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I read segments of the book as my vision tolerated an it looked great. Wish it had been TTS enabled and/or available on different platforms.
I requested and received a free temporary EARC from the author via NetGalley,

Sun, Sea and Murder by J.S.Savage is the absolute five star read for me.

This is a British cozy mystery set in the hot Spanish sun. It gave me Death in Paradise and Agatha Christie vibes and in my book it doesn't get any better than that.

I loved everything about this book.
The setting was so well described that I could feel sun on my face and hear the waves.

There is a multiple POV which I adore. I had no problem following the characters or remembering their names. The characters were so well done I could see them in my mind, I could hear their voices. They are all so special and not stereotypical at all.

The mystery itself was very inventive, although I did have a hard time understanding the compexity of it, but had no trouble understanding the explanationn.
The ending was satisfactorily done, explained in detail and made sense. I especially liked how we got to read about several of the characters received the naming of the killer.

This book has my highest recommendation and I think that it would be absolutely perfect for TV adaptation

Several guests from Britain arrive at Orange Tree Hotel in sunny Spain. These include Marley with her handicapped mother, Sanjay, a journalist with his boyfriend Luke, Sally, the niece of the owner of the hotel with her girlfriend Jasmine, Terry with his wife Marjorie, and Dylan, ex-boyfriend of Jasmine with his new girlfriend Elle.
A couple of days later, the hotel’s owner Russell is found dead locked inside the hotel gym. His wounds indicate he was murdered. Thus it is a locked-room murder. Penny Haylestone, a close friend of Russell proceeds to investigate and solve the case with the help of Marley but not before there is another murder.
The plot is good, the suspense is maintained, the characterisation is good and the author shows promise. But because of some shortcomings, enumerated below, I rate the book as 3 stars.
First of all, the beginning is too slow-paced and it takes some time to pick up. Often I was tempted to give up reading the book. His first book also had the same shortcoming.
Again, at times, the writing style becomes rather jumpy and erratic marring the smooth flow of the narrative. Also there are unnecessarily detailed descriptions at times.
The book is fairly clued. But I found that most of the clues are so densely hidden that a reader would generally fail to remember them. This shows the timidity of the author. A brilliant author would boldly flaunt the clues and still get away with it. I will give one example. In the opening day dinner, it is mentioned that Marjorie’s plate contained glazed sausages, prawns, stuffed vine leaves, chicken thighs and chips. The clue is that the plate contained prawns though it is soon revealed by her husband that she does not like shellfish. Now when there are so many items listed on the plate will any reader remember that prawns was one among them ?
I was also unimpressed by the how of the locked room problem. It involved the use of mechanical contraptions, my least favourite locked room solution type.
Another negative aspect was the motive. It came entirely out of the blue towards the end when the solution was being revealed without any inkling of it previously. This is not fair play with the reader.
I was also irked by the superiority complex of all the characters towards the local people who are regularly mocked. The Spanish police are portrayed as bumbling buffoons.
Considering all the above aspects, I rate the book as 3 stars. I preferred the first book which I rate as 4 stars .

J S Savage’s Sun, Sea and Murder is a really enjoyable locked-room mystery that harks back to the Golden Age of storytelling.
The story is set in the Orange Tree Hotel in Spain where a diverse group of guests have assembled hoping to have a fun holiday in the sun.
The guests include: Terry, who is on holiday with his wife Marjorie. Sally, who happens to be the niece of the hotel’s owner is holidaying with her best friend Jasmine. Marley, is holidaying with her mother, who is confined to a wheelchair. Sanjay, is holidaying with his partner Luke.
The story is told from each of the above guest perspectives. There are a few minor hiccups suggesting things are not all they seem at the hotel, and then Russell Aspell, the hotel owner, is found murdered in what seems to be a locked room. Russell does not appear to be the most likable man, but who would want to kill him? A hapless detective is assigned to the case, and as he does not seem to be making much headway, Penny Haylestone, one of the guests decides to investigate herself. She recruits Marley along for the ride, but before they can make much headway, another murder occurs.
Full of wit and humour, along with a clever, but not overly complex plot, this is a fun, escapist read and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.
My thanks to Netgalley and J S Savage for the much-appreciated ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.

The first book I have read from this author. A solid four star read. Great premise. Well written. Good characters. Page turner. Plenty of suspense to keep me guessing. I wouldI definitely would read the next novel. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

This is a well written fast paced and highly addictive locked room mystery that had me hooked from page one! This book was unique as it was told from the perspective of four different narrators, each with very different personalities. I especially enjoyed the character of Penny Haylestone, a former spy, who is determined to find out who murdered her good friend. I hope she will feature in another book in this series.

Book Review: Sun Sea and Murder : A Locked Room Mystery
Stars:: 4 X 5
Author: J.S. Savage
Publisher: Independently Published
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC

Guest Arrive at the Orange Tree Hotel in Spain expecting to have a fun filled sunny vacation, But, what they find is the Hotel’s owner Russell
A spell dead and inside a locked room.

There are several characters in this book:
Terry and his wife Majorie
Sally who is the niece of Russel and her best friend Jasmine who are on vacation
Marley and her mother
Sanjay and Luke

All has gone awry since they have arrived and Russell was killed. Penny Haylestone is a guest who decides to investigate the murder as she does not think the detective assigned to the case is not very good. Penny ends up recruiting Marley to help. All is going well until another person who is murdered and that person happens to be a guest. After this all the guest are now suspects along with the hotel employees., Can Penny and Marley find who the murderer is before it happens again?

