Journey to Death

Lucy Hall, the 22-year-old heroine of this unsuspenseful series launch from British author Russell (Race to Death), travels to the Seychelles with her parents, hoping the vacation will help quell the pain of a traumatic breakup. Soon after arriving, she gets the sense that someone is stalking her, and she nearly drowns when she’s pulled under the water in the ocean. When her mother disappears, Lucy, frustrated by law enforcement’s apathy, attempts to find her on her own, discovering a menace 30 years in the making, with her father at the center. Readers should be prepared for stereotypes, including a loud and obnoxious family from Texas. Lucy herself is insipid and meek, allowing everyone around her, mostly men, to convince her that she shouldn’t trust her own eyes, perpetuating another stereotype, the hysterical woman. The descriptions of lush island beauty are the only highlight of this lackluster effort. [em]Agent: Annette Crossland, A Is for Authors (U.K.). (Feb.) [/em]