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Dearly Beloved
Three very different women--Sandy Cavelli, Liza Danning, and Jennie Towne--with different motives and goals journey to a windswept island resort, unaware that a chillingly familiar man, consumed by his thirst for revenge, is waiting for them. Reprint.
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
46 people are currently reading
478 people want to read
About the author
Wendy Corsi Staub
82 books1,901 followersNew York Times bestseller Wendy Corsi Staub is the award-winning author of more than ninety novels, best known for the single title psychological suspense novels she writes under her own name. Those books and the women’s fiction written under the pseudonym Wendy Markham have also appeared on the USA Today, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Bookscan bestseller lists.
Her current standalone suspense novel, THE OTHER FAMILY, is about a picture-perfect family that that moves into a picture-perfect house. But not everything is as it seems, and the page-turner concludes “with a wallop of a twist,” according to #1 New York Times bestselling author Harlan Coben.
Her critically acclaimed Lily Dale traditional mystery series centers around a widowed single mom—and skeptic—who moves to a town populated by spiritualists who talk to the dead. Titles include NINE LIVES; SOMETHING BURIED, SOMETHING BLUE; DEAD OF WINTER; and PROSE AND CONS, with a fifth book under contract.
Wendy has written five suspense trilogies for HarperCollins/William Morrow. The most recent, The Foundlings (LITTLE GIRL LOST, DEAD SILENCE, and THE BUTCHER’S DAUGHTER), spans fifty years in the life of a woman left as a newborn in a Harlem church, now an investigative genealogist helping others uncover their biological roots while still searching for her own.
Written as Wendy Markham, Wendy’s novel HELLO, IT’S ME was a recent Hallmark television movie starring Kellie Martin. Her short story “Cat Got Your Tongue” appeared in R.L. Stine’s MWA middle grade anthology SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN and her short story “The Elephant in the Room” is included in the Anthony Award-nominated inaugural anthology SHATTERING GLASS.
A three-time finalist for the Simon and Schuster Mary Higgins Clark Award, she’s won an RWA Rita Award, an RT Award for Career Achievement in Suspense, the 2007 RWA-NYC Golden Apple Award for Lifetime Achievement, and five WLA Washington Irving Prizes for Fiction.
She previously published a dozen adult suspense novels with Kensington Books and the critically-acclaimed young adult paranormal series “Lily Dale” (Walker/Bloomsbury). Earlier in her career, she published a broad range of genres under her own name and pseudonyms, and was a co-author/ghostwriter for several celebrities.
Raised in Dunkirk, NY, Wendy graduated from SUNY Fredonia and launched a publishing career in New York City. She was Associate Editor at Silhouette Books before selling her first novel in 1992. Married with two sons, she lives in the NYC suburbs. An active supporter of the American Cancer Society, she was a featured speaker at Northern Westchester’s 2015 Relay for Life and 2012 National Spokesperson for the Sandy Rollman Ovarian Cancer Foundation. She has fostered for various animal rescue organizations.
Her current standalone suspense novel, THE OTHER FAMILY, is about a picture-perfect family that that moves into a picture-perfect house. But not everything is as it seems, and the page-turner concludes “with a wallop of a twist,” according to #1 New York Times bestselling author Harlan Coben.
Her critically acclaimed Lily Dale traditional mystery series centers around a widowed single mom—and skeptic—who moves to a town populated by spiritualists who talk to the dead. Titles include NINE LIVES; SOMETHING BURIED, SOMETHING BLUE; DEAD OF WINTER; and PROSE AND CONS, with a fifth book under contract.
Wendy has written five suspense trilogies for HarperCollins/William Morrow. The most recent, The Foundlings (LITTLE GIRL LOST, DEAD SILENCE, and THE BUTCHER’S DAUGHTER), spans fifty years in the life of a woman left as a newborn in a Harlem church, now an investigative genealogist helping others uncover their biological roots while still searching for her own.
