Sunset Beach by Mary Kay Andrews is the story of Drue Campbell, a 36-year-old woman who is forced to take a job with her estranged father’s law firm. While she is battling her father and stepmother every step, she comes across a case she feels the firm dropped the ball on. She takes it upon herself to investigate and find justice for a young woman, Jazmin Hayes, that everyone has seemed to have forgotten. Has she gets closer to the truth, a series of events occur which seem to be a warning to stay away. However, Drue is determined to see it through regardless of the danger. At the same time, she is dealing with her mother’s death, moving into her grandparents’ beach cottage where she finds information to a 40-year-old case involving missing woman, Colleen Broadman Hicks. Will she find the truth? Will she convince the authorities of her findings? What is the link between the missing person and her family?
I wanted to really enjoy Sunset Beach and when I finished, I had mixed feelings. At first, I didn’t care for any of the characters, especially Drue. I only continued to find out what really happened to Jazmin and Colleen and how the cases connected to Drue and her family. The first half was very slow with the second half being very fast paced. I liked the resolution with the Jazmin Hayes case; however, the Colleen Broadman Hicks case was a little flat. Overall, it was an ok book. Nothing too great but it wasn’t horrible either. If you are a fan of Mary Kay Andrews, then you may enjoy Sunset Beach.

Sunset Beach
will be available May 7, 2019
in hardcover, eBook, and Audiobook

Is there anything better than a book that combines your two favorite genres?? This book did just that for me! I have been on a huge mystery/thriller kick lately and that combined with my love for romance books was just perfect. And it is soooo hard to write a review for this awesome summer read without giving any spoilers but I will try my hardest.

From the cover, picturing bright colors, beach chairs, and sand and sunshine, I thought this book was going to be all bubbly and romance with a bit of a twist but this had even more mystery than I expected! I also loved the highschool rivalry aspect of the story to add to the drama.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41150531-sunset-beach

I loved the depth that Andrews gave to each character, especially Drue. She made you root for her throughout the entire story despite her family being intertwined in the mystery.

I also loved that this book was based on a place that I love! I am a huge beach gal, and this book had me cravinggggg the summer.

I also really enjoyed that this book was written in past/present format. I love when you’re reading a book and you’re able to see them as they progress throughout life!

Would you believe it if I said I’ve never read a Mary Kay Andrews book? And this book has be dying to read more! Can’t wait to dive deep into another one!

I read this book in February and I immediately felt like I was at the beach. Mary Kay Andrews does a great job of immersing you in the setting. I liked the character of Drue and can see Mary Kay Andrews using her and the other characters in another book. The story was good too even though it seemed unlikely that Drue would find herself wrapped up in not just one but two mysteries. I feel bad saying it was a quick read knowing how long it must have taken to write but it was a quick and enjoyable read.

Amazing and so different from Mary Kay Andrews other books. I loved it. The unexpected twist at the end was great. This would make a great trilogy.

Sunset Beach by Mary Kay Andrews surprised me in many ways. The title and the cover led me to believe that it would be a beach read, and some people are labeling it as one, but it is not the typical beach read you would expect. The setting does indeed take place on a beach, but I personally would classify it more in the mystery or suspense genre, and I think that it has a little bit more of a deeper tone than the usual beach read. The mystery and suspense factors are what makes it more of a Mary Kay Andrews feel to it, and I welcomed that in this novel as it is what I would expect from one of her books. I loved the quirky dry humor of Drue, her work mates, and family members; and enjoyed reading about her nonchalant jaunts and escapades as she took solving the mysteries in her own hands. Her personality is what kept the reading easy and fun!

A few years ago I found my first Mary Kay Andrews book it was titled "The Weekenders" and I have been hooked on her summer reading ever since. Sunset Beach is truly the book you throw in your beach bag and you soak up the rays of the warm summer sun and get lost inside. I enjoyed everything about this book from the mystery to the romance and friendships.

I just finished this book and thought it was a great read. Drue was a strong character and very brave when she decided to help Alijay's grandmother ' She was bound and determined to find out who Jazmin's murderer was and darn if she didn't. I didn't figure it out until almost the end. Treat yourself to a great read and find out for yourself.

This book really reminded my of MKAs old book series Callahan Garrity Mystery (Kathy Hogan Trocheck). I am interested to see if it becomes a series in the future.

