Book 1 of A Books on the Beach Mystery. A good story with many twists but the main character needs some fine tuning. That said I enjoyed the mystery. Looking forward to how the next goes. Thanks #Netgalley and #CrookedLaneBooks for the eARC in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are mine.

The review of Death on Dickens Island is a split decision for me. I enjoyed the mystery…who is the murderer and why, but I really didn’t like Delia, the main character. Delia has returned to Dickens Island to help her father update the general store (though getting him to actually accept change is almost impossible). The part I had trouble with was that she was also reconnecting with her 15 year old son whom she had let her parents raise since he was three. She does a lot of moaning about it was the best choice for him, but it really was about her being able to stay in Manhattan without having to take care of her child. And, of course, Connor feels like she deserted him! There is plenty of family drama and island politics in the story, so the story feels half cozy mystery and half women’s fiction.
Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

Cozy, mysterious & twisty. Perfect book to read with a cup of tea and a blanket, while following the storyline full of mystery.

Delia Dickens returns to Dickens Island to help her dad revamp his general store to bring in more customers and more tourists. She is also pressured into getting into the middle of her aunt and uncle's marital problems, she reunites with her first serious boyfriend, she reunites with her son that she essentially abandoned 12 years ago, she adopts a dog, and she encounters her grandmother's ghost.
I did not finish this book. I read through chapter 21, a little over 50% (54% according to my Kindle) but this book was not for me. I've read many cozies over the years, and while this had many cozy elements, it seemed like the murder took a backseat to the abundance of drama going on in Delia's family.
Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC.

A cozy mystery maybe trying to be something more? The tone was slightly all over the place, as was the pacing. I also couldn’t understand some of the character’s reasonings for their choices (12 years!?!???). Otherwise, it was fun, but ultimately confused. The pirate bit was cute. though!

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

I'm a little conflicted on this book. On the one hand, I liked the setting and I'm interested to see more of the island life and residents, and what the future looks like for them. I also enjoyed the pirate connection. Here it was mostly used as a setup for other plot points, but can I hope there will be a bigger storyline somewhere in future books?
On the other hand, there's sooo many conflicts between all the characters. Even for a first in series, this book moves slower than others and I think this is the reason. The family dramas overshadowed the mystery, and some would have been avoided if everyone minded their own business and didn't jump to conclusions. Plus I can see why Connor feels Delia abandoned him, because she did. Given the circumstances maybe a few weeks or months but how do you justify 12 YEARS?! It makes it hard for me to like the character.
The paranormal element is a fun idea but didn't really serve a purpose here. Delia easily could have acquired info from the journals or other sources. Hopefully Helena becomes more prominent. Then there was a major clue given about halfway through that seemed awfully early to reveal everything.
I may check out the next book to see how it goes. I liked the character relationships and mysteries in the Haunted Library series

Death on Dickens Island is a delightful cozy mystery with a bookish twist and a charming island setting. Allison Brook weaves an engaging plot filled with literary references, lovable characters, and a murder that keeps you guessing. The atmosphere is cozy yet intriguing, and the protagonist’s curiosity is infectious. A few pacing issues kept it from being a full five stars, but overall, it's a satisfying mystery that will appeal to fans of book-themed cozies. A great start to what promises to be a fun new series!
#DeathonDickensIsland #NetGalley

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this book to review.

This was a fun mystery novel, and I enjoyed it a lot. I am looking forward to reading more by this author.

Delia Dickens has spent a dozen years living in Manhattan or Boston since her messy divorce. Now she has come back to the small town on Long Island to reconnect with her teenage son and to help modernize the family business. Then comes the murder and her need to investigate as well as visits from her grandmother's ghost. Well worth reading this first in a new series.
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected digital galley from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. Pub Date Oct 21, 2025 **** review #NetGalley @bookbub @goodreads #LibraryThing
#DeathonDickensIsland by Allison Brook @marilynlevinsonauthor #BookontheBeachMysteriesBk1 @crookedlanebooks #cozies #cozyparanormalmystery #bookstagram #cozymystery #newseries #storygraph #smalltown #longisland #divorcee #estrangedteenager #grandmotherghost #rescue dog
#familydrama #familyexpectations #slyhumor

Delia Dickens has come home to Dickens Island, a small island in the Long Island Sound, after a twelve-year stint in Manhattan. She’s looking forward to helping her father revitalize the general store that the family owns as well as curating a small book nook. Most importantly, she wants to reunite with her fifteen-year-old son. But Dickens Island isn’t the peaceful town Delia remembers–and she might be in more danger here than she ever was in the big city.

This was a quick read and a delightful book. The characters are amazing and the story is wonderful.