Written as Wendy Markham, Wendy’s novel HELLO, IT’S ME was a recent Hallmark television movie starring Kellie Martin. Her short story “Cat Got Your Tongue” appeared in R.L. Stine’s MWA middle grade anthology SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN and her short story “The Elephant in the Room” is included in the Anthony Award-nominated inaugural anthology SHATTERING GLASS.
A three-time finalist for the Simon and Schuster Mary Higgins Clark Award, she’s won an RWA Rita Award, an RT Award for Career Achievement in Suspense, the 2007 RWA-NYC Golden Apple Award for Lifetime Achievement, and five WLA Washington Irving Prizes for Fiction.
She previously published a dozen adult suspense novels with Kensington Books and the critically-acclaimed young adult paranormal series “Lily Dale” (Walker/Bloomsbury). Earlier in her career, she published a broad range of genres under her own name and pseudonyms, and was a co-author/ghostwriter for several celebrities.
Raised in Dunkirk, NY, Wendy graduated from SUNY Fredonia and launched a publishing career in New York City. She was Associate Editor at Silhouette Books before selling her first novel in 1992. Married with two sons, she lives in the NYC suburbs. An active supporter of the American Cancer Society, she was a featured speaker at Northern Westchester’s 2015 Relay for Life and 2012 National Spokesperson for the Sandy Rollman Ovarian Cancer Foundation. She has fostered for various animal rescue organizations.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
March 4, 2017
Spoilers! But seriously, you don't want to read this book.
Stop me if you've heard this one: a fatty, a gold-digging bitch and a normal woman walk into an inn... The first two die, because of course they don't deserve to live (being fat and gold digging, respectively), but the third, who is only there because she switched places with her slutty twin, gets saved in the end. Oh, and the gay man is obviously the needy pawn of the rich psychopath. What the hell did I just read? Seriously, I kept reading only because I couldn't believe the path the story was taking, and thought somehow something else was going to happen. nope.
Don't read this author again, ever. is there such a filter or button, Goodreads?
Stop me if you've heard this one: a fatty, a gold-digging bitch and a normal woman walk into an inn... The first two die, because of course they don't deserve to live (being fat and gold digging, respectively), but the third, who is only there because she switched places with her slutty twin, gets saved in the end. Oh, and the gay man is obviously the needy pawn of the rich psychopath. What the hell did I just read? Seriously, I kept reading only because I couldn't believe the path the story was taking, and thought somehow something else was going to happen. nope.
Don't read this author again, ever. is there such a filter or button, Goodreads?
April 23, 2019
Although I am not a fan of books that constantly jump from one character to another throughout the book this one has just enough suspense to keep you turning pages.
May 23, 2008
This book is a guilty pleasure. It was slightly cheesy, not at all scary, but fun to read.
November 8, 2011
gruesome and vulgar. Needed to have been proofread better also.
August 27, 2013
I would rate higher if I didn't know the ending before halfway of reading it. It was very predictable.
September 29, 2017
Couldn't put it down! I've added her to the list of my favourite authors!
December 12, 2017
Very suspenseful. Couldn't put it down!
August 17, 2022
Could not believe that three grown women could be that stupid and naive Maybe Sandy, but not Jennie and especially not Liza. Liza had dollar signs in her eyes. Jennie's paranoia should have stopped her. And Sandy never thought to check this guy out before she went off to an island to meet him??! Guess the wedding bells she was hearing drowned out any reasoning. Also, didn't understand why Jennie and Liza thought the ferry would be running in the middle of a nor'easter. They were from Boston and New York. They should know what a nor'easter is. I'm from the south and knew the ferry wasn't running. And when Jennie goes to the dock and sees the sign that ferry service is cancelled, why didn't she just break the window and go into the terminal and get out of the weather instead of going back to the Inn where she thought she was in danger. These women were not the sharpest knives in the drawer.
