Sex and Death on the Beach: A Florida
Beach Mystery
is the first book in a new cozy mystery series by Elaine Viets. Filled with a
host of colorful and eccentric characters, a great setting, a couple of
mysteries, and plenty of humor, the result is a really good and highly entertaining
cozy style mystery. All too soon the read is over leaving one wanting more.
Norah McCarthy owns and operates the
apartment building known to all as “The Florodora.” Inherited from her
grandmother, Norah keeps the traditions surrounding the building alive and
well. This happens even though developers want the place and there are issues
with upkeep of the building and the grounds. The place is over one hundred years
old. That means history is everywhere inside and outside of the building. Located
in Peerless Point, Florida, a beach town between Fort Lauderdale and Miami, the
place is full of a cast of characters who are renters and also family.
History is important and part of
everything at The Florodora, but the kind of history that has been just uncovered
is the kind of history that Norah McCarthy could really do without. The pool is
broken. Again. The Sykes brothers have been using a mini excavator to tear up
the courtyard so that they can get to the pipe problem. Again. They still have
not gotten to the pipe, but the work is done for now.
They have found a buried body.
All indications are that the body is of
Sammie Lant. A notorious porn star who had recently been riding a wave of
publicity built on her riding a certain college athlete on the beach. The video
went viral and the public went crazy.
She also had tried to rent an apartment
at The Florodora only to have Nora McCarthy emphatically tell her no. Sammie
had tried again two more times and had gotten nastier each time. The last time,
back in April five months ago, the two women had a very loud and very public argument
which had resulted in the police being called. Eventually, a local cop, Jordan
DeMille, escorted Sammie off the property as Sammie loudly complained that
Norah had threatened her life.
She had.
Now Sammie lies dead in a hole near the
pool at The Florodora. As it happens, the same cop who heard Norah threaten Sammie
months ago is a Detective. Norah, who is worried that one of her residents
might have done the dead, never thought of herself as a suspect. In the eyes of
Detective Jordan Demille and other members of the Peerless Point Police, she most
definitely is a suspect. Not the only one, but a suspect of significant
importance.
Now Sammie is dead and buried on her
property and that is a huge problem. If only Liam and Lester hadn’t found the
body. But, they did, and the media is soon all over everything and hounding
residents. With things getting worse by the hour and day, and DeMille and crew seemingly
focused on her, it isn’t surprising that Norah starts investigating as best as
she can. The goal, with a little help from her friends, is to clear her good
name and restore peace and tranquility for all at The Florodora.
Way easier said than done.
Sex and Death on the Beach: A Florida
Beach Mystery is
a highly entertaining cozy mystery read. Plenty of eccentric characters, a
complicated backstory, and lots of action and suspense make the read a real
page turner. This fast read with plenty of humor hooks the reader into various mysteries,
past and present, and gradually reveals them all. Strongly recommended.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4533dqT
Published by Severn House, I picked up my reading copy via NetGalley without any expectation of a review. I went and got the book last week after I read the guest post by Elaine Viets for my blog where she provided the first chapter.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2025
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment