Fans of family drama will love The Newcomer, the latest novel by southern fiction powerhouse Mary Kay Andrews. Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book!

Letty and her niece Maya are on the run after Letty’s sister (and Maya’s mom) Tanya is found murdered in her New York home. Tanya told Letty that if anything ever happened to her, she should take Maya and run, so that’s exactly what she does. She makes her way to a charming old Florida motel called Murmuring Surf, where the owner gives her a job and place to stay. Meanwhile, figures from Tanya’s shady past are after Letty and Maya for their own nefarious reasons.

This novel was really entertaining and had a bit of everything - mystery, family drama, an adorable little girl, a budding romance, and a cast of quirky hotel regulars. Letty is a scrappy heroine determined to protect her niece, and this novel is full of strong female characters. All of that plus MKA’s skill at setting a southern scene makes The Newcomer a winner.

4.5 stars When Letty's sister is murdered, she takes her niece and leaves town with her, ending up in Florida at the Murmuring Surf Motel. A murder, drama, family relations, people who become family, love, and relationships- this book has it all. Definitely recommend.

Tanya has told her sister, Letty, if anything happens to her, it’s Tanya’s no good ex, Evan. So when Letty finds her sister dead in her New York penthouse, she’s pretty sure who the killer is. Letty takes her sister’s car and her four year old daughter, Maya, and goes on the run. With only an old magazine story about Treasure Island, Florida and a bag of highly suspicious cash, Letty and Maya head for the Sunshine State, unsure of what awaits them. Andrews delivers her usual comical, heartfelt Southern story

Thank you for the ARC Netgalley. I haven't read many Mary Kay Andrews books but I found this mystery beach read to be very enjoyable. Letty and her four year old niece Maya are on the run after Letty discovers her sister Tanya dead.
Tanya always said that if something happened to her that Letty would have to take Maya and run.

This book is going to be the perfect beach read next summer, I found myself thinking about the mystery of what happened to Tanya when I wasn't reading the book. I loved the setting of the Murmuring Surf Motel, and all of the zany characters who live and stay there. If you are looking to do a little arm chair travelling, solve a mystery and fall in love this is the book for you.

Overall, an intriguing story. I enjoyed getting to know Lettie and Maya, and the rest of the supporting cast. The elderly folks were good for a quick laugh every now and again. The baseline story involving Evan was fairly average, but it helped move the plot along.

Thank you NetGalley for this early, uncorrected copy of The Newcomer by Mary Kay Andrews. I enjoyed this book and thought it pretty well thought out, In most books of this type believable outcomes and realities should be suspended and the reader should just enjoy the book for what it is a fast, fun read with likable characters. Real world would have halted this story right at the beginning but I am glad we got a chance to see the relationship between Letty and Joe play out.
Maya is delightful, albeit pretty easily distracted which I found not to be the case with my 4 year old! While I did enjoy this read I do think the author was less detailed with the character motives and more so with location description. Bad guy was a typical bad guy, good guy a typical good guy, old person a typical old person and so on which made it a tad cliched.
I loved the setting at a bygone era motel on the Florida Gulf Coast. The octogenarian cast of motel residents/guests were fun and added a bit of color to the book. The location itself was a scene stealer, digging your toes into the warm sand while watching sunsets sounds lovely.
This is the perfect book when you just want to be distracted, a good beach read!

I'm not sure what I was expecting when I first started reading The Newcomer, but I was definitely pleasantly surprised when I got a suspenseful murder mystery with a dash of romance thrown in. The writing style and plotline remind me of an old-school Nora Roberts novel, and those were some of my favourites so I definitely enjoyed this.

The only hesitation I have for not giving this 5 stars is the lack of romance and some sort of twist at the end. I felt like the climax of the story came too early (around 70%) and resolved itself by 85% so I was left wondering what was going to happen in the last 15% of the book. The ending to the murder mystery was also neat and tidy and I wished for something a bit more complex and honestly expected the killer not to be the obvious choice. From a romance perspective, I wish there were more sizzling moments where I could feel the love they had for each other.

That said, the writing was superb and everything flowed really well. I would definitely not hesitate to pick up another Mary Kay Andrews book and would recommend this to all my friends.

I have read a couple of this authors other books and enjoyed them. However, I DNF this book due to the bullying comments that were left by this author on another author’s social media. Times are hard enough without people trying to tear others down. I appreciate the publisher providing me with this ARC to read but I cannot condone bullying behavior.

This wasn't the type of story that I am used to reading from this author, but it was entertaining and suspenseful. Letty finds her sister Tanya married, and takes her 4 year-old niece to escape to safety. Details of the murder and Tanya's past begins to be revealed as Letty finds a home at a beachside motel in Florida. A romantic interest enters the scene, but he is also a detective. The storyline was slightly predictable but suspenseful nonetheless. An enjoyable read.

Letty Carnahan is a newcomer to Treasure Island, Florida’s shades of a 60’s postcard The Murmuring Surf Motel. She’s also a newcomer to parenting as she is raising her sister Tanya’s charming four year old daughter Maya. This has all happened because she found Tanya’s dead body in the New York City townhouse she had shared with Evan Winfield. Maya, cradling her stuffed elephant toy, was crying nearby. Letty knew that Tanya believed Evan would kill her and had shown her a getaway bag stuffed with cash, jewelry and a Murmuring Surf brochure. So of course, Letty grabs Maya and ends up at the motel the next day.

