Death on Dickens Island (The Books on the Beach Mysteries, #1)

A divorced sleuth in her thirties must bring peace back to her small town after a murder tears neighbors and family members apart in this series debut from Agatha Award-nominee Allison Brook, perfect for fans of Cynthia Riggs and Eva Gates.

Delia Dickens has come home to Dickens Island, a small island in the Long Island Sound, after a twelve year stint in Manhattan. She’s looking forward to helping her father revitalize the general store that the family owns as well as curating a small book nook. Most importantly, she wants to reunite with her 15 year old son. But Dickens Island isn’t the peaceful town Delia remembers–and she might be in more danger here than she ever was in the big city.

Delia’s Aunt Reenie and Uncle Brad, both prominent community leaders, are at odds over the sale of a farm and its future use. This has created friction, not only in their marriage, but amongst the citizens of the town. When a young woman, new to the town council and friendly with Brad, is found murdered, everything escalates and reaches a new boiling point.

With Reenie and Brad both suspects in the case and at each other’s throats, the townspeople start to take sides. When the ghost of her grandmother visits her, Delia learns how past events have impacted the present and it is up to her to expose the farm’s sordid secrets, in order to catch a murderer and restore peace to her beloved island.