I loved Sunset Beach & couldn't put it down once I started it. Mary Kay Andrews writes fabulous stories. Drue was a very likeable character & you felt what she was going through. Great Story!

It was a con. It was a con that I fell for. The cover of Sunset Beach screamed summer read; and I fell for it. I pictured myself at the beach under a colorful umbrella protecting me from the suns rays. With the cool drink beside me, I would pick up this novel and settle in for a large afternoon of reading but with idyllic day dreaming intruding on the printed page. The cover of the book seemed to promise this.
But this is not what I got. Instead of a nice beach read, I got a voyage on a choppy sea sailed by an unsteady captain.
Thirty six year old Drue Campbell returns to her childhood home following the death after a long illness of her mother. Adding to her stress and sorrow is the fact that Drue has recently lost her job. She is treading water but could go under.
Surprisingly a life saver is thrown her way by her father, Bruce Campbell, a man she has been estranged from for nearly 20 years. He offers her a job at his law firm and a place to live, a bungalow that belonged to her deceased grandparents.
Looks like smooth sailing. Not quite. The bungalow is old and in need of substantial repair. The job at the law firm would be under the leadership of Drue’s father’s new wife, Wendy, who was also Drue’s childhood frenemy. I see white caps on the waves.
But wait there is more. While dealing with the emotional pain of her mothers death and her fathers reappearance in her life, Drue also deals with physical pain from injuries sustained in an awful kite boarding accident.
Enough! No. Mary Kay Andrews has more. There is a murder mystery at Sunset Beach. Bruce Campbell’s law firm might be corrupt. The “perfect storm “ approaches.
Yes I was conned and mislead. I should have remembered “you can’t judge a book by its cover.” The story with its many issues and twists holds your attention. You won’t soon forget Sunset Beach.
I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. #SunsetBeach #NetGalley

Customer Review

Scarlettleigh
2.0 out of 5 stars
Poorly crafted romance
July 22, 2019
Format: Kindle Edition
Let me say up front, that I realized that Ms. Andrew doesn't write romance books. They are more mystery, and women's fiction with a hint of romance - sometimes a little more. But the romance in this book was a shell. A one-night stand (she hated him initially but was drunk) and then nothing for 2/3 of the book. It just seemed disjointed.

The unsolved mystery is interesting with plenty of plot twists, but the motivation for the 2nd attempted murder again is light on substance.

I did enjoy the exploration of the heroine's relationship with her new step-mother (and past frenemy) and her father. It had a good balance of humor and angst. And the heroine's path to a new career was believable, although, I thought the author didn't really illustrate her talent - it just seemed too simplistic.

Overall, a readable book, but one I put down several times. I read a bit, then read the ending, and then pushed myself to read the middle. To me this screams library book

Drue Campbell is so down on her luck she agrees to take a job with her Dad's ambulance chasing law firm. There she discover an old childhood friend is now her mother in law and boss! The only bright spot in her life is that she gets to move into her grandparents cottage. While working at the firm, she catches wind of a client that she feels was not treated fairly. Did her Dad cut some sort of deal with the insurance company? Why won't anyone listen to the client who thinks her deceased daughter was murdered? Drue just cannot let this go.

First let me say I am a devout fan of Ms. Andrew's writing and Sunset Beach is a perfect example why. Here I thought I was going to be reading a fluffy beach novel. Instead, I get a finely crafted mystery. Drue is such a likeable character. I loved her tenacity and sense of humor. The bad guy is well hidden until the very end. This was very entertaining!

My thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley.

I love Mary Kay Andrews, and this book did not let me down! As always, it was a little romance, a little mystery, and a lot of southern charm with plenty of good details. I really liked her personal information at the end about her own beach cottages, too! Thanks to NetGalley for providing this ARC!

Mary Kay Andrews's books draw me in because of the beach settings and the relationships that develop between her characters, and Sunset Beach doesn't disappoint on either front.

With just the right amount of description and detail, Andrews paints a beach setting complete with sunsets, beach wildlife, and sand between the toes. It's hard not to be mentally transported to the beach while reading Sunset Beach.

