I love a good beach read and this book had it all. Mystery, romance all situated in a beautiful setting. This is a story of redemption, forgiveness, starting over and coming home. After Drue’s mom passes away, her estranged father pops up at the funeral offering her a job. With a chip on her shoulder, she has no desire to mend the fence with her dad. After losing her job at the hole in the wall bar she works at, Drue reluctantly accepts the job offer from her dad and heads home to Sunset Beach. She moves into the beach cottage she inherited from her mom. Coming home to Sunset Beach brings Drue a lot of challenges, including her desire to get to the bottom of two murders her dad and his firm may, or may not, be connected to. Will Drue be able begin over with her dad? You’ll have to read to find out.

Oh how I love a good MKA book; this one did not disappoint! Sunset Beach is a fabulous beach read and the perfect way to kick off your summer reading. It has all the great qualities you need for a day of reading poolside or by the beach: mystery, intrigue, a little romance and a lot of great family and friends dynamics. I loved picturing Drue as she transformed her grandparents beach cottage into who own home. And I loved to see her and her father repair their long ago broken relationship. My only complaint (if you can even call it that) is that I want more! I definitely felt as if there were some storylines left unsettled. I hope that was on purpose and that we will be hearing more from Drew, Brice, and Jonah!

Sunset Beach by Mary Kay Andrews is an excellent summer read. The main character was someone to root for and was gritty enough to keep me intrigued. I kept trying to guess who the “bad” guy was in all this and loved that it wasn’t predictable and kept me guessing. I will definitely suggest this book and now I need to pick up other Mary Kay Andrew books!

I adore Mary Kay Andrews ... her books always make for wonderful summer reads! And this one is no exception. This is such an interesting mix of women's fiction, romance, and suspense. It took me time to really connect with the main character, Drue. She wasn't particularly likable initially - she was multi-faceted, honest, raw and struggling. And over the length of the novel, I came to really appreciate her as began to gain confidence and find her place in the world. When Drue begins to investigate a couple of cases, the story really came together so well. Mary Kay Andrews is able to balance the suspense, romance and personal growth in a way that builds into a really fantastic read! If you're a fan of her previous work, particularly her last novel, you will definitely enjoy this one!

Everyone loves a great summer read, and Mary Kay Andrews certainly delivers in Sunset Beach Drue has never had great luck, and when her mother dies, and she inherits her family's less than desirable beach cottage, things don't seem to get any better. With nowhere else to turn, she has to seek employment from her estranged father who is married to her frenemy from childhood.

Through her distrust for her father and hatred for her new stepmother, Drue finds herself looking for answers to two mysteries surrounding her father. As the plot unfolds, Drue learns a lot about the people in her life, as well as herself. Although this book has many mystery qualities, it is light and quirky. Perfect for a day at the beach!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book!

Sunset Beach is not just a fluffy beach read. Not at all! It includes a disappearance of a young woman forty years before the current time and it also includes an unsolved murder that is two years old. I had expected the whole fluffy beach read since this was my first book by this author and I was pleasantly surprised to find a multi-faceted novel, one with many layers and a lot of twists. Drue Campbell is having a hard life after her mother’s death. She has lost her job, can’t do kite boarding any more and is now dependent on her estranged father for a job and a place to live. Her new place to live is a tiny beach house that once belonged to her grandparents. You would think that having to depend on her father for a job would be bad enough, but his office manager is a former classmate of hers who taunts her constantly. Brice Campbell, her father, runs an ambulance chasing law firm and Drue answers phones for him. She discovers the mystery of the missing woman from four decades ago as well as the unsolved murder and sets out to investigate both. This book was full of humorous parts as well as parts that made me just want to cry for poor Drue and her situation. I did not like her father or his new wife Wendy at all, and I thought that Drue was a sympathetic but quirky character. Fans of women’s fiction with suspense and mystery thrown in will enjoy this book that was well-written with an engaging story.

