Famed photographer Alix Whittaker has more than enough problems to contend with. A head injury has her hallucinating, and she also has a leg fracture, then her ex-husband finds himself a new fiancée, and she gets a job with an archaeological dig that can only be describe as third-rate. As if this wasn’t enough, her situation is suddenly complicated by murder and a new suitor’s constant attention. But it doesn’t end here – the unexpected appearance of a real ghost opens up a whole lot of problems she had never imagined. Echoes In The Dark is a fascinating romantic/suspense written in first person. Janis Susan May is a wonderful storyteller. Making full use of her travelled background and her interest in Egyptology, Ms. May has created a multi-faceted story with a full cast of unusual characters. The story takes place on an archaeological dig in Arkansas, where the cast is lodged in an ancient, run-down hotel. Ms. May interspersed fabulous descriptions of the hotel in its past glory as a vacation spot for the rich and famous, with its now “seen better days” condition. It was like watching an old Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movie when the author depicted the grand ballroom as it might have looked complete with ghostly dancers floating across the dance floor. Ms. May has crafted a hero and heroine so cannily that the reader is kept guessing as to whether they will end up together or not. In fact, sometimes you cannot be sure who of two male characters will end up being the hero. But I most definitely pulled for serious, scholarly, seemingly “absent-minded-professor” Zach. What an unorthodox hero he is; slender, not muscle-bound, and wearing glasses. But, he has the heart of a hero, he’s vulnerable, and he wears cowboy boots—what can be better!? The heroine, Alix, is everything a modern heroine should be; independent, brave, career-focused, and wanting love even while pretending she doesn’t need it. Her bravery is tempered by the fact that only she knows how her insides quake with fear. Her claustrophobic fears of the caverns beneath the hotel are clearly visible in the emotions expressed in Ms. May’s writing. The ending is so cleverly done I held my breath until I reached the last page. Colorful phrases such as: “on my left the rock still soared upward in gnarled flight; my path, narrow and rough though it was, clung to it like a wrinkle,” “the professor dissolved into a gooey blob of fear,” or “I’d turn your hand over and kiss that small bit of bare skin on your wrist where you deliberately didn’t fasten all the buttons because you knew how much I liked to touch you with my lips” caught my attention throughout the book. I did have some trouble reading the story without going into “critique mode,” as I was sent a “word tracker” copy. Even when I cleared the mark-ups, I found distracting spelling and grammar mistakes, a heavy dependence on adverbs (ly), and passive voice which I couldn’t be sure would be edited out before release of the book. Also, Ms. May’s use of unusual words (atavistically, peregrinations, aqueous, etc) slowed down the pace of the story. Over all, though, Echoes In The Dark is a good book that any romantic/suspense buff will enjoy reading. Congratulations to author Janis Susan May