February 5, 2025
The setting, the characters, the frustration, the panic...it was all so good. The way the characters' vulnerabilities were used against them was something that was intriguing and also frightening...because we all have vulnerabilities. There was never a slow moment in this book, there was constantly something happening to keep you hooked. I couldn't put it down. My only reason for not giving it 5 stars is a weird intimate relationship between mother and son that I definitely don't think had any point. It wasn't super graphic, but disturbing enough to make me feel like it actually took away from my interest in the story, instead of keeping it fully drawn into it. Aside from that, it was such a good read.
February 13, 2020
This is a real thriller. Couldn't put it down. Stephen is a man looking for revenge on three women who rebuffed him in the past. He owns a family home on Tide Island and has invited each of these women under different pretenses to the island during a raging nor easter, then sets up an elaborate scheme to murder each of them with the assist of a friend. The story moves from one terror to another with the girls all staying in a small inn but slowly disappearing along with their only hope for rescue, the local cops. The island is mostly vacant during this winter month....where will they find help? How will they get off the island since the ferry has closed for the storm?
November 5, 2019
I bought this book years ago and for some reason just got around to reading it. Interesting story that made me want to keep reading. Scary and intense at times with just enough mystery thrown in to make you want to figure out what exactly was going on.
October 2, 2023
What a wild ride!! So many emotions, heartbreaking, revelations, worries, etc. This book had it all! In the end, I felt sorry for Jasper, he was hoping for his happily ever after, but was betrayed. Dearly Beloved...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 4, 2017
Another quick read. Less suspenseful than the last book I read by this author so it was not as engaging. But it was fine.
June 7, 2020
3.5 stars
June 19, 2022
Psychological Thriller Mystery
This was an enjoyable book. Interesting plot. Lots of details about the characters past and bloody details. I'll be adding this author to my list.
This was an enjoyable book. Interesting plot. Lots of details about the characters past and bloody details. I'll be adding this author to my list.
January 2, 2023
I read this a long time ago, but I remember really enjoying it.
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April 5, 20233.5
March 8, 2024
I can’t believe I saw this one through. It was like a raunchy B movie horror flick. I should have heeded the reviews that said, “You really don’t want to read this!” 🤦🏻♀️
July 9, 2024
Three women are lured to an inn in New England under false pretenses…
June 11, 2025
In dire need of editing- lots of inconsistencies. And are women really that stupid?
August 21, 2025
*1.5 hmmmmm
February 8, 2017
Sandy Cavelli receives a response to a personal ad she has placed. She is to meet her own Mr. Right on the remote Tide Island. All of the arrangements have been made for her, including transportation and a weekend stay at the quaint Bramble Rose Inn on the island.
Publisher, Liza Danning receives an invitation to meet with a world renowned author who is presently known to be seeking a new publishing house. Liza also receives travel arrangements and a weekend stay at the Bramble Rose Inn on Tide Island.
Jennie Towne’s circumstances are quite different. She too has received travel arrangements to Tide Island and a weekend stay at the Bramble Rose Inn. Unlike the other women, Jennie was not summoned to meet someone; but rather, her identical twin sister, Laura, won the mini-vacation in a raffle and has convinced her sister to take her place on the island for a bit of R & R.
Jennie feels uneasy about her weekend from the moment she checks into her room. Liza begins to feel that she is on the island as payback for one of the many men she has used to her advantage over her lifetime. Sandy is too excited to think this is anything but a perfect opportunity for her to meet Mr. Right and live happily ever after.
When a winter storm hits the island cutting off all service to the Mainland, all but Sandy begins to panic. When Sandy suddenly vanishes and the quirky hotel manager tells the remaining women that she took the last ferry to the mainland they begin to believe that something dark is overtaking them.
Can these strangers figure out the truth of their being brought to this out of the way island in the middle of winter before anyone else disappears, or are each about to bid farewell to life?
What an imagination the author has, truly dark, yet fascinating.
