“Between the Sound and Sea” by Amanda Cox

How does one deal with crushing regret and unresolved grief? How do broken families heal? And what is required for personal fears to be overcome?

These and other questions thread their way through Amanda Cox’s Between the Sound and Sea (Revel, 2024), a narrative of mystery and romance. The story centers around Josephina Harris, who goes by the nickname Joey. Her event-planning business in small-town Tennessee fails because of rumors and suspicions surrounding her family. Being dumped by her boyfriend further contributes to her willingness to consider an outrageous possibility, namely applying for a job overseeing the restoration of a lighthouse on a remote North Carolina island. When the other top candidate turns down the position, the job becomes Joey’s by default, much to the dismay of Finn O’Hare, who expected Joey to be a male applicant and doubts the sanity of his grandfather’s lighthouse scheme.

Thus begins a rare adventure on the Outer Banks. Joey encounters legends and ghost stories surrounding Bleakpoint Island and its lighthouse. She finds descriptions of daring rescues tucked into the lighthouse walls. Why were they hidden and who wrote them? She endures vandalism and theft by a hooded perpetrator. What does he want?

As Joey navigates the increasingly convoluted progress of the restoration project, she becomes close to Finn’s grandfather, Walt, who recently bought the island and instigated the project. He seems equally eager to return the lighthouse and keeper‘s cottage to their former state and reluctant to spend time on the island. Why?

Joey gradually learns the histories of Finn and Walt, two men consumed by past traumas. She ultimately unravels secrets that have the potential to heal not only Finn and Walt but herself and her own broken family. Joey finds it easier to solve others’ problems than her own, however, and struggles to find her way.

Written in a conversational tone, the narrative flows with the same sense of inevitability as the tides. Cox makes use of delightful expressions, such as someone described as “acting like the north end of a southbound donkey.” She also makes artful use of dialogue to expose the humorous confusion it can generate when words are misunderstood.

One such misunderstanding involves a moment of excruciating awkwardness when Joey suggests that Finn move into her rental home when he’s looking for a place to stay. Her misconstrued meaning is not at all what her words suggest.

Then there’s the comedic bit about the nail gun….

Cox repeatedly reveals her sense of humor, as well as her belief in redemption. Combined with apt descriptions of a barrier island, some intriguing World War II history, relatable characters, and the intrigue of mystery and flirtation, the result is an engaging page turner.

Amanda Cox

Prior to the publication of Between the Sound and Sea, Amanda Cox established herself as the award-winning author of The Edge of Belonging, The Secret Keepers of the Old Depot Grocery, and He Should Have Told the Bees. With a bachelor’s degree in Bible and theology and a master’s in professional counseling, her academic studies and interactions with clients have contributed to her ability to create multidimensional characters readers connect with. She lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee, with her husband and three children.