Mary Kay Andrews never disappoints. What a great book. The characters were well developed and the story moved along at a good pace to keep me interested throughout the whole book. Letty certainly had her obstacles to get around but she was doing it to protect her niece at all cost. The book was enjoyable and I would recommend it to a friend. I was disappointed that there were so many spelling and grammatical errors in the book. It didn't take away from the book but did make it a little more difficult to read.

Mysteries and who done it are wrapped together in this engaging novel. A young woman and her niece find friends and support in a small Florida island motel as scarce information about the death of her sister unfold and love finds a way into her guarded heart.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

"The Newcomer" by Mary Kay Andrews was an easy, enjoyable read. The main character, Letty, is on the run with her 4 year old niece after finding her sister dead. She ends up at a motel in Florida, where she ends up trying to figure out how to prove who killed her sister. This book has it all...suspense, mystery, love. I would definitely recommend this one to friends!

Mary Kay Andrews is a favorite beach author and she's done it again in this story about a young girl, Lettie, who finds her sister murdered in her swanky New York Apartment. While Lettie suspects her sister's boyfriend of the crime, she finds she is the primary suspect. In keeping her promise to her sister, she takes her young niece and runs away from New York, seeking refuge in a downtrodden motel. Trying to be inconspicuous doesn't work as Lettie becomes friends with the hotel's owner and takes a position as her front desk manager.
Intrigue builds as Tanya's boyfriend, Evan Winfield, searches for Lettie so he can claim his daughter and pin the murder on Lettie.
This is a great summer beach read. The characters are likable; the plot has just the right amount of intrigue; and, of course there is the touch of humor that Mary Kay Andrews injects into all her stories.
Would highly recommend for all readers of adventure, beach reads with strong female characters.

After she discovers her sister Tanya dead on the floor of her fashionable New York City
townhouse, Letty Carnahan is certain she knows who did it: Tanya’s ex; sleazy real estate
entrepreneur Evan Wingfield. Even in the grip of grief and panic Letty heeds her late sister’s
warnings: “If anything bad happens to me—it’s Evan. Promise me you’ll take Maya and run.
Promise me.” So Letty grabs her sister’s Mercedes and hits the road . . .

Letty is determined to out-run Evan and the law, but run to where? Tanya, a woman with a past shrouded
in secrets, left behind a “go-bag” of cash and a big honking diamond ring—but only one clue: a faded
magazine story about a sleepy mom-and-pop motel n a Florida beach town with the improbable name of
Treasure Island. She sheds her old life and checks into an uncertain future at The Murmuring Surf Motel.

Mary Kay Andrews has fashioned a mystery that will keep readers engaged to the very end. Letty's efforts
to keep her niece safe from her father, and find a way to build a new life for the two of them, will charm
readers, even as they fall in love with the snowbirds that slowly welcome this newcomer. Highly recommended.

The Newcomer is a good beach read. It started off a bit disjointed/slow (as in, I was thinking "how far fetched can this get?). Girl arrives at a motel, with a child that is not hers, running away. & is taken in, given a place to stay & a job? Half way through, plot twist & the book became a "can NOT put this down" book. So as to not give away any of the story (the description given is good enough!), thanks to NetGalley & St Martin's Publishing for the pre-read in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book. It has everything you want in it. A little bit of mystery, a little bit of romance and lovable characters .I thorough enjoyed the story of Letty, Maya, and Tanya! I could picture everyone . It was like watching a movie as you read. I would recommend this enjoyable read to everyone!

Lefty finds her sister dead on the floor of her townhouse She had been told that if anything happened to her it would be by her husbands hands. Lefty takes her niece and runs away. Lots of twists and turns. A good beach read with romance, mystery, and humor

I wasn't super impressed by the writing and the character development, but I stayed for the plot. Consider this one for your next beach read.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

I so enjoyed this story, wanted it to last so much longer! Letty discovers her sister’s dead body. Her sister, Tanya, had told her that if anything happened to her, it is probably the fault of her ex, Evan, and she should take her 4 year old daughter, Maya, and run. So Letty does just that. She ends up in Florida at a motel which was featured in a magazine left by her sister. From this point the action ramps up. Letty knows Evan will be after her for Maya. Many secrets kept by Tanya come out but Letty wants Maya to be safe. She meets Joe, the son of the hotel’s owner and there is chemistry between them. I really loved the story!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

All I can say is WOW!!! Mary Kay Andrews knocked it out of the park on "The Newcomer". I totally loved the characters and the plot which made "The Newcomer" very difficult to put down. The plot and characters were outstanding. I cannot recommend this highly enough.

Thank you to Mary Kay Andrews, St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I am a huge fan of Mary Kay Andrews and appreciate an opportunity to read her latest book early!
This story focuses on our main character Letty, who is on the run with her four year old niece Maya. Letty heeds Tanya's prescient warning: if anything happens to me, take Maya and run.

Letty finds refuge in in a motel in Florida that has ties to her sister and her past. The owner of the hotel and her police officer (love interest) son try to help Letty move on while Maya's father and Tanya's past continues to threaten them.

I did enjoy this story quite a bit but felt the ending could have been edited a bit - it seemed a bit more drawn out with unnecessary events.

I can always count on a Mary Kay Andrews book to take me away and give me a heroine that I love. The Newcomer did both of these and exceeded my high expectations for Ms. Andrews' work!!

