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Reviewed by Jon Michael Miller for Readers' Favorite
The Storm Within by Gill D. Anderson is a murder mystery set on a contemporary Mediterranean cruise ship, the Ocean Breeze. Like an Agatha Christie tale, a group of characters is in a closed setting so that when the killing occurs, we are trying to figure out the culprit from a limited list of those motivated to have done the dirty deed. The author explores in detail the psychological backgrounds of each character’s past. Some characters are dissected before the crime and some after, and it’s clear that the author is trained in the field. The first characters we meet are Jake, the handsome young cruise director; Claire, his girlfriend of the moment; Vincent, an embittered and vengeful assistant; and Tia, a sexy young hustler who comes on to older men whom she and her pimp Tony blackmail. And so the list of future suspects grows.
I marveled at Gill D. Anderson’s skill in managing the extensive character list and their interrelationships while at the same time weaving in the exciting cruise atmosphere, food, entertainment, and several stops along the way such as Florence and Rome. When the murder finally takes place and investigators arrive, I was aware of the various rivalries and haters among the cast who might be the culprit. Then, as we are trying to figure it out, the author reveals the psychological backgrounds of the cast that might have led to the victim’s demise and also to the killer’s motivation. These background profiles are detailed and fascinating, leading to one of the novel’s profound queries: “Do we ever know anyone?” as everyone has deep psychological issues that they keep hidden but which account for their outward behavior. The Storm Within will keep you on your toes figuring out the killer and their motive. All the elements of a superb mystery and psychological thriller come together in a book I couldn’t put down.
