Consummate Confidences

Consummate Confidences by Florence Dombey is the sixth book in The Willow Chronicle and a sweeping saga that examines crime, deception, and secrets in a seemingly idyllic town in 1957. The story follows Brittany Alistair Macey, who returns to her small hometown of Port Townsend after a daring escape to French Polynesia with Willow Benton, Carl Meyers’ daughter. While Bambi tries to rebuild her life with her infant daughter in her father’s vacant house, the town is shaken by the long-overdue return of Willow, who vanished from Honolulu months earlier. Meanwhile, a series of murders of young women in Port Townsend and Seattle threatens to unravel the town’s veneer of tranquility. As Carl Meyers, a former Baltimore cop tangled in Baltimore’s crime syndicate, and Mirabelle Rhodes support Bambi, they become entangled in a web of sexual intrigue and criminal activity linked to the Mafia’s Five Families. Bambi’s own explorations of her sexual identity, shaped by Polynesian culture, clash with the conservative societal norms of the era, deepening her personal conflicts. The narrative culminates in a suspenseful investigation that exposes the dark secrets lurking beneath the town’s idyllic surface, revealing how personal secrets can be deadly.

While this is a sixth entry into the series, it can be read as a standalone novel. Florence Dombey’s ingenious plotting shines through Consummate Confidences, and characterization is stellar. The characters are elaborately drawn, and their backstories are skillfully employed to build suspense and enrich the narrative. Bambi’s grit and authenticity, shaped by her Polynesian experiences and her daring escape, make her an intriguing character to follow. Carl Meyers, with his shadowy ties to organized crime, is another interesting character to follow. Mirabelle Rhodes provides a nuanced friendship in a world where chaos is shrouded in seemingly normal relationships. The setting of Port Townsend on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula offers an atmospheric backdrop—quaint yet fraught with tension—and the the contrast between the town’s peaceful veneer and the dangerous undercurrents of crime is deftly explored. The conflict between personal freedom and social constraints, compounded by the threats of murder and organized crime, creates a layered narrative that explores themes of trust, secrecy, and empowerment. The gorgeous prose is punctuated by exciting dialogues in this balanced and emotionally rich narrative.