Publisher, Liza Danning receives an invitation to meet with a world renowned author who is presently known to be seeking a new publishing house. Liza also receives travel arrangements and a weekend stay at the Bramble Rose Inn on Tide Island.
Jennie Towne’s circumstances are quite different. She too has received travel arrangements to Tide Island and a weekend stay at the Bramble Rose Inn. Unlike the other women, Jennie was not summoned to meet someone; but rather, her identical twin sister, Laura, won the mini-vacation in a raffle and has convinced her sister to take her place on the island for a bit of R & R.
Jennie feels uneasy about her weekend from the moment she checks into her room. Liza begins to feel that she is on the island as payback for one of the many men she has used to her advantage over her lifetime. Sandy is too excited to think this is anything but a perfect opportunity for her to meet Mr. Right and live happily ever after.
When a winter storm hits the island cutting off all service to the Mainland, all but Sandy begins to panic. When Sandy suddenly vanishes and the quirky hotel manager tells the remaining women that she took the last ferry to the mainland they begin to believe that something dark is overtaking them.
Can these strangers figure out the truth of their being brought to this out of the way island in the middle of winter before anyone else disappears, or are each about to bid farewell to life?
What an imagination the author has, truly dark, yet fascinating.
December 7, 2012
Creepy story which left me feeling icky. The guy in this book was really twisted and the setting felt foreboding, even though the Inn was described as a cross between Old New England and Laura Ashley.
I finished it but can't say I'll run out to read another one. Just not my cup of tea. Same reason why I never picked up another Erica Spindler.
This being said, I had to say that I found that the author really piled the ick factor on the one character to unbelievable proportions. It wasn't bad enough that he was crazy, but the author also added inthat he was facially deformed and therefore pushed away by his parents and also sexually abused by his mother at a young age. I bit of overkill.
I also found that all 3 of the women were on the TSTL side - all 3 go to a deserted off-season Inn for a mysterious getaway, meeting with a blind date and spa-type mini-break - take your pick. And each of their intuition kicked in and they realized something wasn't right, yet they all stayed. I guess the author had to get the women there or there wouldn't be a story, but I think it could have been done in a less stupid way.
So, while the story kept me turning the pages, it was just too weird for my tastes. I'll stick to this author's Lily Dale series instead. Call me a wimp.
I finished it but can't say I'll run out to read another one. Just not my cup of tea. Same reason why I never picked up another Erica Spindler.
This being said, I had to say that I found that the author really piled the ick factor on the one character to unbelievable proportions. It wasn't bad enough that he was crazy, but the author also added in
I also found that all 3 of the women were on the TSTL side - all 3 go to a deserted off-season Inn for a mysterious getaway, meeting with a blind date and spa-type mini-break - take your pick. And each of their intuition kicked in and they realized something wasn't right, yet they all stayed. I guess the author had to get the women there or there wouldn't be a story, but I think it could have been done in a less stupid way.
So, while the story kept me turning the pages, it was just too weird for my tastes. I'll stick to this author's Lily Dale series instead. Call me a wimp.
May 22, 2008
5-16-08 Just started this book tonight & the short review I read (before starting the book) said it was creepy & suspenseful & all those good adjectives a reader wants when they are reading a mystery novel.
I just read the first 60 pages & in the back of my mind I kept chanting "When is it going to get good? When is it going to get good? When is the action going to start?" And, if finally has.
I got officially creeped out when I read, "Two floors above the parlor, on the top floor of the inn, in an ancient upholstered rocking chair, he sits and rocks and waits."
CREEPY. All I could think of was the movie "Psycho". Now comes the fun stuff...
5-21-08 Finished the book tonight. It was alright. Started off good, got sort of lame, but kept me turning the pages because I so wanted to see how all that ridiculous drama could be wrapped up at the end of the book.