This is the first in a new series by Allison Brook--known for her Haunted Library series. Set on the fictional Dickens Island on Long Island Sound, the story involves parts of the same family who has inhabited the island for centuries. When Delia Dickens returns to the island after leaving Manhattan, she finds the island much changed. As she attempts to help her father run his general store, she also tries to modernize it while getting pushback from her father.

As the story progresses, we see two murders--one from many years ago and one from today. And did I mention her dead grandmother has a thing or two to say?

Overall, a nice start to a new series. Interesting character and a great setting. Lots of room for character development and an interesting mystery.

Delia Dickens has returned home to the island named after her ancestors, and with her estranged teenage son now lives in the house left to her by her grandmother, Helena. With disagreements between Delia's aunt and uncle in their capacity as the town manager and local council leader causing problems in their marriage and between islanders the small community is no longer the haven Delia remembers and when a friend of her uncle is found murdered she finds herself both investigating and acting as a marriage councillor! Can she really find a killer, repair her relationship with her son, reconnect with her first love, and get her head around the fact that her late grandmother haunts her old home, all while trying to rescue the family business? Delia has a feeling she may have taken on a bit too much?

I was able to read an advanced copy of this thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Crooked Lane Books, but the opinions expressed are my own. I loved this author's Haunted Library Mystery Series, which sadly finished last year, and was delighted to see this new title by her. This hasn't hit the previous heights yet, but it was definitely a good if very busy start! Delia is easy to like, as is her son, Connor, and there is a rescue dog to enjoy as well! I am definitely looking forward to reading more. 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars.

"Death on Dickens Island (The Books on the Beach Mysteries #1)" by Allison Brook is a new series and similar in some ways to Allison Brook's Haunted Library Series. Delia Dickens has recently moved back into her grandmother's home she inherited on Dickens Island (yes, named for her family) to make a more active role in her teen son's life. Her mother is needing a break from the island and feels it's time the Delia take a more active role in the family interest of the island and in raising her own son. Her son been being raised most by Delia's parents after a rather traumatic divorce from her husband when her son was a toddler. Delia is trying to help her father and uncle see it's time to modernize and change the direction of the island.

Unfortunately, being a small town/island there's drama. Especially when someone turns up murdered. Delia gets pulled into it since her uncle had a questionable relationship with the victim and the ghost of her grandmother has appeared to tell her that the energy balance of the island is way out of whack. With help from her grandmother's ghost and the few locals who are still around to remember history, more than one mystery is solved.

Delia is back home on Dickens Island after a long time away; her parent's marriage is seemingly in trouble and so is her aunt and uncle's, which she is asked to mediate. She is trying to reconnect with her son, who has been living with her parents for most of his life and she is trying to update the family's general store into the 21st century.

This story had all the earmarkings of a good cozy, but it wasn't for me. It was nice, but there were points that were too slow; there was not a big build-up to the reveal of the murderer; there was a ghost presence that seemed forced, rather than integral to the plot; and there were points that I forgot I was actually reading a cozy.

This, to me, seems more like a general fiction story with cozy elements mixed in. If I had known that going into this story I think I would've enjoyed it more.

3 stars

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

A fantastic cozy mystery. It was such a lovely book. I loved the charming characters and the town itself. It had a fun plot twist for me. I had to keep guessing who was the culprit. It was entertaining and lighthearted.

Cozy nice characters, interesting addition of a ghost, murder mysteries old and new. Enjoyable read. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was a fun cozy mystery. There is a ghost that plays a small part and I enjoyed it. I look forward to the next one.

Allison Brook is the queen of cozies! This book was absolutely everything I want in a mystery and I can't wait to see what this author puts out next!

Delia Dickens whose ancestors first settled Dickens Island heads home after living in Manhattan for 12 years. She know if she is going to build a relationship with her 15 year old son she needs to start. Her father owns the general store on the island, he asks her to come home to help bring the store up to date, yet fights her at every turn, Meanwhile, Delia's mother has moved into her Manhattan apartment for a break of indeterminate length leaving Delia to cope with the Dickens Island family. Shortly after arriving back on the island Delia encounters marital strife between her aunt and uncle, challenges mothering her son, a stray dog adopting her and a murder. As she attempts to wend her way through all this, a familiar figure reappears to assist, her deceased grandmother. Captain Kidd's journals, along with a treasure map provide a catalyst for more adventures before Delia's challenges mostly resolve.
I thought this was a great start to a new series. First books are always a bit of a challenge for me because there is usually so much time creating the setting and introducing the characters the plot suffers a bit. I did not find that to be true in this book. For the most part it felt very organic. My only discomfort would be with the relationship between Delia and her son, Connor. The initial interactions and their relationship later in the book felt true, but when the breakthrough came, it felt abrupt and forced to me.
I look forward to reading further books in this series. A return to Dickens Island would definitely be in my future reading plans.
Thanks to Crooked Lane and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.