Life in the low country fairly smokes off the pages of this one. Descriptions of the island and ocean, creeks and swamps are rich and detailed and speak of a very deep love for these endangered places. It made me want to go there and experience it myself.

However, this novel wasn’t perfect. Sure, it was full of the usual Siddons vocabulary – bone-deep, blood-warm, skinned, winesap, V-shaped kitten smile and days that flowed on. It had boats, love for community and the outdoors, great meals and even greater friends. Unfortunately I didn’t really buy it. Early on in the novel she creates an atmosphere of closeness and intimacy that I didn’t believe. Fantasy all of it. The nearly wordless communication between the older friends. The complete comfort in sharing and living in each other’s pockets. The benevolent acceptance of the newcomer. It was all too much to take. Siddons’s ability to stifle you in this fusty love-in is remarkable though. It was about as believable as the still drinkable, months old, open bottle of merlot she threw in at the beginning. Not.

Oh and Siddons’s perception of motorcyclists is laughable and antiquated no matter how enlightened she wanted to be. The same old macho stereotypes of men and the outlandish, headstrong women. Can’t anyone be normal and ride a bike? Can’t anyone ride anything except a Harley? Can’t anyone ride and not have tattoos or a huge beard or wear chaps? Oy vey. I guess when real motorcyclists start writing books, then we’ll have reality for a change.

The story itself follows a common theme Siddons employs – the viper in the midst. Someone in this fantastically wonderful group of bosom buddies is not what they seem. There will be shenanigans and betrayal, but from whom? I was so caught up in the group dynamic that I almost missed it. Almost. My love of thrillers saved me from looking the fool. Anny isn't as strong or clearly defined as some of the other central heroines of novels past (Smokey and Kate come to mind) and neither is the villain (Georgina anyone?) and I missed that sharpness of character

I did wish that she would stop killing people off though. Every few chapters someone dies and it got to be a real downer by the third one. It felt like a cheap device used just to keep my emotions engaged and my sensibilities off balance. As if she knew the mild and nearly-enviable calm of the everyday lives of the characters weren’t enough to keep people from putting it aside in favor of more exciting books. It seemed as if she were putting off her inevitable conclusion and stringing me along in a way that didn’t add suspense. Sure people were dying, but the lack of suspicious circumstances eked away a lot of the import those deaths could have had. Since there was no framework of suspicion and doubt, no focal suspect, no chain of events to follow the impact of, the ending was substantially diminished and seemed out of place; tacked on. A kinder, gentler “thriller” for those who need emotion, but no blood. ( )

Anne Rivers Siddons' Islands is set in the Carolina Low Country.

It's the story of a group of life-long friends who share a beach house and become closer to each other than they are to their families. The narrator of this seemingly idlyllic tale is Anny, who, at age thirty-five, marries Lewis, and becomes enfolded into the group. There is, however, a serpent in their Eden, and what begins as a lovely reminiscence of times past turns into a suspense story.

As usual, Siddons characterizations are strong, and, with the addition of the suspense element, her plot moves along nicely. However, she's a bit more impressed with the glories of the Low Country than I am. I find her constant repetitions of local color to be a bit tedious and intrusive. ( )

Fast read with a surprise ending. ( )

It is rare to find a book that you can't put down and then decide to because you get so engrosed in it that you don't want it to end. This one had that effect on me. The author's talent in character development left me not wanting to say good bye to these people. Superb! ( )

This was a smooth, easy read. It had enough twists and turns to keep me interested but wasn't sappy or "chick-lit" material. Siddons does a great job capturing southern living, especially island living in South Carolina. The language was rich enough for me to taste the she-crab soup and smell the salty beaches. ( )