Letty convinces motel owner Ava DeCurtis to rent her an efficiency, even if has been used for storage and not cleaned in some time. Letty takes that on and soon volunteers to do other housekeeping chores. The problem is Ava’s son Joe, a local policeman. He’s attracted to Ava but he also knows what happened in New York. Then Evan Wingfield enters the picture, Tanya’s past catches up to Letty and she is forced to decide what really matters to her.

Mary Kay Andrews has really nailed the Florida snowbird scene! Chaise lounges by the pool “reserved” with towels, the early bird special at 4:30, and the arguments over whose turn it is to use pools and shuffleboard courts. You expect the best of the best beach read from her and in The Newcomer, you’ve got it! 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Mary Kay Andrews for this ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC. I have been a long time fan of Mary Kay Andrew’s books and although I enjoyed this one I feel like I read it in the past. Was this a reworking of a past book?
This story had a bit of romance, some mystery and suspense, but the part I enjoyed most was the setting. The story mainly takes place at an old fashioned motel near St Pete beach Florida. Some of the characters staying in the motel were like caricatures of crotchety old people and the police officer romantic interest was disappointing to me in his blatant disregard of the law, but other than that I really enjoyed the story.

Another wonderful page turner by Mary Kay Andrews.Perfect beach read combination of mystery and romance.I really enjoyed Letty and Maya and was sorry to finish the book.#neetgalley#st.martinspress

Thanks to the St. Martins and Netgalley for an ARC in return for my honest review. I would give this 3.5-4 stars.

First, I will outright admit that I am a Mary Kay Andrews fan from way back. I have read nearly all of her books. She has always been a go-to for a good read, and The Newcomer fits the bill as a fast-paced thriller/romance.

Letty and her niece Maya are on the run from Evan Wingfield, Maya’s father and the man suspected of killing Maya’s mom, Tanya. Letty promised her sister Tanya she’d take Maya and run if anything ever happened to her, and that’s exactly what Letty did. After her sister’s murder and following a clue she had left behind, Letty ends up in Florida at the Murmuring Surf, a quaint little hotel. There she meets the owner Ava, her daughter Isabelle and son/cop Joe along with the other visitors at the hotel. Everyone soon falls in love with Letty and Maya, which all plays into the tangled story that unfolds.

MKA is always good at building stories that are page-turning and full of twists. As she writes more books, though, she keeps moving further away from the Southern charm that oozed in her original books. She used to spend more time building quirky, lovable characters, but now, it feels like the mystery, suspense and twists are more important. I miss the Southern flair that made her books special and not just a mystery. I really miss the MKA books steeped in the South.

I still enjoyed reading The Newcomer and would recommend reading it if you want a quick read. Mary Kay Andrews remains a go-to author for good reads!

Letty is on the run with her niece Maya after finding her sister murdered. She heads to the Murmuring Surf motel where she and Maya are embraced by the owner and her family.

Unfortunately, the crimes committed in Mew York have made headlines and Petty is considered a subject in the murder.

Lots of mystery and suspense in this story!

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc. The opinions are my own.

The premise of the story is that Letty finds her sister dead and takes to heart her warning: that if anything happens to her, its her ex's doing and please take her 4 year old daughter and run. So that is what Letty does. I've read some of this author's books before and enjoyed them. While i don't this this is a 4-5 star read, it keeps you entertained. Its a bit predictable, but an entertaining beach read. It grabs you in the first chapter and even though you can guess a lot of what happens, it makes you want to keep reading. Recommend it and than you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy to review!

This book has an interesting premise and blurb, and those are what drew me to it. It is categorized as a suspense, mystery, and romance, and the beginning definitely has the flavor of a mystery and suspense.

But as I read on, the story seemed to drag in many places, which diluted the suspense aspect, and there really wasn’t a mystery for me to ponder and try to solve since the identity of the murderer was pretty much presumed and established from the start.

Overall the story was fairly good—I liked the author’s writing style and enjoyed certain characters. The beach vibe was also nice. However, the execution of the storyline was okay. The pacing felt off. I wished for a better romance. And the mystery and suspense elements were rather disappointing.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an opportunity to read this story.

Really big fam of Mary Kay Andrews going back to her Savannah stories with the character Weezie. So I was really looking forward to her new novel. A young woman escapes to Florida with her niece to protect her from her from her mother's killer. In a old fashioned motel, she meets a list of characters who involve her in their lives. I find the story dragging in spots, I was anxious to get to the end to see how all these characters fared. And of course, who the murderer was. I will recommend this to my friends .

Letty Carnahan and her sister Tanya have had a troubled and emotional past. When Letty fears for her life and her daughter Maya, she makes Letty promise to take care of Maya. When Letty finds Tanya murdered she flees with the only clue she has: an advertisement for the Murmuring Surf Motel in Florida. So the story begins and you are charmed by little Maya. Letty finds work at the motel as she tried to help Maya heal and discover her sister’s past and murdered. Not to be left out is romance! The motel owner’s son is a cop. With twists and turns and heart warming scenes this book delivers suspense, love and much more.

Personally, I'm a big Mary Kay Andrews fan, and love recommending her books. The Newcomer is one of my favorites. It is more like her earlier books, with better attention to plot and character. She's back in the "old school" Florida setting, which is very appealing. The Newcomer is a page-turner, with a couple of different mystery strands, which makes it hard to put down. Loved it!

Mary Kay Andrews does it again! What appears to be a light read by the cover, is actually a story that has a lot of depth and emotion. I loved the cast of characters that Letty and Maya meet in Florida. A really good read that leaves you wanting to check into the Murmuring Surf.

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy of this book. This is my honest review.