A Beach To Die For: A clean private detective mystery

Bruce Hammack

Aug 2023 · Smiley and McBlythe Mystery Book 10 · Jubilee Publishing LLC

About this ebook

An island paradise… and a killer on the loose.

 

 

Warm Caribbean sunshine and the whisper of waves upon the shore beckon blind PI Steve Smiley. He’s come for the wedding of his friend, Bella, at her parents’ island resort, but the tide turns on the joyous occasion when the man slated to purchase the resort is found dead.

 

When a guest claims someone is framing her for the murder and pleads for Smiley’s help, he's no longer on vacation. With the help of his partner and Bella, Smiley’s investigation shines the light on a host of people vying for the slice of paradise. 

 

But who would be desperate enough to kill for the beachfront property and its untouched barrier reef? Smiley dives in head first to solve this mystery before the body count rises and the bride’s dreams of a picture-perfect wedding are all washed up.

 

Escape to the islands with Smiley and McBlythe as they hunt for a killer intent on having a pristine St. Croix beach, no matter who gets in his way. A great whodunit delivered with no foul language, sex or graphic violence!

Ratings and reviews

A Beach to Die For, #8 - While still an interesting story, it was missing something. I had a hard time, here and there, keeping my interest in the story. Good characters and story lines, but an average read. Source: BookSirens. 3* The Smiley and McBlythe Mystery Series: Exercise Is Murder, prequel - An interesting and immersing introduction to Steve Smiley and Heather McBlythe and their beginnings. Recommend reading this first. 4* Jingle Bells, Rifle Shells, 1 - Interesting and immersing easy read with a steady pace, good story lines, good characters and good values made this a hard to put down read. Recommend reading the prequel, Exercise is Murder first. 5* Murder In The Dunes, #4 - Difficult to put down with its steady pace, easy to read writing style and good characters and story lines. 5* Mistletoe, Malice And Murder, #9 - Interesting but too easy to figure out the murderer. Good story lines with humor and good characters. Source: BookSirens. 4*

A well-written, intriguing mystery and police procedural, the book can be read as a stand-alone novel. The plot is complex with more than one story: a destination wedding; the sale, purchase and inheritance of beach property in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands; and a murder. The author has a talent for writing a story using dialog; the personalities of the characters are revealed in what the characters say and how they interact with each other.

enjoy Steve Smiley in this series how he can analyze the scene and what process they need to follow. It was to be a joyful occasion for Bella and Adams wedding. Did someone wanting to buy turned to murder to get the victim's resort. A white board was needed to put all the suspect on, as more mishaps happen. The story line, characters all were good and turning the pages swiftly to see how it ends. Well written each one is better than the last. Given arc for my voluntary review.

About the author

Drawing from his extensive background in criminal justice, Bruce Hammack writes contemporary, clean read detective and crime mysteries. He is the author of the Fen Maguire Mystery series, the Smiley and McBlythe Mystery series and the Star of Justice series. Having lived in eighteen cities around the world, he now lives in the Texas hill country with his wife of thirty-plus years.

Learn more at brucehammack.com.