When Nicholas Trench's granddaughter and heir to his fortune suddenly disappears from his seaside home on Topsail Island , North Carolina, he turns to his old friend Hallie Knight for help.

FROM AMAZON: For several years, time and circumstance have managed to separate Hallie Knight and her old friend Susan Trench. But when Susan disappears from her grandfather's seaside home on historic Topsail Island, it is Hallie whom Nicholas Trench calls for help. Wealthy, ill, and irascible, he refuses to believe that his beloved granddaughter and the heir to his fortune has been lost to him. He is certain that if anyone can find Susan, it will be her closest friend, the woman who knows her better than anyone else. When Hallie arrives from California, she finds the old man surrounded by an odd collection of friends and relatives, all of whom seem to know a little more than they're willing to tell about Susan Trench and her last days on Topsail. As the threads intertwine, Hallie must confront painful questions that build toward what may be a fearful answer. ( )

Like a lot of other authors who write romantic suspense, Whitney was very hit and miss. Most of the misses I've read are the ones she wrote in her later years, and this isn't an exception. The woman could still write well - her island setting came alive - but the plot was soft and sentimental, and the resolution was not a resolution at all. In fact it was completely unrealistic, unless the poor dead woman meant less than nothing to her family. ( )

Whitney was one of my “go-to” authors as a young teen. Loved the gothic feel of her stories with their blending of mystery and romance. Even so, I was stunned to discover that Whitney had written over 70 novels over the span of her long life, with 38 of those books being of the romance/suspense variety. Amethyst Dreams was the last book published before her death in 2008 at the age of 104.

The setting in this story is a good one – close-knit local community, suspicious relatives with secrets and a mysterious disappearance that no one but one person seems interested in seeing investigated. The characters are alright but the story lacks some of the building suspense that I enjoy in a good gothic mystery read. Parts of the story are a bit implausible, which tends to detract a bit from the enjoyment factor. The dialogue in the story manages to come across at times like an infomercial for Topsail Island (a true place located off the coast of North Carolina). The “reveal” at the end was one of those “Say what?” kind of low key endings that I tend to groan over but in view of the fact that this one was published when Whitney was 94 years old, I do have to give her props for pulling together a story that remains true to her writing roots at such a golden age.

Overall, probably a good read for those wishing to be a “completist” reader of Whitney’s works and an alright read if you are in the mood for a quick read. ( )

If my research is correct, this is the last book published by Phyllis A Whitney. Published in 1997, the Gothic Romance style of writing was long dead. This one could be placed in the romantic suspense genre, but the Gothic romance style is undeniable.
This book gets mixed reviews by those not accustomed to this style of book. I have to agree that this not the best book ever written by Phyllis Whitney, but it wasn't all that bad either.
Hallie's friend, Susan, diappeared two years ago. Now Susan's grandfather is dying of cancer and is deperate to find out what happened to his granddaughter. So, he asked Hallie to come to Topsail Island. He wants to remember Hallie in his will, which makes other family members nervous. He also wants to see if Hallie can try to find out what happened to Susan. Since Hallie had discovered, only days before, that her husband, Paul, had been having an affair, she feels like this trip would do her a lot of good. But, she isn't welcomed all that warmly once she arrives. She does make friends though and gradually she discovers old family secrets. Susan's grandfather and one of his friends and neighbors once loved the same woman. This affair destroyed one marriage and put a dark cloud over the other couple. Susan's grandfather, Nick, was controlling and refused to admit his failings and continues to try and control his family. Then there is the Nurse/housekeeper, Mrs. Orion and her son Corey. Corey was set to marry Susan before she disappeared.
The only little supernatural aspect of the novel involved some Amethyst stones. These stones were supposed to cause vivid dreams if you placed the stone by your bed. You could also gaze into the stone and see visions. This was more than a little far fetched, but the supernatural aspect played a really small role in the story. But the stones though held a big clue.
Hallie ends up getting to the bottom of Susan's disappearance, she makes life long friends, and finds the strength to face her marital situation. She and the other characters find their own versions of HEA and closure they needed to move forward with their lives. Over all a C ( )

A woman searches for the where abouts of a dear friend who has disappeared from her families home on the coast of North Carolina. ( )