This book would have been much better if she would have concentrated on the original mystery, rather than trying to intertwine two plots. The axe murder was much more interesting than the soapopera theme involving uninteresting, unlikeable characters, most of whom I would have like to have seen go overboard. It seemed like I would just get interested in the mystery when she would throw in a paragragh back on the boat. This was frustrating and very confusing. I believe this writer is greatly over-rated.