Our main character, Drue, finds herself investigating 2 mysteries, one from the past and one from the present, all while navigating a new relationship with her father, renovating a beach cottage, and trying to determine which of her new friends and colleagues she can trust.

The only negative about Sunset Beach, in my mind, is the retelling of details by Drue to other characters in the book. I felt like we could have spent less time recapping what we had learned, and instead moved forward with the story.

If you are looking for a beach getaway, grab Sunset Beach and imagine yourself in Drue's beach cottage as you solve these mysteries.

Thank you to NetGalley, Mary Kay Andrews, and the publisher for an advanced copy of Sunset Beach in exchange for my honest review.

This book was so well done! It started out as what i thought was simply a summer fluff read but also had some unexpected mystery/crime novel to it which was a pleasant surprise! I never read the synopsis before as i prefer going into a. Book blind bit was so impressed i couldn’t put it down.

I have always liked her books. this one was exactly how I expected it to be. Hard to put down and very satisfying when it came to a close. She has become one of my favorite authors. Can't wait for her next book.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy from St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for my unbiased opinion of the book. Drue Campbell lost her job on her way of losing her place to live and needs help. Her father comes out of the woodwork after twenty years offering a well-paid job, place to live, and a chance to start over. She moves to Sunset Beach and finds out her grandparents left her the beach cottage she used to stay in and had fond memories of. But it needs a lot work like her life getting in order and dealing with her father and current wife her ex friend for middle school. While working at the law office she comes across a wrongful death case she has no business sticking her nose into and does with a flourish.
I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!! This book reminds me of the Kathy Hogan Trocheck murder mystery series. It was fast paced and couldn’t put it down until I finished it and left me wanting more! I love all her books but if this a hint of new direction she's going in I’m all for it!!! Mary Kay keep up the great writing and storytelling we all love so much!

I really enjoyed this book, it kept me interested from start to finish. I liked that there was some mystery and romance. The main character Drue was really likeable!

I read Sunset Beach, by Mary Kay Andrews, at the request of her publisher, St. Martin’s Press. I have read many of Andrews’ books, and loved them all. This one was really good, but others of her work are my favorites.

Drue Campbell’s mom just died, and she is moving home to Sunset Beach, on the gulf coast of Florida, after being fired, and learning her mother had left Drue’s grandparents’ beach house to her. The problem is, her new job is in her dad’s law practice, and the office manager, who is Dad’s new wife, is Wendy, Drue’s high school classmate and former best friend.

A grandmother whose daughter was murdered, is told by those at the law practice they have done all they can do. Even though she is raising her granddaughter after the murder, she is turned away. Drue decides to investigate, and risks her own life in doing so.

I especially appreciate Andrews’ subtle reference to climate change when Drue mentioned the water of the Gulf being warmer than she remembered. This is a good mystery with twists and turns. I was pretty sure I had figured out who tried to kill Drue, but wasn’t sure until near the end. If you love a good mystery with a little romance thrown in, you will definitely enjoy Sunset Beach.

What Makes This Reviewer Grumpy?

Mostly, the usual things:
• split infinitives;
• misplacement of “only” within sentences;
• missing commas;
• chaise lounge should be chaise longue.
Look for me online as The Grumpy Book Reviewer.

These books tend to be pretty formulaic, but it's a formula that works, time and time again. Mary Kay Andrew's is certainly a contender for queen of the beach read, and I eagerly look forward top her novels every spring/summer.

I received a copy of this book from netgalley in return for my honest review. This book was so good. It kept my attention and really kept me guessing!!!! I never knew what was going to happen next!!!! I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good mystery!!

What a fun book! I like the deviation from Mary Kay Andrew's normal light beach reads and enjoyed the mystery/thriller aspect of this read. Mary Kay did a great job setting the scene and made me feel like I could picture Sunset Beach. She perfectly navigates Drue's life and the complicated relationships she has with her parents, stepmom, coworkers and the cases she dives in to. I thought the build up to the drama was a little slow, but once the story line developed, there was drama at every turn and I couldn't wait to see how it ended. Also, this Clemson grad loved the Clemson and Seneca references!

