Still Summer

From Booklist Family tragedies are Mitchard's stock-in-trade, and here she adds a suspenseful twist. Friends since childhood, Tracy, Holly, and Olivia charter a private yacht for some girl-time R & R, bringing along Tracy's 19-year-old daughter, Cammie. Manning the vessel are two Virgin Island residents: Lenny, the captain, and Michel, his mate. Just as some mounting mother-daughter tension between Tracy and Cammie begins to dissipate amid the tropical setting, Cammie and Michel commence a flirtation that seems at first innocent but progresses too quickly for Tracy. The youngsters' courtship becomes secondary, however, as bad weather separates the women and the boat from the crew, and Tracy takes the lead by default. Diminishing food supply, piqued anxiety, and increasing desperation conspire to undo the group, revealing one of them to be vindictive and conniving--and possibly vicious when survival is at stake. Though not nearly on par with Mitchard's Oprah title, The Deep End of the Ocean (1996), fans will enjoy this mix of seafaring adventure and romantic suspense. Mary Frances Wilkens Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved