Sunset Beach

Sunset Beach by Mary Kay Andrews is a 2019 St. Martin’s Press publication.

A perfect beach read mystery!

Drue, now in her mid-thirties, finds herself at loose ends, heading in no clear direction. Her mother recently passed away, and an injury ended her competitive days as a kite boarder. Adding insult to injury, she gets fired from her job. As a last resort, she reluctantly accepts a job offer from her estranged father, who is a personal injury lawyer.

So, she moves to Sunset Beach and into the cottage she just inherited from her mother. Upon arrival, she is stunned to learn her father has remarried for a third time. Not only that, wife number three used to be Drue’s BF. Awkward!

But at least she has a job and a place to stay, show more right? Unfortunately, her new stepmother and former friend is also her office manager, and for some reason she has it in for Drue. She’s also struggling with her new position, and the cottage is in horrible disrepair.

However, when a disgruntled client barges into the law office, furious with the firm for dropping the ball on a wrongful death suit, Drue senses something is off about the situation and begins investigating in her spare time.

If that weren’t enough to keep her occupied, she discovers a cache of old newspaper clippings detailing the disappearance of a local woman back in the mid-seventies. Why did her mother keep those newspaper clippings? Could her father have been involved in the case somehow? The more questions Drue asks, the murkier the two cases become. But, once she peels back enough layers, she may wish she had left the dead buried.

I realized with a shock that it is already August and I have yet to indulge in an official summer ‘beach read’. I chose this book specifically because it had a ‘beachy’ cover and title, and while we may all have our own definition of ‘beach reads’, I think this book would be perfect to take along on your vacation, or for a day at the beach.

Granted, this is more of a mystery- or in this case, two mysteries, instead of a drama, or romance, although both of those elements are included, as well.

My only small gripe is that I never understood why Drue’s old friend was so heavy handed and mean, but I suppose all’s well that ends well. The family makes progress, though, and Drue deserved a little overdue attention from her father. The story is quite absorbing, but not too heavy and the ending is a real stunner!!

This is my second book by MKA and once again, I see why this author is so popular. I love the amateur sleuth element, and the cold case story. Drue is funny, sarcastic, determined, and a very believable character. I instantly took a liking to her.

I enjoyed seeing her carve out a niche for herself and discover a hidden talent she can build a career on. I’d like to touch base with Drue again and see how her detective skills are developing and touch base with her family and friends, as well.

Overall, a very satisfying read! I am definitely reading more books by Mary Kay Andrews!! show less

A new Mary Kay Andrews book always reminds me that summer is getting closer. She writes wonderful Southern fiction with well written and sometimes quirky characters and a plot that makes you want to pack up that beach bag and head to the ocean -- or at least get out those summer sandals.

Sunset Beach isn't as light and fluffy as some of the previous books by this author because she's added a couple of murder mysteries to this one. Despite that difference, the characters are still fun and will make you laugh at times and there is definitely a feeling of the South throughout the book.

Drue Campbell’s life is adrift. Out of a job and down on her luck, life doesn’t seem to be getting any better when her estranged father, Brice Campbell, show more a flamboyant personal injury attorney, shows up at her mother’s funeral after a twenty-year absence. Despite her negative feelings towards him, she agrees to take a job at his law firm (Slip and Fall - Give Brice a call ads are plastered all over town.)
The job is pretty dead end and to top it off, the office manager is a frenemy from high school AND her father's new wife. The only reason she agrees to stay is that she has inherited her grandparents beach cottage. It's in bad shape but she looks forward to bringing it back to the way it was when she was a child. When Drue gets the hint that there may be murder that her father's firm handled wrong, she works to get to the bottom of it. Will her search for clues in the murder ruin what little relationship she has with her father or will it ultimately strengthen their family ties?

I thought this book had it all -- great characters, a plot that will keep you turning pages and a story that couldn't happen any where but in the South. Sunset Beach is a compelling ride, full of Mary Kay Andrews' signature wit, heart, and charm. show less

Ever since the first book, Little Bitty Lies, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading Mary Kay Andrews' books. After meeting her at Quailridge Books in Raleigh, North Carolina, I became a fan for life. Her books are entertaining and Sunset Beach is no exception. This book wasn't what I usually expected from her, but as I read more of the book, I started enjoying the storyline of Drue Campbell and her plight of losing her job, getting injured, her mother's death, and seeing he dad after 15 years of separation. She finds out that she owns a little beach cottage that belonged to her grandparents at Sunset Beach. A fixer-upper novel with a mystery combined! Well worth reading!

Another reviewer called Sunset Beach “Favorite Deceptive Cover of 2019.” How true! Even though Sunset Beach does in fact feature a beach, it is definitely not the usual Mary Kay Andrews beach read. It’s edgier and kind of choppy, starts out more a thriller and mystery. All her books have some mystery and real danger, but sunset Beach ramps it up a notch with non-stop action and characters you keep changing your mind about trusting.

For a while when I started reading Sunset Beach I couldn’t decide if I liked it as much as Andrews previous books, but then the action and danger – and MKA’s signature romance and family and history – kicked in and I was hooked. And I realized that all her books have danger and suspense, just not show more to this intense degree.

Most of the characters are hard to like in the beginning. On the surface they are shallow or immature or deceitful or just plain mean. They all seem to have history that may be good or bad. But just wait until you get to know them. This is a rich, well-developed cast in a rich, well-developed plot.

Drue is devastated by her mother’s death, at loose ends because of her sports injury and not too eager to restart a relationship with her father. The lure of the beach house her grandfather built and her mother left to her is what draws her back – that, and the fact that she really doesn’t have any other option. She’s 36 years old but doesn’t have a lot to show for it. Her father seems caring and concerned, but she doesn’t trust him. And when she discovers her stepmother is in fact her ex-best friend who betrayed her and is therefore young enough to be her father’s daughter, she’s even less thrilled.

Drue turns out to be one stubborn, fearless, resourceful woman with a natural flair for detective work. She doesn’t like and isn’t good at her cube rat job at her father’s firm, but she latches on to an old case and becomes almost obsessed – well, obsessed – with getting justice she thought was denied. All under the radar and behind her father’s back, of course. There’s a lot more going on that is apparent on the surface and soon Drue and others are in danger and secrets people went to great lengths to keep are being revealed.

Somewhere along the line while reading I realized that although Sunset Beach is grittier and edgier and the mystery is more at the forefront, it is truly vintage Mary Kay Andrews, with the relationships, hidden secrets, and bumpy romance that make all her other books such great reads. The setting is enchanting, the cottage renovation fascinating and the food descriptions (and recipes at the end of the book) will make your mouth water.

Without giving away any spoilers, I’ll just say that I thoroughly enjoyed peeling away each layer of the mystery, I grew to love the characters whether they were lovable or not, and I was completely surprised by the ending that totally worked.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing a copy of Sunset Beach for my honest review. Mary Kay Andrews has another winner! show less

For me, Mary Kay Andrews has become synonymous with a great beach read. Even when not at the beach.
After the death of her mother, and an accident that prevents her from participating in the sport she loves, Drue Campbell moves back to the east side of the state when her long absent dad, lawyer Brice Campbell, offers her a job. The one positive to Drue's situation is her inheritance of the beach cottage her grandfather, Papi, built. The cottage is a bit worse for wear & storms, but that can be remedied. The memories and love make it home; something Drue hasn't had in a long time.
While searching out a leak in the attic Drue finds a forty year old police file about a missing woman. This seriously piques her interest, honestly, who wouldn't show more be intrigued with this find? Combine that with the case of a murdered housekeeper at the exclusive resort up the beach from her cottage and Drue has plenty to keep life interesting while paying the bills with her justice call line cubey job from hell.
With Drue's history she could've easily been the type of "heroine" that sets my teeth on edge. Fortunately, she didn't go the annoyingly whiney route.
Drue's unconventional investigations and trips down memory lane (where she did some growing up) sucked me in. It was fun trying to figure out the mysteries and discovering who Drue was growing up to be.
Mary Kay Andrews never fails to entertain and inspire the faith that things can and will get better. Just hang in there.
I received a review copy from the publisher via Netgalley. All views expressed are my own. show less

Sunset Beach is a great hybrid of a beach read romance and a mystery. Drive Campbell is at loose ends after her mother dies. Her estranged personal injury lawyer father show up at the funeral with the keys to a beach cottage she’s inherited and a job offer at his firm. She’s soon investigating of his father’s cases on her own involving a murder at a nearby resort. As Drue wades through a network of lies, she battles her (very young) stepmother/office manager, home repairs, and a growing attraction to a coworker.

Drue is an interesting heroine for a beach read. She’s sarcastic, skeptical, wile at the same time compassionate and at times too trusting. The author adds in an interesting subplot that parallels closely with the main show more plot and adds depth to the characters. The setting adds to the story, almost a character of its own. The plot moves swiftly and believably, though is a little neat in places.

I wasn’t expecting a full on mystery and that added to the enjoyment. A good, satisfying quick read. show less

Drue has had to accept a job at her father’s law firm. To make matters worse, her direct supervisor is her “frenemy”, Wendy, who happens to be married to her father. Needless to say, this is not ideal working conditions. Luckily, Drue inherited her grandparents beach house.(if she hadn’t, she would be homeless!) While she is cleaning the house up, she runs across a police file. It is a missing persons file. Well, this just opens a can of worms. On top of all of this, there is a case at her dad’s law office which just doesn’t sit right. Well, Drue being Drue, just can’t leave well enough alone.

I love Drue. She has a bad attitude and she does not conform well to what is expected of her. She and Wendy have a rough go. show more Especially at the first. Her dad struggles to make up for time lost and to try and see Drue succeed. When Drue goes rogue and starts investigating on her own, this leads to a world of supposition and who did it!

The cover of this book is misleading. This is really not a beach read. It is a murder mystery. Actually two completely different mysteries in one book. These mysteries really had me guessing. And no it was not who I thought it was. It was completely twisted.

This is not my favorite MKA novel. I enjoy her light hearted with a little bit of funny thrown in stories. But, this is a good change of pace. Don’t miss this one!

I received this novel from Tandem Literary for a honest review. show less