Sunset Beach tells the story of Drue Campbell. After her mother's death she leaves her home and a waitressing job she hates to move home to Sunset Beach, Florida (near St. Petersburg). She tentatively reconciles with her father, a personal injury lawyer who advertises on buses and billboards, going to work with him and his much younger wife. She begins slowly rehabbing her grandparents' old beach cottage that she has inherited, finds new friends and perhaps romance, and becomes involved solving two mysteries. One of the mysteries is a wrongful death that the law firm has investigated. The other is a much older case involving the famous cold case of a young wife who vanished into thin air after shopping with a friend.

I love Mary Kay Andrews books, and this is one of my favorites so far. It's really a perfect beach read! I loved the setting of Sunset Beach and found the renovation of the Mid-Century cottage fascinating. Add not one but two compelling mystery stories, and you have a summer read that kept me going over a hot July weekend. I could not put this book down! I recommend it highly as a read for the beach, vacation, or a lazy weekend. Just be sure you set aside plenty of time and settle in for a story that will keep you up late at night reading.

Five stars!

Looking for a nice book to read while you're sitting on the beach? Sunset Beach by Mary Kay Andrews is what I would call a "beachy mystery." It has romance, family drama, mystery, and made me wish I was reading it from my own beach house.

Dru, the main character, moves back into the house that her grandparents left her after her mother passed away. She takes a job from her absentee father and ends up trying to solve a murder mystery that she came across while doing her job. It has some interesting twists toward the end, which I always appreciate in a good mystery.

I gave this book four out of five stars and was given the book for my honest review.

A new Mary Kay Andrews book always reminds me that summer is getting closer. She writes wonderful Southern fiction with well written and sometimes quirky characters and a plot that makes you want to pack up that beach bag and head to the ocean -- or at least get out those summer sandals.

Sunset Beach isn't as light and fluffy as some of the previous books by this author because she's added a couple of murder mysteries to this one. Despite that difference, the characters are still fun and will make you laugh at times and there is definitely a feeling of the South throughout the book.

Drue Campbell’s life is adrift. Out of a job and down on her luck, life doesn’t seem to be getting any better when her estranged father, Brice Campbell, a flamboyant personal injury attorney, shows up at her mother’s funeral after a twenty-year absence. Despite her negative feelings towards him, she agrees to take a job at his law firm (Slip and Fall - Give Brice a call ads are plastered all over town.)
The job is pretty dead end and to top it off, the office manager is a frenemy from high school AND her father's new wife. The only reason she agrees to stay is that she has inherited her grandparents beach cottage. It's in bad shape but she looks forward to bringing it back to the way it was when she was a child. When Drue gets the hint that there may be murder that her father's firm handled wrong, she works to get to the bottom of it. Will her search for clues in the murder ruin what little relationship she has with her father or will it ultimately strengthen their family ties?

I thought this book had it all -- great characters, a plot that will keep you turning pages and a story that couldn't happen any where but in the South. Sunset Beach is a compelling ride, full of Mary Kay Andrews' signature wit, heart, and charm.

St. Martin's Press and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Sunset Beach. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Drue Campbell’s life is just not turning out as she expected. She certainly did not expect to be out of a job or to reconnect with her estranged father after twenty years. Learning that she inherited her grandparent's beach bungalow in the town of Sunset Beach, Drue decides to take her father Brice's offer to work in his personal injury law firm. After she gets over the shock that her new stepmother is an old friend turned enemy, will Drue find that her future is not as dire as it seems? Will an interest in an old case of her father's usher in danger for Drue?

I liked certain aspects of the book, especially Drue and her dogged determination to get to the truth. I did not like how cluttered the book was, with many side plots that would not have been missed. It was just too much and the story would have been much better had it been streamlined. I expected Sunset Beach to be a romance, so I was pleasantly surprised that it was more of a mystery. The novel was a fast read for me, with a quick pace and good character development. I look forward to reading more by author Mary Kay Andrews in the future.

This was a great beach read - perfect for some light summer reading. I enjoyed the characters and the twist kept me interested. Great book!

I loved, loved, loved this book! I am a civil litigation paralegal, so I can relate to the ins and outs of the day to day operation of a law firm. It was a great read, and I will be recommending it to my friends and coworkers!