Dru’s Short Musing:
When a family member becomes the prime suspect in a local murder, Delia knows what she has to do and learning about the history of Dickens Island will unearth secrets left behind in this whodunit.

Coming back home to reconnect with her son and help her father with the family store should have been a pleasant return, that is until the bickering with her aunt and uncle interfered. And then the murder of a young woman hits a bit closer to home. Delia does all that she can to uncover the truth and that includes messages from her deceased grandmother.

This was a good story that was well-written with a comfortable tone making it easy to follow along with what the author intended. The mystery was nicely executed with a tangible pool of suspects and enough motives to warrant them being on the list. With visually descriptive narrative and engaging dialogue, the story came alive, and I felt I was part of the action-packed. The pacing was on par with how well the mystery was being told. What I liked was that Delia didn’t really investigate but gathered clues from her encounters with the people on the island. Other mishaps with a few of the citizens of Dickens Island told us that the killer was not yet done. I figured out some things before Delia but when I thought I knew who the killer was, the author changed direction, and I had that “aha” moment when I knew who it was, and I enjoyed watching this play out to the end. Overall, this was an enjoyable read and I look forward to more exploits with Delia and her friends in this delightfully appealing new series.

Series Name: A “Books On The Beach” Mystery, Book 1
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: October 21, 2025
Format: Print, Digital, Audio
Purchase Link

Book Synopsis:
A divorced sleuth in her thirties must bring peace back to her small town after a murder tears neighbors and family members apart in this series debut from Agatha Award nominee Allison Brook, perfect for fans of Cynthia Riggs and Eva Gates.

Delia Dickens has come home to Dickens Island, a small island in the Long Island Sound, after a twelve-year stint in Manhattan. She’s looking forward to helping her father revitalize the general store that the family owns as well as curating a small book nook. Most importantly, she wants to reunite with her fifteen-year-old son. But Dickens Island isn’t the peaceful town Delia remembers–and she might be in more danger here than she ever was in the big city.

Delia’s Aunt Reenie and Uncle Brad, both prominent community leaders, are at odds over the sale of a farm and its future use. This has created friction, not only in their marriage, but amongst the citizens of the town. When a young woman, new to the town council and friendly with Brad, is found murdered, everything escalates and reaches a new boiling point.

With Reenie and Brad both suspects in the case and at each other’s throats, the townspeople start to take sides. When the ghost of her grandmother visits her, Delia learns how past events have impacted the present, and it is up to her to expose the farm’s sordid secrets in order to catch a murderer and restore peace to her beloved island.

FTC Full Disclosure – I received a digital ARC of this book from the author.