Murder on Mustang Beach (Outer Banks Bookshop Mystery, Book 2)

 ALICIA BESSETTE

How acquired: Borrowed from my local library.

First line: Running the Mustang Beach footpath was the sweetest kind of torture.

(Goodreads synopsis below.)

My thoughts: I think I liked this second book in the series a little better than the first book. Partly because I really liked the friendship that developed between Callie and Geri-Lynn, the caretaker of the Mustang Beach sanctuary. Geri-Lynn was a great addition to the cast of characters, and her love for and dedication to the mustangs made me appreciate her. Callie really needed a good friend, and while I had hoped during the first book that Officer Fusco would become one, it didn’t happen.

The story opens eleven months after the events of the first book, and Callie and Toby have spent a lot of time together, learning everything there is to know about each other. Toby’s one year self-imposed moratorium on romantic relationships is about to come to an end, and Callie is very much looking forward to having a first date and a first kiss. So of course a dead body is found in Toby’s martial arts studio and the heat – a different kind of heat – is on. And of course Callie can’t sit idly by and let the police solve the murder, so her investigative journalist skills are called upon once again as she begins her own investigation. And of course she puts herself in danger again.

I’m really hoping there will be a third book.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

When a killer stirs up trouble in the Outer Banks, amateur sleuth and bookseller Callie Padget is on the case, in a new beachside mystery from author Alicia Bessette.

Cattail Island in the Outer Banks is a popular destination for honeymooners and nature lovers alike. So it is a huge blow when the murder of a newlywed grinds the pre-summer season to a screeching halt. Bookseller Callie Padget launches her own investigation, after mysterious customer Geri-Lynn Humfeld, caretaker of the island’s protected wild horses, brings in an irresistible piece of information.

Determined to restore order and safety to her beloved hometown, Callie searches for answers—even as those answers cast suspicion on her soon-to-be boyfriend, Toby Dodge, whose martial arts studio was the scene of the crime. As she digs deeper, Toby becomes the police’s prime suspect. The truth raises troubling questions and sends her scouring the bookshop’s shelves for guidance.

Meanwhile, a well-loved member of the mustang herd—a pregnant mare whose anticipated foal is a symbol of summery hope for locals and visitors alike—may be facing dire circumstances. With help from Geri-Lynn, Callie unearths startling secrets surrounding not only the compromised mare, but the murdered newlywed, too. And when another body shows up, this time on isolated Mustang Beach, she must race against time to stop a killer from claiming any more innocent lives.

Smile Beach Murder (Outer Banks Bookshop Mystery 1)

 

ALICIA BESSETTE

Stats: Hardback, Berkley, 2023.

How acquired: Library.

First line: I ran for Smile Beach with the tangs of summer in my nose and an ache in my heart.

(Goodreads synopsis below.)

My thoughts: The cover of this book caught my eye while browsing the shelves at the library, and while it looked maybe it’s a cozy mystery, which I’m not generally a big fan of, it sounded interesting. I’m not sure if it is officially a cozy, though it is tagged that way on Goodreads, but it didn’t really read like one to me. Or maybe I just enjoyed it so much compared to other cozies I’ve read.

Cattail Island seems like such a great place to live, filled with quaint sounding shops and quirky residents – but not so quirky to be caricatures. Callie’s mother died when she was young, under mysterious circumstances (ruled a suicide), and Callie left the island as soon as she grew up and hasn’t been back since. But now she’s been laid off from her job, and has moved back in with the uncle who raised her after her mother’s death. The fact that Callie is a reporter may also contribute to why I enjoyed this more than other cozies. When two deaths occur, Callie investigating seems more natural than for a pastry chef, or a cheese maker, for example. Though I will admit as it becomes obvious that someone seems to be gunning for her, I sometimes thought what the heck are you doing meeting this person in that place alone at night!

The first death that occurs after Callie’s return, in the same manner as Callie’s mother’s death, is a woman on a treasure hunt, which becomes an integral part of Callie’s investigation. But in between her snooping around looking for clues and information, she gets a job at the local bookstore (her duties include posting pictures and observations to the bookstore cat’s Instagram account), and she meets a man opening a martial arts studio, who offers her lessons in self-defense. Lessons that eventually come in pretty handy.

My only quibble with the book is that there are a lot of really short chapters. Like two to four pages long. And for some of those chapters it didn’t make sense for one to end and another to begin, it felt like they could have been combined into longer chapters. And I can’t even really explain why the short chapters were irritating, other than mentally disrupting the flow of the story maybe. But overall, I very much enjoyed the book, and I’m sad that there are only two books in the series.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

From author Alicia Bessette comes an all-new mystery series featuring Callie Padget, a former reporter turned bookshop clerk in the Outer Banks who is pulled into a deadly web of secrets when a mysterious fall at a lighthouse echoes a tragedy from her past. 

When Callie is laid off from her reporting job, she returns to her hometown of Cattail Island and lands a gig at the local bookstore—the same one where she found comfort after her mother died. 

In fact, the anniversary of her mother’s infamous death is approaching. Years ago, Teri Padget tumbled from the top of the lighthouse. As islanders are once again gossiping about the tragedy, devastating news strikes: the lighthouse has claimed another victim. Eva Meeks, of Meeks Hardware. 

The police are calling it suicide, but Callie does not believe Eva jumped any more than she believes her mother did—especially because Callie knows that before her death, Eva had dug up a long-forgotten treasure hunt that could have put a target on Eva’s back. 

In Callie’s search for answers, she enlists the help of some beloved books and several new friends, including the handsome local martial arts instructor, Toby Dodge. But when another death rocks Cattail Island, Callie must face her fears alone. As she earns enemies in pursuit of the truth, Callie knows she will either uncover the killer or become a victim herself.