The Inn at Ocean's Edge by Colleen Coble

A vacation to Sunset Cove was her way of celebrating and thanking her parents. After all, Claire Dellamore's childhood was like a fairytale. But with the help of Luke Elwell, Claire discovers that fairytale was really an elaborate lie . . .

The minute she steps inside the grand Inn at Ocean's Edge, Claire Dellamare knows something terrible happened there. She feels it in her bones. Her ensuing panic attack causes a scene, upsetting her parents. Claire attempts to quiet her nerves with a walk on the beach, to no avail. She's at too great a distance to make out details, but she believes she witnesses a murder on a nearby cliff. When local police find no evidence of foul play, they quickly write off the "nervous" woman's testimony as less than credible.
But Luke Elwell, home on leave from the Coast Guard, has reason to believe Claire. Years ago when his mother went missing, Luke's father suspected she'd been murdered. He died never having convinced the police to investigate. So when an employee of the grand hotel doesn't show up for work, Luke steps in to help Claire track down the missing woman.
As Claire and Luke put together the pieces of a decades-old mystery, they discover that some family secrets refuse to stay buried. And some passions are worth killing for.

 The Inn at Ocean's Edge by Colleen Coble was an intriguing novel that kept me enthralled as I tried to figure out the secret of Claire's past. The plot line of this novel was expertly woven with mystery, suspense, danger, and even a little romance. The mystery in this novel was fantastic as I was just as in the dark to what had happened as the main characters. The main characters, Claire and Luke, were interesting and fairly well developed. I thought they grew as characters as they began to unravel what had happened so many years before. Claire especially had much to deal with as she sought to understand who she was. There were several minor characters who turned out not to be so minor after all as more secrets were uncovered. The only two things I did not like as much about this novel were that the romance between Luke and Claire seemed very sudden and almost contrived, and I wish there had been a few more Christian elements, especially during Claire's personal struggles. There was some, but there easily could have been more without it being overwhelming. Overall, I enjoyed The Inn at Ocean's Edge, and I would highly recommend it to readers who enjoy a good mystery with a little romance thrown in.

I received this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.