San Lucci Island

Book excerpt: “Just like Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment, Dominic did the crime and the sacrifice of his only son was his punishment.” She beckons you with her sunny glow, embraces you in her mountainous folds, intoxicates you with her sensual perfumes, and ensnares you in her web... It’s too late. You can’t get away. Who is she? She is San Lucci Island. San Lucci Island is a small, sleepy island in the Atlantic with Mediterranean ambience and a population of about two thousand, a gossipy, close-knit community. Its inhabitants are a smorgasbord of people seeking refuge from the violent storms that life has dealt them. An ex-marine, one-time famous author, ex-talk show host, ex-musicians, faded actresses and drifters find San Lucci Island to be a haven in which to hide. Heather Andersen, an orphan raised by her grandparents, grew up on San Lucci. One day on her morning run, she discovers a dead woman’s body in the hills far from town.