The Newcomer was impossible to put down from start to finish and all the different threads of the story were braided together beautifully.

I adored almost every character in this novel from charming Maya to the annoying Oscar. All of them were perfect and enjoyable to get to know.

What I think I loved most about this novel is that the ending wasn't super rushed. It drew out a bit so that it didn't feel abrupt and I enjoyed that a lot.

I'd also read another story just about Vikki!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an eARC copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I have read several books by Mary Kay Andrews and this was by far my most favorite to date. I loved the plot and the way the story unfolded. Personally it had me on the edge of my seat as you start with Tanya's death and the disappearance of her daughter with her sister Aunt Letty. I loved the characters that you meet at the Murmuring Surf. Letty's character truly breaks your heart as you watch her journey and solve the mystery of who killed her sister.

Lettuce Carnahan discovers her sister Tanya murdered in her New York townhouse and following her sisters wishes, takes her niece Maya and runs. Evan Wingfield is a powerful and unscrupulous man that Letty is sure murdered her sister. She will protect Maya at all costs.
When she finds herself landing in a somewhat rundown motel in a small Florida beach town she has to beg a room from the owner as the ‘no vacancy’ sign flashes. The motel is filled with a group of odd snowbirds that have been coming here for years and are not about to let a woman and a child disrupt their vacation schedules. Despite the owner’s taking a liking to Letty and little Maya, there is the problem of Joe, the owner’s police officer son, who is snooping around the young woman and little girl with an itch that something just doesn’t add up.
Great story, entertaining, crazy characters. A charming read.

****The Newcomer is an engaging story on multiple fronts. It’s a mystery, a portrait of half-sisters, one of whom now is deceased; the other portrayed in the media as the killer, a story of greed, dirty dealings, lies, and a slow moving romance. Mary Kay Andrews’ characters run the gamut from “normal” to utterly ridiculous. There are a lot of secrets to be revealed...some of which are unexpected. In other words this is a book that should not be missed. I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. Highly recommend.

A real page-turner, but perhaps a bit too long. Although there were some twists and turns in the plot, the ending was predictable. Maya was an adorable character! I would recommend this as a good book for the beach.

In Mary Kay Andrews' latest book, The Newcomer, Letty Carnahan finds her sister Tanya dead on the floor of her New York City townhouse and must act quickly to save her four year old niece Maya, who may have witnessed the crime. Letty remembers a recent conversation with her sister who insisted that if anything ever happened to her to take Maya, grab Tanya’s “go-bag” and run. She escapes to Treasure Island, Florida and finds The Murmuring Surf Motel. At The Surf she finds a nurturing motel manager, a ragtag group of retirement age snowbirds, and the motel manager’s attractive son, who just happens to be a detective on the local police force. As the book progresses, Letty learns her sister’s ex wasn’t the only one keeping secrets, Tanya had a few of her own.

It was interesting to read about life at these old beach side motels that were once ubiquitous in Florida but now are becoming quite rare. Letty and Maya find a real sense of family and community at The Surf that changes their lives in significant ways.

The Newcomer has mystery, family drama, humor and romance like only Mary Kay Andrews can weave together.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the uncorrected ARC in exchange for an honest review.

How have I just now discovered the author, Mary Kay Andrews? Thank you to #netgalley for the ARC of her new novel, The Newcomer, coming out in May 2021. I loved this book and cannot wait to seek out her other titles. The heroine of this delightful novel is Letty Carnahan who is on the run with her 4 year old niece, Maya, after discovering the body of her sister Tanya, who is murdered in her townhouse in NYC. Her sister, Tanya, always told her that if something bad happened to her she should take Maya and run with her. Tanya said she was afraid of her estranged boyfriend, Evan, who is Maya’s father and who also happens to be Letty’s former boyfriend and employer (because that adds a layer of drama to the relationships). Letty leaves without knowing what happened to her sister or having a real plan. She decides to follow the clues in her sister’s go bag, which includes an older magazine article about a motel in Florida called the Murmuring Surf Motel. Although the sign at the motel says there is no vacancy, the owner has a soft spot for Letty and Maya and lets them stay, to the dismay of the eccentric retirees and snowbirds who inhabit the motel. Letty does not know how long she should stay or who she can trust. Of course, it does not take long for Maya to win over all the residents and for Letty to realize she may have feelings for the owner’s son, Joe, who also happens to be a police officer. Can she allow herself to fall for him or does she have to keep up her guard? And who really killed Tanya? This story was such a blessing to read in the midst of this crazy pandemic. There were so many fun characters and I could easily picture the charm of the hotel and the desire to live by the sea. The second half of the book contained more suspense when an out of towner provides an unexpected update on the case and a mysterious stranger starts lurking around. There are plot twists I definitely did not see coming. Readers will definitely stick around to the end as they root for Letty and Maya and justice for Tanya. Thank you to #netgalley for the ARC. I cannot wait to recommend this book when it comes out this spring! In the meantime, go read everything else by this author. A new favorite!

Mary Kay Andrews has done it again! A great read filled with intrigue and surprises in one of my favorite places-Treasure Island in the Gulf Coast.
Letty has gone rogue with her sister, Tanya’s child after she discovers her dead. They escape to Treasure Island and a motel called The Murmuring Sands. What a cast of characters she discovers there! She and the child are safe for awhile until her sister’s past comes back to threaten. A great beach read!