This book has romance,mystery, and humor. I did find the story started out slow but it picked up about a quarter of the way through. This book focuses more on mystery than romance but I thoroughly enjoyed it and it is the perfect beach read! 3.5 stars

In general, I'm a big fan of Mary Kay Andrews, but this one just wasn't for me. The book was well written, as expected with any MKA book, but I just didn't connect with the story. I didn't particularly like Drue, which made it hard for me to get really invested in the story. The cover is a bit misleading and I was expecting a more "beach read" type of book. This won't stop me from picking up another MKA book though-- I generally enjoy her books, and I think most readers will also love this one.

When I saw that Mary Kay Andrews was releasing a new book, I jumped at the opportunity to read the advanced copy for review. I really enjoy her books, although I have yet to read them all. I am so ready for the nicer weather to hit and this cover alone gave my those relaxation vibes.

I had barely read the summary for this book so I was pleasantly surprised to find an air of mystery and suspense. This was a page turner that was very much enjoyable. The back stories of these characters created an atmosphere in which it felt as is the story was true.

I was hooked from the very beginning and appreciated the timeline jumps so that we got a well rounded narrative. If you are looking for a Spring/ Summer read that is not just your typical “beachy” read, I encourage you to pre-order this book and dive right in as soon as you get it!

Sunset Beach is Women's Fiction combined with mystery/suspense. There is some romance. But it is not the key focus of the story.

The narrator is 36 year old Drue Campbell (3rd person POV). The story takes place in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Drue has been estranged from her father for years. But now he is back in her life. The book starts with her moving and starting a new job.

There are two mysteries that are a big part of this book. One from recently and one from the past. I really enjoyed this aspect of the story. However, I much preferred the more recent mystery. The older mystery showed us key scenes from the 1970s. And although it gave us insight, it was my least favorite part of this book.

The cover does make the book seem more like a beach read or a romance. And to me that is not what this book is at all. But I actually really enjoyed the story a lot. Drue was such a unique character. She was a bit closed off to people. But she was determined and resourceful. And I was so invested in the recent mystery. I really liked how she investigated things. And the friends that she made in this book were strong.

First time reading this author and would probably read more of her works.
The book was interesting with lots of twists and turns but it took a very long time developing the plot and characters. All of the characters did not seem to be fully developed. The relationships were not tightly woven and the developing romance just suddenly happened. The ending chapters seemed rushed and incomplete. I must confess I could not bring myself to fully read the detailed police reports, as a synopsis of findings was all that was required.

Overall, it was a good read despite being disjointed in places.

Thanks to the author and publishers for an ARC of the book. It is obvious a great deal of research went into its production.
I received this book as a complimentary copy for an honest review. The opinions expressed are my own.

Loved it and highly recommend this as a great beach read! I truly got started and was lost in this one for two days - couldn't put it down. This is my first Mary Kay Andrews read and I'm sure I will be reading more soon. Loved the characters and the plot. There's a couple of mysteries here and a love story as well as a little growing up and being an adult. Drue Campbell was a believable character and I liked the historic beach town setting.

At the end Ms. Andrews shares her adventures searching for a place at the beach and the renovations, some tips for prospective beach property buyers, and even a few recipes.

Thanks so much to Mary Kay Andrews and St. Martin's Press through Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was expecting a cute, light story from Mary Kay Andrews. However, I was pleasantly surprised! This was more than a typical summer beach read; there was family drama, TWO mysteries, and a minor romance. I really enjoyed this story and think you will too.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The heroine of this book is Drue Campbell. She finds herself jobless without many prospects. She decides to take a job offer to work a law firm intake line at her Dad's office. They are estranged but feeling she has no other option she moves back to her hometown. The job is mundane but while there she stumbles upon a murdered hotel maid and the settlement her family got smells fishy to Drue.

It is a treat to go along with her as she works on the case. She is also on a journey to find herself and her place in the world. I could not put this book down and you won't be able to either!

