Tag: beach mystery

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The Homewreckers by Mary Kay Andrews

Robin’s Rave Reviews – 2022

What would summer be without another hit by Mary Kay Andrews? The Homewreckers is perfect for you to read at the beach, by a pool or in your own backyard.

When Mary Kay writes a book, it’s a no brainer for me. I’m going to read it. They are always enjoyable and filled with her characteristic wit. Her novels, romance mixed with a mystery, are always light and entertaining.

If, like me, you enjoy watching home renovations shows, you’ll enjoy this novel. The Homewreckers is a fun story with MKA’s take on a home remodeling show facing countless problems, and that’s before a body is found!

Hattie Kavanaugh is flipping houses on Tybee Island. After some professional setbacks, she is putting everything on the line with her next house. When Mo, a television producer, asks her to do a beach house renovation show, Hattie realizes this job could save her and get her back on her feet. Even so, she isn’t thrilled with the idea of being on camera. And, used to making all the decisions herself, working with her co-host designer Trae and his big, on-camera personality will be a challenge.

As if constant problems with the rehab and a tightening timeline from the network aren’t enough, a mystery surfaces that involves the police. The wallet of a woman who has been missing for seventeen years is found in the wall of the house. Now they’re shooting the show on  a potential crime scene as well. Leave it to Mary Kay Andrews to make a murder mystery delightful through the ups and downs of home renovations and a love triangle.

Fun side note:

This may be a case of life being stranger than fiction. Mary Kay and her husband have rehabbed several houses on Tybee Island which are now vacation rental properties. Last year, as they were working on their latest house, Coquina Cottage, a woman’s wallet was found in the wall. Somehow, years before, the wallet had been pushed through the razor blade slot, common in old medicine cabinets.

The documents inside the billfold identified its owner as Melba Lanier. The wallet held photos, an American Legion ID card, her commissary card, and other documents. Mary Kay reached out to the public through social media and found Melba’s children. Unfortunately Melba had since passed away. Mary Kay learned that she had lived in Coquina Cottage for a year in 1954 with her husband, Jack, when they were newlyweds.  Mary Kay gave the wallet to Melba’s children and has put a tribute to her on a wall in the rental cottage.

The real mystery still is – how and why did Melba Lanier’s wallet get pushed through that slot in the wall? Mary Kay used this mystery to fuel her imagination, and it became part of her storyline in The Homewreckers.  She used Melba’s last name, Lanier, as the first name of a woman missing for seventeen years in the story. If the real-life mystery intrigues you, click here to see a video of a TV news story on the found wallet.

I’ve reviewed several books by Mary Kay Andrews in my blog. If Mary Kay is a new author to you, check my reviews on these books as well:  The Newcomer, Sunset Beach, and The Santa Suit.

 

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@author.robin.shelley

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Sunset Beach by Mary Kay Andrews

Meeting Mary Kay Andrews

Put Sunset Beach by Mary Kay Andrews on your reading list even though the summer is coming to an end.  It isn’t about lounging around on the sand and it’s not a romance on the beach. It is about a young woman, Drue, moving past tough experiences in life to create new possibilities while helping others and finding justice. 

After Drue’s mother dies, she finds herself in a tough spot in life. She decides to move back to her hometown and take a job at her father’s  law firm even though he hasn’t been a part of her life since she was 15. Drue learns that she inherited her grandparents beach house, but it’s in rough shape.

While fixing the place up, Drue finds newspaper clippings and a police file from the ’70’s on a missing person case that was never solved. Her curiosity is piqued about both the missing woman and her family’s connection to it. Meanwhile, a disgruntled woman visits the law office wanting to see Drue’s father. The woman’s daughter was killed while housekeeping at an area hotel. Although Drue’s father won the case, he wasn’t able to get much money. The hotel claimed the daughter was killed while working which made it a workman’s comp case with a cap of $150,000 for a settlement. The woman is struggling financially to raise her granddaughter and can’t get to the money until the child turns 18. Drue feels the settlement is ridiculously low and wonders what can be done to help the woman and her granddaughter. Without her father’s knowledge, she begins to investigate both situations.

After reading so many beach romances, I found this book refreshing. Even with the murder mystery, it is still a light read, not the kind of story that keeps you awake a night. The characters and plot kept me engaged.  I enjoyed a strong female character who took chances while investigating. Sometimes her curiosity put her in danger, but her motive was always to help someone.  I enjoyed it enough that I will definitely read more books by Mary Kay Andrews.