Dearest Max is an intriguing book that just misses the mark. Some of its elements seem fresh and creative, especially at first. Unfortunately, The book takes a rather dark turn about half-way through. It acquires a somber tone that permeates every aspect of the story, and the nastiness gets to be a bit too much by the end.

Veronica Strake grew up in the same household as her distant cousin Max, but the lies of another family member caused Max to be banished from the home. Max makes a life for himself in business and the military while he continues to write to Veronica, and for twelve years he pictures her as the little girl he grew up with. When Veronica’s father dies, Max finally comes home, and he quickly realizes that Veronica is no longer a little girl. For her part, Veronica has always been a little in love with Max, so when she finally sees him again she finds it easy to fall completely in love.

Unfortunately, Max and Veronica share their home with a plethora of scheming relatives. They all come for the reading of Veronica’s father’s will, and they have plans to stay indefinitely. While they are dealing with the nasty relatives, Max and Veronica have a couple of mysteries to solve. The first involves a treasure from one of Henry VIII’s castles, which is supposedly concealed on their property. The second mystery is much more sinister. The local doctor tells then that Veronica’s father was probably murdered. There are plenty of suspects, all with motive and opportunity.

While Veronica and Max are trying to find the treasure and the killer, they are also enjoying their newfound love. But then some complications develop from Max’s past, and it seems that he and Veronica might lose their chance at happiness forever. Can they find a way to solve all of their mysteries and problems so that they can be together?

I really liked both Veronica and Max at first. Their attraction is instant, yet believable. They commit to each other early on, and they seem to really enjoy their love for each other in spite of all the nastiness that surrounds them. Author Miller also gives them just enough flaws to make them human, so they truly seem real.

Then Max’s past catches up with him, in a very depressing way. While this event is heavily foreshadowed, it still comes as an unpleasant surprise. The entire tone of the book changes, and suddenly Max is all too human. He becomes dismal and even whiny, and when his behavior is coupled with the nastiness of the relatives, the book loses much of its early charm. At this point, the answers to the originally interesting mysteries become much more obvious as well, which doesn’t help matters.

Though flawed, Dearest Max has some aspects that are original and interesting. This is a book with a lot of potential that manages to go astray. While I wouldn’t particularly recommend this book, I would like to try Miller’s next one; perhaps the next effort will be a little more even.