Review: Ashes to Water by Irene Ziegler

Hardcover: 394 pages
Publisher: Five Star (June 16, 2010)
ISBN-10: 1594148600
Source: Author

Annie Bartlett returns to her small Florida hometown after her father is murdered. She demands to confront the woman acquitted of the crime, and is astonished to find that she looks remarkably like her mother, who has been dead since she was a young girl, a victim of suicide. It’s not difficult for Annie to remember what her mother looked like; she continues to see her nearly every day. Her mother has “haunted” her since her death, berating Annie’s father and discounting his love to her.

After meeting his father’s accused murderer, she’s suddenly drawn to fight for this woman’s acquittal. She begins to dig a little deeper she discovers that some pretty powerful people are involved, and these individuals want to keep their secrets buried.

I was happy to have “met” Irene on Twitter and I was instantly drawn to the premise of this book. She has developed some very complex characters; the reader learns a great deal about each of the major characters. The storyline was evenly paced, keeping my focus and interest throughout. Irene is definitely an author to keep on your radar, I see nothing but good things in her future. Highly recommended for fans of character-driven thrillers.