Dying on Edisto

Dying in Edisto is an entertaining mystery novel set on Edisto, one of the South Carolina Atlantic Islands. We have Callie Morgan, Chief of Police of Edisto Beach, a small woman reeling from recent heartbreak but doing all she can to keep her people safe and happy. There are Carolina Slade and her sidekick Wayne Largo, both federal employees in the U.S. Department of Agriculture segment of government vacationing for a week at Indigo, a new resort on nearby Edisto Beach. Then we have Callie's neighbor, Sophie Bianchi, a yoga instructor, and self-proclaimed spiritual guide. All quirky, confident adults with good instincts and the need to serve, this crew and their awesome support group on Edisto Island fight the good fight. And we are going to need them all, these good guys when the coroner calls it murder.

Dying on Edisto is the fifth of the Edisto Island Mysteries books, but completely stand alone. Ms. Clark has a couple of mystery series - this one combines the primary protagonist of the Carolina Slade Mysteries with the Edisto Island Mysteries cast, for an interesting mix-up. I will need to read all of both before I can be satisfied now that I've gotten the fever.

I am pleased to recommend C. Hope Clark to friends and family. Her descriptive passages put you on these islands she so obviously loves, and her protagonists are special, flaws and all.

I received a free electronic copy of this mystery novel from Netgalley, C. Hope Clark, and Bell Bridge Books in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.

This is my first Clark book, and it was a good one. The author has lots of talent and combines a good plot with interesting, well-written characters; plus good dialog. I'm glad it is a stand alone. I'm prompted to read some others in the series. Recommended.

I really appreciate the advanced copy for review!

I enjoyed this well written and entertaining mystery.
I had some problems in understanding the characters as I didn't read the other books in this series.
I loved the setting and liked the plot and the well written characters.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book, all opinions are mine

A dead body is never good for business. And when it is found by vacationing federal investigators Carolina Slade and Wayne Largo while Police Chief Callie Morgan happens to be visiting the newly opened resort, the potential for conflict is no surprise. Especially when it is outside their respective jurisdictions and the local detective is not a nice guy. The author provides the reader with insights into both Callie and Slade, their motivation, their pasts, and their relationships with others.
The plot was intricate and well developed, with twists and turns leading to a satisfying resolution and vivid descriptions of a picturesque southern community. An enjoyable mystery.
This was my first time reading anything by this author. I liked this book, though I suspect it might be easier to get into for fans of both series who are already acquainted with the two main characters. That said, I just might go back and read the earlier books in those series.

When an author has two really good series, it’s nice when the main characters come together in a crossover as in Dying on Edisto which combines Callie Morgan of the Edisto Island Mysteries and Carolina Slade of the Carolina Slade Mysteries. This particular pairing works quite nicely and readers new to Ms. Clark’s work will find themselves enticed to try the two series after this one.

In any crossover, balancing the two halves can be a little dicey but I felt that Ms. Clark created a story that allowed me to get a good “read” on both Callie and Carolina aka Slade, not to mention Wayne, and their very different personalities kept me reading into a very late night. These people, strangers until now, eventually behave as though they’ve known each other for years and have become a well-oiled investigating machine after their initial mutual distrust but they still have moments of real conflict. After all, local law enforcement and the feds don’t always see eye to eye, do they?

With a plethora of leads and multiple potential motives, not to mention an obnoxious detective who actually has jurisdiction, getting to the truth behind travel writer Addison Callaway’s suspicious death proves to be a road full of potholes, if you will. Half the fun of this story lies in watching all these law enforcement folks follow the clues and try to maintain a more or less professional, if somewhat adversarial, professional détente. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and, although it’s supposed to be a standalone, I hope to see this crew together again sometime.

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, April 2019.

This is my first book by C. Hope Clark and I'm officially hooked!! I can't wait to find more to get lost in and the best part is it was set in my home state, South Carolina!!
Dying on Edisto by C. Hope Clark is set on Edisto Island and it brings her two series, Carolina Slade and Edisto Mysteries, together in one wonderfully written story. If you've never read anything by this author than I highly recommend it to anyone that enjoy's mysteries or not.

This is book 5 in the Edisto Island Mystery series. It can be read as a stand alone with no problems. When Carolina Slade discovers a body while on vacation she and Wayne are asked by the police to help with the case. (Carolina and Wayne are from The Carolina Slade series by Ms. Clark) This is a crossover between the two series. Callie Morgan, the chief, is recovering from her last big case and feels like she needs their help. With poison, drugs and bad guys running around Edisto something needs to happen fast. A great collaboration between the two series. I've read several of each. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The description of the story sounded intriguing and certainly had merit. Murder of a travel blogger who either loved or hated his travels on an idyllic island in the sun. An extremely fancy new resort bringing welcome trade to the island but with a darker side down in the backwaters, eccentric characters with hearts of gold and a miscellany of police types. The latter were hard to come to grips with at first for an non US citizen as I really don't get all the species and sub-species of police that the USA has. Confusing as to who had jurisdiction where, over whom and when - let alone the inter-relationships of the people themselves.. Baffling this side of the Pond. Then there was the American dialogue which also took a while to take on board. When I did get there it was largely an interesting and fast paced story that I enjoyed. Beach Police Callie was a strong female lead ably helped by vacationing Dept of Agriculture investigators Slade and Largo, although Slade was a pain at the start. Callie was less, not, supported by the obnoxious Town Council leader and the local other policeman. There was sufficient back story to understand some of Callie's problems without overly taking over the police procedural side of the story. I might well go and read others in the "Callie" series but not the "Slade" ones. Thanks to NetGalley and Bell Bridge Books for an advance copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Evidently, Clark has two series and this book, DYING ON EDISTO, brings them both together in a standalone. Both series feature strong independent women with ties to investigation and law enforcement based in different areas of North Carolina. Both books have been winners with local detail and atmosphere combined with good plotting and characters you want to meet again. A murder of a hospitality blogger sets off conflicting jurisdictions and priorities in the search for the truth. Highly recommended.