In “Cover of Darkness,” an LDS romantic suspense, Megan Harmer and her friend, Fran Brown, are on vacation in Wales on the Isle of Anglesey, loving the beautiful scenery and the rich history of the land. As high school teachers, they are gathering information to take home to their students; as sight-seers, they are soaking in the enchantment of their surroundings. Only two other Americans are registered in their hotel, one a charming man named Richard Garrett; the other, a stiff, cold man named Joe Marks.
One day while off exploring the island, Megan overhears a conversation between two men, planning the delivery of armaments for the IRA from Scotland. Their plan is ruthless, their methods cruel, and Megan is nearly discovered in her hiding place. She sneaks out just in time, making her way back to the hotel, wondering if she really overheard what she thinks she overheard. It’s left her terrified, whatever is going on.
As she becomes more familiar with the area, she takes a fancy to a small island nearby that is home to a stone church dating back to 900 A.D. While touring the church one evening, she stumbles upon another clandestine meeting, and comes face to face with Joe Marks, who grabs her roughly and then plants a firm, uninvited kiss on her.
He explains himself pretty well, though – he’s an FBI agent who has come to thwart the delivery of some illegal arms being delivered to the IRA. Connecting the dots, Megan decides she can trust him, and she tells him what she overheard the day before. Joe is able to put some of the missing pieces into his puzzle. Finally clueing Fran in on all the events, she and Megan are able to use some of their special talents to help Joe, as Fran discovers that some of the sketches she has made are of the suspects in question.
The tension is high as Joe tries to not only stop the delivery, but to save Megan as the terrorists learn she knows more than she’s let on. In a massively daring escape maneuver, Megan manages to set fire to the boat where she is being held captive, enabling Joe to bring the suspects into custody.
You’ll be holding your breath in suspense one minute and exhaling with relief the next as you read this novel by Sian Ann Bessey, who uses her time living in Wales as a teenager to bring this story’s landscape to life. If I ever thought I wanted to go to Wales before, my desire has only been tripled since I finished this book last night.
(This book was published by Covenant Communications in 2002.)
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