This is my second Mary Kay Andrews book and I really enjoyed it!

After Drue's mother passes away, her father comes back into her life after many, many years and tells her that her grandparents cottage on the beach has been left to her and also offers her an entry level job with his legal firm. Drue is pretty bitter about her past where her father is concerned but decides to take him up on the job so she can return to the cottage that held so many great memories growing up.

Most of the story takes place in the present, but there are chapters from her parents past throughout the novel that provide some backstory of a case Drue is researching. A second case she gets involved in is in the present and Drue gets herself into some pretty situations. Her co-workers try to dissuade her from getting involved but the little girl who lost her mom really pulls on her heartstrings.

Drue’s story was interesting and so were the cases she was investigating. It was emotional at times but was also had some funny moments. There's also a love story that quietly develops in the background.

I love a book that takes me away, the fact that this one is to a beach, in a somewhat familiar area of Florida, and hits me with great writing is even better. Mary Kay Andrews is one of the queens of the Beach Read, and Sunset Beach is a hit!

From the start I was cheering for Drue, a rather edgy thirty-something woman who has just lost her mom and her ability to kite board due to an accident and injury. Her estranged father showing up is so surprising, but she is out of luck and takes his offer to return to St Petersburg and work for him. The ramshackle beach cottage is her own paradise, bringing memories of her grandparents and youth to mind. Yes it’s a hot mess after hurricanes and neglect, but it’s all hers and she wants to love it back to it’s former safe haven.

I adore a mystery, an unsolved crime or cold case, and Andrews has given us two to ponder with Drue. I was able to hear Mary Kay speak last week at Vero Beach Book Center and I was enthralled with where she gets her stories. Nice people write about the most twisted stories!

People, place and circumstances that draw you in are what made this book a total win for me. I haven’t read all of Andrew’s books, but I did purchase last year’s release, THE HIGH TIDE CLUB while at her event, because waiting for another one next year is just too long to wait!

I’ve read all of Mary Kay Andrew’s books, so my thoughts on her latest book is based on my past experiences of her work under this pen name. I enjoyed this book, but was disappointed with the ending. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but I felt like I was left hanging. Having said that, the plot is a good one. I love a good mystery. Her last few books have mixed in a good mystery with the typical romance I have come to expect in her books. This is a very entertaining mix. Definitely a good summer read her readers will enjoy. I just wish there had been a clear closure for the storyline of the book.

This is my first read by Mary Kay Andrews. I am thrilled to have stumbled upon an author with such an extensive backlist!

I really enjoyed this book. It is well written and well-paced. The story was engaging, at times emotional, and very amusing. The protagonist was a great character that I very much enjoyed following. I am looking forward to reading some of this author’s other books.

3.5 stars

Believe it or not this is my first Mary Kay Andrews book. <b>Sunset Beach</b> is a quick enjoyable read, perfect for a day at the beach. Dru Campbell has hit tough times. She has lost her mother, her job, broken up with her no-count boyfriend, is practically penniless and days away from homelessness. When her estranged father offers her a job at his law firm Dru has no choice but to accept. She is skeptical to say the least. Things seem to get worse when she is greeted by her new stepmother and old frenemy Wendy. It seems the only thing Dru has going for herself is the beach cottage she inherited from her grandparents and even that is broken down and storm ravaged. While investigating the leaky roof Dru uncovers a 42 year old mystery. Who was Colleen Hughes and what connection does she have to Dru's parents? If that weren't enough, Dru's curiosity and tenacity quickly pit her smack dab in the middle of a murder investigation. A fun fast read, I would recommend <b>Sunset Beach</b> for readers who like amateur detective novels powered by kick ass heroines. I have a sneaky suspicion that this will not be the last we hear of Dru Campbell.

<i>Special thanks to NetGalley and especially to Beatrice Jason over at St. Martin's Press who saw fit to send this book my way.</i>

As always, a great summer read from Mary Kay Andrews. Sunset Beach has family drama, murder, mystery and a little bit of romance. I enjoyed Drue’s quest for justice. A quick read that I didn’t want to put down. Definitely pick this up for a summer read.
Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader copy.