It has been a long time since I have read a Mary Kay Andrews book and this one is so different from what I remembered the style of her books to be. I liked her other books but was pleasantly surprised with the depth and complexity of the mystery in Sunset Beach. Drue Campbell is at a crossroads in her life. Having grown up in Fort Lauderdale, she is a thirty six year old beach girl who has lived to kite board, working to feed her hobby until an accident messed up her knee and sidelined her. Her mom has just died, she lost her job and a place to live so she accepts a job offer from her absentee celebrity lawyer father in St. Pete. She moved into her inherited grandparents' cottage and started her new life while fixing up the cottage. She gets caught up in a couple of old cases, one a missing woman from 1976. For some reason, her mom had newspaper clippings about her disappearance in the cottage attic. Her father was a police officer at the time. Is her father somehow involved? She also found the official police files for the case in the attic. The second case was one that her father sued on behalf of the family of a murdered young woman. Unable to get much money, the grandmother is struggling to support her granddaughter. Drue feels the need to get answers for the family. Did her father get a payoff or his investigator? Things don't add up for Drue so she decides to do her own investigating. She has trust issues and a stepmother her age, who doesn't like her and it is mutual.
The story pulled me in as Drue deals with her own personal issues and investigates both of the other cases. The characters were not especially likable at the beginning of the story but Drue grows as she decides to help others and even gives her father a chance after she decides to trust him. Maybe. The mystery was interesting to watch unfold and ended differently than I expected for the missing woman case. Dangerous, edgy and action packed, this is a great read with a little romance.
I received a complimentary ARC from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley for an honest review. The thoughts and opinions expressed are mine only.

How great is a mystery thriller that not only has one mystery inside but two mysteries in it !! I really enjoyed the character of Drue and the development she went thru with her relationships. This is a fun summer beach read So dont forget to pack it in ur beach bag!

I don’t think I have read any other books by this author. But I will now! It was a good story. Drue’s Mother has died. She left Drue the beach house that Drue’ Grandfather built. Drue is down on her luck and this little cottage comes at a really good time. Her parents were divorced and her relationship with her Father has never been good. The cottage is in the same town where her Father lives and has his law practice. Oh, and did I mention that Drue also needs a job. The characters are believable and the storyline captivating it has love, suspense and family drama. Good book. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an advance copy for my honest review.

After Drue loses her mother to cancer and her job to inhumanity, she accepts her estranged father’s offer of a job at his law firm. She also learns she has inherited her grandparents’ old beach cottage on Sunset Beach where she decides to live. Her father is a personal injury lawyer whose advertisements generate many phone calls that are screened in a boiler room, humdrum work that she does not do well. Filling in at reception, she learns of a case that screams injustice to her–and it has the added appeal of making her father look bad.

Meanwhile, she’s cleaning, painting, and refurbishing her long-neglected cottage and discovers a police file she soon learns is the missing police file that frustrates efforts to solve a long-ago disappearance. Here again, is something that puts her father in a bad light. After all, the missing file is in her house.


Sunset Beach is an enjoyable mystery with a dash of romance. Drue is a driven woman, recovering not just from an injury and the loss of her mother. She is adjusting to a new way of life, from the athlete to the sedentary, from working with her body to working with her mind. She’s also having to readjust long-held judgments about her father. This leads her a bit astray but also leads to her doing the right thing–investigating the injustice and the disappearance that both implicate her father.

There are misdirection and red herrings on the romance and the mystery front, which I liked. Usually, all the red herrings affect the mystery, this adds a nice twist.

Sunset Beach will be released on May 5th. I received an e-galley from the publisher through NetGalley.

Sunset Beach at St. Martin’s Press | Macmillan

Mary Kay Andrews author site

Drue's life is going from bad to worse when her long-absent father shows up at her mother's funeral with an offer that might help her over the hump – if she can put aside her bitterness and suspicions. When she learns that she has inherited her grandparents' beach cottage, she decides to move across the state to take a chance at a new beginning. When she learns of a suspicious death and a decades-old missing persons case, she takes on the role of unofficial, unwitting investigator.

Mary Kay Andrews is my go-to "fluff" author, but calling her books fluff is probably unfair – they have far more substance to them than most books labeled chick lit. Once again, she has drawn engaging characters facing unexpected circumstances in an attractive setting, and I was hooked on the story from the very first chapter. Although the end result of the book is rather predictable, the turns in the story kept me turning page after page, and I was more than a little surprised at the revelation of one of the 'bad guys' in the book. I look forward to reading Ms. Andrews' next book!