Cover Image: Sunset Beach

Sunset Beach

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

Ok so I thought this would be kind of a beachy read. Ya I was wrong but that's ok.
It's a romance kind of mystery book. I really enjoyed the pacing if the story. I will definitely be reading more from this author.

Was this review helpful?

This was a really good story. Long but good. the father that shows up at the mother's funeral turns out to be not a bad Dad. The flighty kiteboarder with the bum knee turns out to be a good worker and the one that seems to be a friend turns out to be a sociopath. I love Mary Kay Andrews books..

Was this review helpful?

A great cozy mystery and romance.- my favorite combination. Unusual in that the protagonist is over the age of 30! Drue is surprised when her Dad show up at her Mothers funeral. She has not seen him since she was 15. He is a successful attorney and offers her a job and informs her that she has inherited her grandparents beach home.. At first she says no but after losing her job as a waitress she moves back to the town she grew -up in and goes to work for him . There are a lot of surprises and twists. as she takes on the roll of investigating an old murder. The good guys are hard to identify and some dark family secrets are uncovered.

Was this review helpful?

3.5 stars rounded up to 4. First I'd like to thank St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of Mary Kay Andrews' latest, Sunset Beach. The title grabbed me as a nice beach read, so I accepted the offer. I couldn't have been more wrong. While the story takes place in a beach town in Florida, it is more of a mystery involving two cases. One is decades old, and the other a more recent case. Both cases involve the main character Drue, who comes to live at her late grandparents home after an injury stalls her extreme sports career.
This was a quick and enjoyable read with a good story line that kept me turning the pages for more!

Was this review helpful?

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC copy. Sunset Beach was not your typical Mary Kay Andrews book. Drue is a spunky character who finds her way at the end of the story. A sometimes intriguing story of family dynamics and a who dunnit of past and presence. I thought characters could have been a little deeper and the storyline a little more detailed at time. It’s a great beach story and one that will make you want to find your own beach house to renovate

Was this review helpful?

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book for my honest opinions and review.

The Queen of the Beach Read returns back to her old roots with this mysterious gem! Set in the south, Sunset Beach 🏖 made me long for warm weather and a beach chair on the sand. As usual, Andrews’ characters are rich in discription and are people who I feel I know at the end of the story. The same can be said of her descriptions of the cottage in this novel. It’s a place I longed to visit—pink mermaid bath tub and all!
The twists and turns of this novel kept me guess right up until the end! The blend of the past storyline coupled along side the current was a nice touch and wasn’t confusing at all. With so many mysteries and thrillers out there to choose from, Sunset Beach is a refreshing change that blends mystery with traditional Beach reads. Fans of MKA will not be disappointed! I highly recommend it! 4 1/2 stars

Was this review helpful?

What a wonderful beachy read! I was not wanting to take a break from this one. It's filled with suspense and mystery as well as a great story to fill the pages.
Drue heads back to the opposite coast of Florida, where her younger years were based, reunites with her Dad after her Mom's death. She brings the scorned child attitude to the relationship but proves over time, to herself and her Dad, that each of them has grown into a different person than they remember.
Lots of great twists and turns, back story, and wonderful charecters. Their is so much more to this story, but I don't want to give too much away before you read it! A great weekend read to add to your "to be read" pile.

Was this review helpful?

This is the first time I have read anything by this author and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I would definitely read other titles by her.

Was this review helpful?

A beach read that is so much more! Mary Kay Andrews does it again with Sunset Beach! This is a perfect beach read - there's love, romance, and intrigue. It's more than your formulaic rom com. Leading lady Drue is one you'd want to see more from. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

Was this review helpful?

This will make the quintessential beach read for this summer! Of course I couldn’t wait until the summer to crack open a new book by the lovely Mary Kay Andrews i had to read it! This was wonderful like all of her other books!! Recommending to every woman that loves her toes in the sand to read this!!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Drue. I love Drue! Who doesn't love Mary Kay Andrews? She's the quintessential southern writer and as a southerner myself, my patrons wait on baited breath for her titles. This one, like her others, did not disappoint. I love the theme of family and self-discovery she weaves through her stories. It was a true vacation!

Was this review helpful?

Family, wow This one was a great read about a family. A story about a family where sad things have happened and you wonder if it ever can be a happy family! Had to see what would happen!

Was this review helpful?

Change of pace for this author in this story. Not like her previous novels but still very enjoyable. Will certainly recommend. Great Southern writer.

Was this review helpful?