I loved this book! I read it cover to cover in one sitting. This is the perfect summer read with great charcters, intrigue and a beautiful coastal setting. I love the main character who is down on her luck but savvy, smart and does not suffer fools. A fun interesting read i highly recommend.
Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley. Fun read not sappy but smart writing with mystery , a beautiful coastal setting and a strong woman main character. Loved it!!!

This book rates 4.5/5! I really enjoyed it. Sunset Beach followed a  a few different storylines. A mystery from 1976 and a mystery involving a 2016 murder being investigated in 2018 (when the book takes place) are the main ones; it also followed Drue's life (the woman working at her dad's law firm investigating the mysteries). I thought MKA pulled this off beautifully - none of the details went amiss; all of the mysteries got answered - except one - did the person who moved Colleen get caught (you'll understand what I mean when you read!)? But I didn't feel that detracted from the story much at all. Instead, my half point comes from the east coast/west coast thing. The book takes place in Florida, which is on THE EAST COAST of the US. But it kept referring to east coast/west coast - which to me (having grown up in Jersey, also on the east coast) means Florida and California. It took me forever to realize it was referring to the east and west coasts OF FLORIDA. So that explains that. Other than that, this book was fantastic. Give it a go, let me know what you think!

Drue was feeling pretty low – she had had a debilitating accident, her mother passed away and she lost her job. Her long estranged father appeared after the funeral and invited her to move across the state of Florida and work for him. It turned out that her mother had hung onto a beach cottage that had belonged to her parents as a legacy for Drue. She had reconnected with her father, had a place to live and a job. Things were looking up, right? Not so much. As she was trying to get to work on her first day her car won’t start, she has to walk to a bus stop on her bad knee and then found out her new boss was her step-mother (whom she didn’t even know she had)and who happens to be her eighth grade frenemy. Drue tries to make the best of a hard situation. Her father is an attorney who advertises for slip and fall – “slip and fall? Give Brice a call” – car accident victims, etc. While working the front reception desk, Drue meets a woman who feels that Brice has not given her adequate representation. After looking at the case Drue agrees and pursues a different career path, that of investigator. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It was different from most of Ms. Andrews’ books but very good. There are some unknowns that keep your interest to the end.

While there was a potentially interesting premise, there was a lot of disconnect between the two main plot ideas. There were also a TON of obvious things, like (no spoilers) why in the world would the main character discuss everything she'd discovered with every single one of the other characters, including the ones she'd just met? Is nothing secret anymore? Plus, it felt like there was the "obligatory gay friend" just because there "should" have been one. There were also things that never got resolved or wrapped up in the end. I've really liked Mary Kay Andrews' books in the past, but this one was not up to her usual standards.

I am always looking forward to a good story from Mary Kay Andrews. Sunset Beach does not disappoint. She has a proven formula that I love. A woman down on her luck, finds new opportunities, makes new friends and recreates her life, while renovating a home. However, I was captivated this time by the mystery and the suspense. I wasn't expecting that. I was totally engaged while Drue dug into solving a crime, a crime everyone told her to let be. I hated to put the book down and couldn't wait to return to it. That said, I didn't ever get to know all the characters as well as I wanted to. I didn't feel like I had enough time to enjoy the cottage on Sunset Beach. I want to know so much more about these characters. Hoping she continues this storyline a little further.....

Mary Kay Andrews is one of my favorite authors. This book is a great, quick, and easy read. Great for a good beach read.

LOVED this book! A little mystery, a lot of beach, and a great story. A perfect summer read. The main character is down on her luck without being whiny, the mysteries keep you guessing until the end, and I found it to be a really good story.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A young woman is forced to return to her long estranged father for employment after a series of unfortunate happenings. Good storyline about family ties with an interesting mystery thrown in.