It has been two years since the car crash that killed Brad Garrett, and in the shadow of this devastation, Kelley has returned to the last place they were truly happy together, Chincoteague Island. She wanders the beach during the cool November days and tries to avoid the searing telephone calls from her impatient mother. What did she do today? When is she going to snap out of it? When is she going to go back to work?

Into this chilly scene careens Heath Owen like a Saint Bernard puppy from a cartoon: big, smiling and enthusiastic. What's she doing? Does she like shells? I like you, can we be friends? When he bounces back after the second firm rebuff I thought, "Aha! Her mother arranged this! The old girl isn't so cold after all." But Mom turns out to be too uptight. Her anger escalates when Kelley starts waitressing at an island diner instead of immediately revving up her career as an advertising executive. At that point, I decided that Kelley's friend, Nina, was more likely to be responsible for Heath. He was just too insistent to keep up without a motive. It was about that time I thought things got a little weird and that Heath might even be just a fruitcake stalker.

I liked Sandswept because it kept me engaged from the beginning. I was constantly wondering what this person was thinking and why that person didn't do something else. If you have ever suffered from deep depression, you will be able to understand why Kelley loses track of time and doesn't want to see anybody. Why don't they just leave her alone? (Well, there'd be no story if they did that.) And I was so sure there was something fishy about Heath when he used that corny pickup line, "Local sunburn investigator, at your service." It's November. They're wearing sweaters. And guess what? You'll just have to read Sandswept to find out if I was right!