Sue McGinty

A reader is in safe mystery hands with author Sue McGinty. Protagonist Bella Kowalski, a former nun, is such a fun, compelling, strongly written, credible character—readers forget she is fictional. The plot is expertly charted. In this issue, the setting changes. Instead of the California Central Coast where McGinty sets most of her work, Bella travels to New Jersey, returning to her family home, taking along her mother’s ashes. Humor, suspense, and shockers to please even the most fastidious sleuth booklover, Sue McGinty does it again in offering her Bella fans a must read!
--Le Coeur de l'Artiste, http://www.djadamson.com
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Murder at Cuyamaca Beach – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

‘We settled in water up to my waist and turned to face each other. Hands intertwined, we jumped up and down in the waves like idiots in a Monte Python movie. I relaxed a bit. Moving around definitely made me warmer. “Oof.” Something hit me, sending a sharp pain into my side. I released Mike’s hand and turned, wobbled slightly and then righted myself. A red surfboard bobbed beside me. The top sported a black mountain log. My heart skipped a beat, then another. Sereno Cellars used a black mountain against a red background on their wine labels. “What the hell?” Mike asked, staring at the board. I grabbed it, uncertain of what to do next. I squinted toward the beach. Even with limited sight, I could see that a restless, unsettled feeling hovered over the beach. Onlookers huddled in small groups. Lifeguards leapt from their stations. Whistles shrilled as they bolted toward the water. “Shark!” The lifeguards shouted, and then again. And again. “Everyone out. Now!” Sirens erupted from the patrol boats stationed beyond the breakers. ‘

Bella Kowalski and her husband Mike spent New Year’s Eve working a fund raiser for the homeless. New Year’s Day has taken them to the beach where the Polar Bear Club will take their 1st plunge of the year into the Oacufuc;s icy waters. But Bella will not only find herself facing her 1st body of freezing goose bumps, she will also find herself coming face to face with the death of a friend.

Loreli Sereno died 5 years ago. The police had originally suspected foul play but later ruled the death as an accident. Now, with the death of her sister, the case has been reopened and Bella’s husband Mike, an ex-policeman, will be handling this “cold case” for the Tolosa County Sheriff’s Department. Is there a connection between the deaths?

Bella finds her plate full as she tries to determine who killed both of her friends, what is really going on at the homeless ranch run by Marcus Daniel and his foster son Jeremy? What is Father Burton hiding? To add more pressure to her spinning life, Bella finds herself taking in her 18 year old nephew and an increase in responsibility at the local paper where she’s in charge of writing the obits. Oh, did I mention that she also has a friendly ghost that lives in their windmill home? Never a dull day in the life of Bella Kowalski.

I know murder is serious business, but Author Sue McGinty’s style of writing in Murder at Cuyamaca Beach puts suspense, a little drama and a hit of humor in her story. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and know you will too. It’s so down to earth and human.

Murder at Cuyamaca Beach


2010
Aberdeen Bay
263 pages
ISBN# 978-1-60830-037-2


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