Sun, Sea, and Murder

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!

"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.

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

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!

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

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!

A glorious mix of fraught relationships and old enemies descends on the West Wing of the Spanish Orange Tree boutique Hotel, run for forty years by Russell Aspell. The story is narrated by four of the characters, all writing in their journals for various reasons. There’s Marley, holidaying with her wheelchair bound god-fearing mother Agathe who was a frequent visitor with her husband until he died at the hotel. Terry is also holidaying with his fourth wife Marjorie and has not so fond memories of the hotel’s owner from his school days. Then there’s very likeable journalist Sanjay with his rather narcissistic solicitor partner Luke who has come over to do some professional work for Russell, and finally Russell’s niece Sally who is getting a half price holiday with her old best mate, the beautiful social influencer Jasmine. Things get off to a shaky start when Jasmine discovers her ex-boyfriend Dylan is also there with his new squeeze, and Terry blames Russell for his unexpected dip in the swimming pool. This is nothing compared to the shock they all experience when Russell is found dead in the gym a few days later. Thank goodness for Russell’s former colleague, the redoubtable Penny Haylestone, former spy recruiter and interrogator, who immediately takes charge along with Marley’s help. Where the Spanish police appear lazy and inept, Penny is a force of nature and determined to bring Russell’s killer to justice with her wealth of tactics and tricks honed to perfection in her former employment. As the pair interview the other guests and unveil crucial evidence, another murder is announced. Will Penny and Marley discover the truth in time for everyone to get a suntan before they go home?
I absolutely loved this story from start to finish! The wonderful characters are perfectly described and so easy to envisage, as the jottings of the four diary writers describe the situation in which they find themselves in their own very believable and often humorous words. This would make a smashing audiobook as I could picture each of them talking as the story unfolded. Penny is a triumph of a character, fearsome, fearless and completely in charge, although I did have a soft spot for Terry with his rather limited view of the world. Witty and warm, full of great suspects, LOTS of red herrings and two excellent and very likable sleuths, it’s a highly enjoyable locked room type murder mystery which I can definitely recommend. 5*