Not every mystery begins with a crime. In After the Storm, Robert Groves introduces readers to Noah Kincaid, a former law enforcement officer. He returns to Greyhook Island after receiving word that it’s being permanently evacuated. The island has never been the same since a powerful storm passed through years earlier. Noah arrives and is surprised to find a woman in a faded green sweater calmly sweeping her porch like nothing ever changed. He continues down the street and talks with more residents he remembers from back then. However, he also notices strange inconsistencies surrounding that night of the storm. It forces him to take a closer look since he doesn’t remember it the same way. The more he learns, the more confused he gets. Noah begins to uncover a mystery that has lingered for far longer than he realized. What really happened that night?

The longer I read After the Storm by Robert Groves, the more intrigued I became. I wanted answers just as much as Noah did. The atmosphere is one of the book’s strongest qualities. The island seemed isolated, uneasy, and full of secrets. Sometimes the people who lived there appeared strangely detached from what happened. It made me wonder what exactly they went through. The slow way the clues were revealed had me hooked from beginning to end. I love solving puzzles, so this story was perfect for me. Several twists caught me by surprise, and the suspense kept me reading. The writing is clear and easy to read. Plus, since it’s a short novel, it moves along quickly. Anyone looking for a book that has mystery, small-town secrets, and interesting characters will want to pick this one up. It was thoughtful, surprising, and stayed on my mind after I finished the last page.

During an epic storm, law enforcement officer Noah Kincaid gave the order to evacuate Greyhook Island forever. Most people obeyed, yet a few stayed behind. Years later, Noah feels drawn back to the island, and he’s not surprised to see that the six people who stayed behind are still there, and so are some children. But there’s something not right about the people on the island, and Noah feels as if there’s something he’s forgotten that he needs to remember. He revisits the town hall and the school and tries to piece together what’s missing from his memory of that last night. What he discovers shocks him to the core and leaves him with more questions than answers. A request from one of the children changes his life forever. What really happened the night of the storm, and what’s going on on Greyhook Island today? Find out in Robert A. Groves’ After the Storm.

After the Storm is, thankfully, a novella. This is great news, as you cannot pick this story up and then put it down again before its shocking ending. From the beginning, the reader knows something isn’t right, and Robert A. Groves does an excellent job of keeping up the suspense until the reveal. Every character in the book isn’t as they appear to be, including Noah, and that’s the underlying theme of the story. You’ll understand what that really means when you’ve read it. After the Storm is a thriller that keeps the reader guessing all the way to the end. Clear an hour or so of your time, and prepare to be swept away.