I never intended to investigate murders, but after my wife died, they had a way of finding me. Hi, my name is Clark Thomas, and I own a bookstore on the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk called “Myrtle Beach Reads”. I know, not very inventive, like some fictional bookstores in the mysteries I read. My wife and I landed on that name because it’s great for search engines. But I digress.

Myrtle Beach reads is located down at the southern end of the boardwalk in a small strip. It’s at one end with an ice cream parlor on the other end. A coastal furniture store and a t-shirt shop for tourists are sandwiched in between.

I’m acquainted with many other store owners and workers who inhabit the resorts, restaurants, and other shops in the area. Some have become good acquaintances, others, not so much. Like Theresa, a few doors down at I Heart MB Tees. She’s old enough to be my mom. I avoid her, in part, because she has the hots for me.

I used to like to sleep in, but since my wife, Autumn, died two years ago, I get up early, go out to the beach, and watch the sunrise when I can. It’s important to cherish every day.

My parents help me there. They bought a house less than a mile from mine after Autumn died. When not at the bookstore, they keep me busy with various tasks around their house. Hanging curtains, putting furniture together, mowing the lawn, troubleshooting phone and computer problems, and then re-hanging the curtains because I didn’t get the rod level to begin with.

My mom has been a mystery reader ever since I can remember, and she instilled a love of books in me at an early age. She’s recovering from a recent bout with cancer, but her mind is as sharp as ever. If I’m ever stuck in an investigation, I can call on Mom to help sort through the clues.

Two of the people who work for me, Margaret and Karen, keep me grounded. They are like a second and third mom to me. Margaret is a cranky librarian forced into retirement, who possesses a vast knowledge of books. Karen and her husband sold a small newspaper in North Carolina to move here. Her husband spends his days fishing, but she didn’t want to stop working. She’s reliable and whip smart. I try to make sure she’s not spending the quiet hours watching Turkish soap operas on her phone.

I usually arrive at the store first. Karen or Margaret isn’t far behind. I have two other workers, Humphrey and Winona. Both are fresh out of college. Winona is hyper-intelligent and has a keen business eye for someone her age. I’m contemplating opening another bookstore down the coast. I may tap Winona to run it. Humphrey lives in my cul-de-sac. His parents begged me to give him a job. He’s the opposite of Winona. Unambitious and lazy.

When Karen, Margaret, or Winona is with me in the mornings, I have them count money from the night before and get the till ready for the register. While they’re doing that, I do one of my favorite things. Get the coffee ready. My bookstore has a coffee counter set up across the store from the cash register. In between are several small tables for patrons to read, sip coffee, work, or visit with other friends.

In-store traffic picks up around noon when tourists come off the beaches, before dying down in the afternoon. During these slow times, I run to the bank, or lock myself in my office to peck away at a keyboard. I ghostwrite for a well-known adventure writer, but I’ve been tiring of it. It pays well and has helped keep the bookstore afloat during the offseason. I have an idea for a mystery series, but I’ll have to check with my agent and get her thoughts.

We hold Veteran’s Coffee Hour on Tuesday mornings. While I never served in the military, my dad served two tours in Vietnam with the Marines. Nearby Market Common is set on top of an old military base. Many of the vets who served on the base returned after they retired, and there’s now a large contingent in the area. I know from my dad that they like to get together and shoot the breeze, so that’s why I created the coffee hour.

One Tuesday morning, I did my usual, and picked up a box of pastries from Benjamin’s Bakery in Surfside Beach for the vets. When I got to the store, a rug I wasn’t expecting was rolled up by the backdoor. It was deformed and lumpy and changed my life.

Death Washes Ashore, A Myrtle Beach Mystery #2
Genre: Cozy
Release: December 2021
Purchase Link

Minutes after solving his first murder, Clark Thomas receives life-changing information about his past. But time waits for no one.

He receives a late-night message from Detective Moody soon after the body of a locally famous entertainer washes up on the Myrtle Beach shore. The department is under enormous pressure to solve the high-profile case quickly. They call upon Clark to help investigate but to do it quietly.

Clark soon learns there was more to this entertainer than met the eye. He goes behind the curtain of the popular Gladiator Games Dinner Show and meets the performers and victim’s coworkers. He learns that the entertainer with a sparkling public persona was not as squeaky clean as he appeared.

Clark lends his unique ability to tie seemingly unrelated clues together as he races to solve the case. Along the way, he learns more about his wife’s death. What he learns shatters his perception of the woman he once loved.

Meet the author
Caleb is the author of the award-winning and critically acclaimed Death on the Boardwalk: Book 1 of the Myrtle Beach Mystery Series. He is a member of the International Thriller Writers and Southeastern Writers Association, the author of six novels. Caleb is also social media marketer, woodworker, occasional golfer, reacher of things on tall shelves, beach walker, shark tooth finder, and munchkin wrangler. He lives in Myrtle Beach with his wife and son (the munchkin).

All comments are welcomed.