I liked how the characters are created with difference ages and such diversity in their background. There is never a dull moment as with each turn of the pages one is eager to find out who the murderer is, There is a bevy of emotions such as humor, love, anger, and even annoyance all entangled in this story. Never a dull moment. I did not have any idea who the killer was till the end. This was a great modern locked down murder who dun it and such a clever plot.

Sun, Sea, and Murder was a deliciously complex and twisted read! Fans of the traditional mystery will eat it up.

The story is told in a series of diary entries from four different guests, all staying at a dreamy resort in Spain with a friend and/or family member. Each chapter switches to a new diary entry, following along the aftermath of an unexpected death.

The perspective, and voice shifts are done really well and kept me engaged through the entire story. I found myself chuckling along with clever jokes and a clear depiction of the gorgeous setting.

I will add one trigger warning: there is a fairly graphic, on-page scene that depicts extreme pain. I personally wasn't bothered by this, but I could see it being an issue for others. It was a little more unsettling than the usual cozy/trad mystery, and might not be expected from readers of this genre.

Overall, I found Sun, Sea, and Murder to be a really fun, complex mystery that had me wishing I was drinking gin on a Spanish beach. Definitely would recommend!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC

I loved the storyline and the plot. It was really hard to put this book down because it was so addictive? If you’re looking for a quick read for the summer and a locked door mystery, this one is for you. And I really recommend this one to everyone

This was the second book I have read this month and it was brilliant! I haven’t read many locked door mysteries and omg this delivered in many ways. The book opens up with introducing the characters - Marley, holidaying with her handicapped mother. Terry, holidaying with his wife Marjorie. Sally, the niece of the hotel's owner, holidaying with Jasmine, her best friend and Sanjay, holidaying with his life partner, Luke.. I really liked how the author decided to create the main characters with different ages, their parings and distinctive personalities. By doing this, with humour, witty and badass aspects it really lifted the book to be so good.

The plot from the get go dives into a murder and possible suspects. I love how there is no messing about and goes straight to the nitty gritty. There is never a dull moment as the writing flows through evenly leaving you with the eagerness to find out what happened. It felt as if I was holidaying with the characters, being involved with the drama going on. That’s how inviting the storyline is. The mystery is increased which I really liked. There is something so satisfying of going along with the book and not having a clue about whodunnit with less obviousness being presented to you.

I couldn’t put this down and thoroughly enjoyed it!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc.

"Sun, Sea, & Murder" by J.S. Savage is an enjoyably locked-room mystery with Christie-esque vibes set in a hotel in Spain. I love such books, and the lovely cover drew my eye, prompting me to read it.

The book follows several protagonists and is told alternatively from their first-person point of view. Let's meet our narrators:

• Marley, holidaying with her handicapped mother.
• Terry, holidaying with his wife Marjorie.
• Sally, the niece of the hotel's owner, holidaying with Jasmine, her best friend.
• Sanjay, holidaying with his life partner, Luke.

They, along with some other guests, came to the hotel expecting to have a good time. Murders certainly weren't on the menu, but murders they got. The vacation goes awry when the body of Russell Aspell, the hotel’s owner, is found inside a locked room. The detective assigned to the case isn't exactly the sharpest pencil in the cup, so Penny Haylestone, a Miss Marple-like character and one of the guests, decides to investigate with Marley as her sidekick. The plot thickens when another guest is murdered in plain view of the other guests. With two baffling murders, a diverse set of suspects, and one witty sleuth, you've got a great mystery to figure out!

I enjoyed the book very much and grew attached to some of the characters. I loved the humor and the interactions between the characters, as well as the level of detail put into their backstories. The setting was well-sketched, and I liked the eclectic mix of characters. The author did a great job of establishing them as real people. I didn't guess the identity of the murderer/s, and the plot kept me interested throughout the novel.

The overall writing style of the book was smooth, but it got a bit erratic at times and could use some smoothing out. Each chapter heading clearly indicates the speaker, which is helpful, especially since some voices are more distinctive than others, thus preventing confusion. I also found it a bit odd that not only did the four narrators keep a journal, but they also kept mentioning it throughout the narrative. There was a subtle suggestion of a romance that might have developed between two characters, and the addition of an epilogue would have been great to provide closure.

Overall, it was a fun read that I enjoyed immensely, so I rate it 4.5 out of 5 stars, rounded up to 5. The mystery within the pages of this book is solidly developed and compelling. I would love to read more books with the sharp Penny. I recommend this book to those who love a clean locked-room mystery without gore. The reader never gets bored at any point in time. It is the perfect escapism!

* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc. All opinions are my own.

A great summer read that keeps you guessing until the end. It's an easy read and cleverly written from various protagonists viewpoints.

Good book! This was definitely a locked room mystery! I don't think I've really read one before?! But it was good! Very light hearted! But it had suspense, intrigue, murder, mystery, some great amateur sleuthing, and a few crazy twists and turns! The storyline was interesting and flowed nicely! I usually like my books with a little more grit lol but thus book was worth reading! I would recommend it! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

I read this book in 24 hours, I absolutely loved it! I was pulled in by the cover and the story didn't disappoint. A suspenseful read with a beautiful setting and lovable characters. I could not put this book down and highly recommend for anyone looking for a great locked door mystery!