BROOME ENIGMA by Meryl Tobin

Fiction, Mystery, Australia, 276 pages

4****

Blurb: On a working holiday in Australia’s cosmopolitan Outback town of Broome in 1986, Jodie, a young book designer is open to romance and adventure. At the holiday village where she is staying, she meets Joe, a young man who works there. Despite the strong attraction between them, the many unknowns about his earlier life keep them apart. To try to uncover his mysterious past, they travel to Perth and back to Broome and are drawn into not only bizarre but also dangerous situations. Is Joe the person Jodie thinks he is, or is he some alter ego? Can she stop their relationship from developing until she knows whether he is free to love her?

Thoughts: You could almost use this book as a tour guidebook for the town of Broome in Western Australia. The author takes us on a tour under the guise of the main character doing a series of pictures/paintings for an upcoming book. We tour Chinatown, Cable Beach, Roebuck Bay, learn about the pearling industry and the immense tidal changes. Which is all very interesting, but can get to be a bit much after a while. I was reading this for the mystery, not the tourist information. But the descriptions do put you right there. I will note, since it is set in Australia, be prepared for different terms than you may be used to. They add to the flavor of the story.

As for the mystery, it’s a decent one – or more. Just when you think you’ve solved everything, another one pops up and you keep on reading. But it does finally give you a satisfying ending. 

Recommendation: Recommended

Disclaimer: Disclosure of Material: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”