Dru Campbell was at her mother’s funeral when she spotted her father, Brice. He and her mother had divorced when Dru was younger. Now Brice was a successful attorney and married to his 3rd wife, one of Dru’s former high school friends. Dru’s career as a kite boarder had ended when she was in an accident. She had been working as a bartender in Ft. Lauderdale. Her dad told her that she had inherited her grandparents house on the beach in Sunset Beach on the Gulf coast of Florida. He also offered her a job at his law firm if she moved to the house.

Once Dru began her new job, she had difficulty with the work and also with her stepmother Wendy, the office manager. One day an older woman appeared in the office with her granddaughter demanding to speak with Brice about her late daughter, Jazmin’s case. Dru discovered that the older woman was having difficulty caring for her granddaughter who had medical problems. Brice had gotten a settlement for her Jazmin’s death but the money was in trust until the granddaughter reached 18. Dru did some checking and discovered that the murder may have occurred when Jazmin had ended her shift at a resort rather than while she was working as the resort claimed. So Dru set out to find justice for Jazmin and her famaily.

While Dru was renovating her late grandparents’ cottage, she discovered police files from a missing person’s case from the 1980s. Colleen Hicks, a married woman with an abusive husband, had disappeared without a trace. In a series of flashback chapters we met Colleen and discover that she had been having an affair with Dru’s father before she died. Brice was a policeman in St. Petersburg and married to Dru’s mother. He was also attending law school part time. They met when Brice and his then partner, Jimmy Zee, had responded to a domestic abuse call from Colleen. After 6 months the affair ended and Colleen disappeared.

So two mysteries have to be solved: whether Jazmin was working when she was killed and what happened to Colleen. Dru found the solutions to both of the mysteries and may have found a new career as a private detective.

This is a fun beach read. It takes place in Florida, the beach capital of the US.

Was this review helpful?

Sunset Beach was an enjoyable read. The premise of the story is that Drue, a woman in her mid 30's, relocates her life to work for her long estranged dad after a series of unfortunate events including the death of her mom and a serious kite boarding accident that pretty much ends her ability to pursue her life-long passion. Her dad is a lawyer who is currently married to one of Drue's former friends/enemies from high school who also happens to be her direct supervisor. As the story progresses, Drue ends up trying to solve the murder of a young woman who worked at a seedy hotel who left behind a young daughter. Drew believes that her dad didn't get enough of a settlement for the family and ends up being a natural as a detective as she pursues the truth. Along the way, Drue also ends up trying to solve the disappearance of another woman who disappeared many years ago who was involved with her dad. All in all, the story moved at a pretty good clip and I enjoyed the gradual development of the characters. I think that I would have liked a bit more of a build up in the romance department but truly enjoyed this read.

Was this review helpful?

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of Sunset Beach. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Wow! I thought this novel would be good, but I was wrong-- it was even better! I loved the characters, the volatile relationships, and the determination of Drue (the persistent amateur investigating main character). Pleasantly surprised by the unpredictable results of many concurrent plots, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and will gladly read this author again!

Thank you to NetGalley and Mary Kay Andrews for the ARC!

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of Sunset Beach. This is my honest review.

Sunset Beach is more than a breezy summer read. This book has a super storyline that draws you in right away. I love the character of Dru and her struggles and finding her way. The story has a mystery element to it, so it makes you think. I really enjoyed this book. A good read!

Was this review helpful?

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

I simply adore Mary Kay Andrews and her writing style. Her characters always have spunk and sass and snark, which I admire, and resemble. :)

This had just the right amount of mystery, family dysfunction and a wee bit of love to keep me entertained, smiling, and laughing.

Highly recommend.

Was this review helpful?

Drue Campbell’s life is in shambles after her mother’s death. But when the father she hasn’t seen in twenty years shows up at the funeral, Drue takes him up on a job offer. The fact that he’s a billboard advertising malpractice attorney is a little concerning, but when Drue learns that he’s now married to her former high school best friend/enemy she’s shocked and afraid that she’s made a horrible mistake and without a backup plan.

I’m a big MKA fan and this latest title is another great addition. Her books have great stories, humor, romance, and mystery.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book.

Was this review helpful?

Loved yet another one by Mary Kay Andrews!!!!!!!!! Love the southern charm to her book's and how you fall in love with her characters. Drue is a thirty-six year old single woman who lost her mother and inherited her grandparents house and a job in her estranged father's law firm. While dealing with her daddy issues and his new wife who used to be Drue's childhood best friend by the way. She discovers some inconsistencies in a case and suspects a pay off within the company. Get a glass of wine and sit down with this hilarious novel and Dru's adventures for a little while. Enjoy!!!!!!!!!! Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the oppurtunity to read this amazing novel.

Was this review helpful?