Alicia Bessette

Callie Padget works in an Outer Banks bookshop and is about to have her first date with Tony Dodge, owner of a martial arts studio on the fictional Cattail Island. They find a body in his studio. There's also a pregnant wild mustang missing from the local sanctuary which Geri-Lynn asks Callie to help investigate quietly. I like the setting. I even like the characters better than I thought I might. I have not read [Smile Beach Murder], the first book in the series, but I didn't feel I'd missed too much by accidentally missing the first one.… (plus d'informations)

Murder On Mustang Beach is the second book in the An Outer Bank Bookshop Mystery series by Alicia Bessette.

After a devastating breakup, Tony Dodge had vowed not to date anyone for a year. Tony Dodge and Callie Padget have spent the last few months running Mustang Beach Path and working out at Tony’s Cattail Family Martial Arts.

The day that they can have their date has finally arrived. Callie and Tony are excited they can have their date later in the day. As they come from their morning run at the martial arts studio, their happiness turns to sadness as they enter the studio to find the body of Seth Goodnow, who had been strangled. Seth and his fiance had come to Cattail Island to be married on the beach and for their honeymoon,

Sadly, Callie and Tony’s first date has to be put on hold. As the police investigate, a note is found in Seth’s wallet. Tony had been bullied by Seth when they were in school. Tony had written a letter saying he would get even by killing Seth. Seth and three others had been in the Catail Martial Arts the day before. Callie and Tony will start investigating these people, along with members of the wedding party and guests who have stayed on during the honeymoon. Not only do they need to find the murderer and clear Tony’s name, but they need to get that first date planned.

Callie also gets involved with Geri-Lynn Humfield, who handedly runs the Mustang Beach Sanctuary. Her duties include looking out for health issues, watching that humans do not feed the wild mustangs, and searching for funds to keep the sanctuary financially solvent Callie was delivering a book from the bookstore where she works to Geri-Lynn. Callie helps Gero-Lynn search for a missing pregnant mare. They hope the mare has only gone into hiding until her foal is born and has not been stolen,

This story is well-written, plotted, and very descriptive in describing the island and the operation of mustang sanctuary. The characters are well-developed, engaging, and believable. The book reads at a good pace and has enough twists and turns that I was guessing until the end as to who the killer was.

I will be watching for the next book in this exciting series.… (plus d'informations)

Having lost her job as a reporter, Callie is back home, working in a bookshop. The island holds both good and bad memories for her. She was only 12 when her mother tumbled from the top of the lighthouse. Now more than two decades later, Eva, a friend suffered the same fate. The distraught 12-year-old daughter doesn’t believe it’s the suicide that the officials declared the death to be, and she wants Callie to find out what really happened. A treasure hunt factors into the mystery, and Callie must decipher the clues to hopefully figure out what Eva had discovered that perhaps led to her death. It’s a well developed mystery. The characters are interesting and the setting is delightful.… (plus d'informations)

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
Mystery, murder, treasure hunt, small beach town, spunky main character, a bookstore, a historic lighthouse, a rich reclusive older woman with secrets, a ramshackle pier, and a dangerous bull shark just off shore. All of these elements made for an irresistible cozy mystery.

Reporter Callie Padget returns to her hometown of Cattail Island in the Outer Banks of North Carolina after she is laid off from her newspaper job in Charlotte. She takes a temporary job in the town’s bookstore, just in time for the summer season. And she moves back in with her Uncle Hudson, who she has lived with since she was 12.

This debut is told in first person by Callie, who is smart, determined, and a self-appointed amateur detective. She is still aching from the loss of her mother, who died from a tumble from the town’s lighthouse 26 years ago. So when Eva, another local woman, dies after falling from the same lighthouse on the anniversary of her mother’s death, Callie is highly suspicious. She doesn’t believe either death is a suicide, and promises Eva’s 12-year-old daughter she will find answers for both of them.

The premise was captivating, and Callie’s ability to find clues and make connections kept me turning the pages. Other positives were Callie’s honest voice, and the way the author provided several suspicious characters, a few red herrings, an element of danger as well as a promising hint of romance. What took away some stars for me was when Callie recklessly puts herself in danger chasing after unstable possible murderers. And she does this twice! Why do authors have their otherwise sharp and intelligent amateur sleuths suddenly lose all common sense?

Regardless of this complaint, it’s still a worthwhile read. If you like Mary Kay Andrew’s mysteries, you’ll like this engaging novel. And it’s the first in the series so there will be more stories about Callie Padget, the lighthouse, and the town of Cattail Island.… (plus d'informations)