So it was lame & good at the same time. Redunkulous is a good word to sum it up. ;)
I just read the first 60 pages & in the back of my mind I kept chanting "When is it going to get good? When is it going to get good? When is the action going to start?" And, if finally has.
I got officially creeped out when I read, "Two floors above the parlor, on the top floor of the inn, in an ancient upholstered rocking chair, he sits and rocks and waits."
CREEPY. All I could think of was the movie "Psycho". Now comes the fun stuff...
5-21-08 Finished the book tonight. It was alright. Started off good, got sort of lame, but kept me turning the pages because I so wanted to see how all that ridiculous drama could be wrapped up at the end of the book.
So it was lame & good at the same time. Redunkulous is a good word to sum it up. ;)
March 25, 2011
Good mystery book. Dark, suspenseful and sinister. Set on an Island off of Rhode Island during a horrible winter snow storm, Staub does an awesome job creating the atmosphere and making you feel the isolation of the characters. It made the fear more real. All the characters and their backgrounds were so different it made nice melting pot of personalities. I read the Young Adult Lily Dale series by her and liked them so I thought I would giver her adult books a try. What a completely different type of book but in a good way. I would have never guessed she wrote the Lily Dale series after reading this. I get that Young Ddult is a completely different style of writing but she does a great job doing both and keeping them so different. I will definatley read more.
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May 10, 2012This book made me feel iffy all over. There were some chapters where I just couldn't put it down, but there were others that made me think: "Oh, Oh GODS! Why am I READING THIS!" One thing I really enjoyed about it was that the characters were very realistic in the sense that you feel you like some characteristics of them, but not all. I don't think I really, honestly liked a character in this book as a whole. But there were times that I would really like each of them. In fact, I even had moments in the book where I actually like the antagonist of the novel. (And then he went back to being the antagonist.) Well, not exactly like as much as pitied. Anyways, If you can stand a little cheesy-ness in the way Staub words things, its a very entertaining read.
October 12, 2010
I found this book tedious and boring as hell. I kept thinking "get to the point already". I must admit that I didn't finish this one as I just couldn't get into it. I gave it 100 pages and quit. I just didn't care one way or the other what happened to them.
The three women in this trap are irritating as hell. They are so desperate for a man that they fall right into his trap without suspecting a thing. I hate it when you can't identify with or relate to any of the characters. It makes it very hard to care what's going to happen to them.
The three women in this trap are irritating as hell. They are so desperate for a man that they fall right into his trap without suspecting a thing. I hate it when you can't identify with or relate to any of the characters. It makes it very hard to care what's going to happen to them.
June 30, 2013
If you like Mary Higgins Clark, you will love Wendy Corsi Staub.
Three ladies have been invited by a mysterious stranger to visit Tide Island. Sandy is looking for her Mr. Right. She puts personals in the newspaper and has attracted a weathly, elegant doctor who has invited her to the island. Liza, a New York City publisher, has been invited by a reclusive author and this could be her big break. Laura, has won a free trip from a raffle and wants to spend the weekend relaxing. While at the island, the ladies find out that things aren't always as they seem.
Three ladies have been invited by a mysterious stranger to visit Tide Island. Sandy is looking for her Mr. Right. She puts personals in the newspaper and has attracted a weathly, elegant doctor who has invited her to the island. Liza, a New York City publisher, has been invited by a reclusive author and this could be her big break. Laura, has won a free trip from a raffle and wants to spend the weekend relaxing. While at the island, the ladies find out that things aren't always as they seem.
March 31, 2014
It takes awhile for the story to get going. Three ladies are going ALONE to some creepy Inn where the only mode of transportation off the island is a ferry. If this doesn't scream you will likely be killed, then it's not a Wendy Corsi Staub book. One of the girls is going to meet a man who applied to her personal ad, without first talking to him or even meeting him. Does she not watch Dateline? The killer is extremely creepy and delusional. I enjoyed the book but it wasn't my favorite.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews