don't have to play second fiddle to the story. And island life is captured very well. This book is worth your consideration.
September 16, 2022
This book was recommended by Jenny at Darvil's bookstore on Orcas. The familiar surroundings, weather and island culture adds to the charm of this book. I do wish that the back story of Cam, the protagonist, was more fully developed but otherwise a good story.
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