REVIEW – Sunset Beach by Mary Kay Andrews

Published May 7, 2019 by St. Martin’s Press

 

I’m surprised that it has taken me this long to read a book by Mary Kay Andrews. However, I’m excited to have found a “new to me” author with such an extensive backlist!

Thirty-six-year old Drue Campbell has fifteen minutes to get to work but knows she’ll never make it on time. If she was back in Fort Lauderdale, she could call a friend or take an Uber. Unfortunately, Drue just moved back to the west coast so she doesn’t have any money or friends she can call. She heads for the bus stop, getting there just in time to see the bus pull away. She collapses on the bus stop bench and ends up with a large splinter in her butt cheek. The ad on the bus bench is a picture of Brice W. Campbell from the law firm Campbell, Coxe, and Kramer. “Her new boss. Her long-lost father, and as always, a major pain in the ass.”

A few months earlier Drue’s mother passed away. Her father, Brice attended the funeral. It was the first time Drue had seen him in more than twenty years. After the funeral, he gave Drue a set of keys for her Nonni and Papi’s cottage in Sunset Beach. He told her the cottage was hers, but it needed a lot of work. He asked Drue what her plans were. With a flaky boyfriend, a crappy waitressing job, and a recent injury, Drue had to admit she didn’t really have any plans. He offered her a job working at his law firm, but Drue turned him down. “I have no interest in moving back to St. Pete and zero interest in the law.”

Unfortunately, her circumstances worsened so here she was. Today is Drue’s first day of work at Campbell, Coxe, and Kramer. She finally makes it to the office and heads inside. And just when she thinks things can’t get any worse…

She meets her father’s office manager.

Drue tries to settle in at work. When she’s not at the office she’s working on getting the cottage into shape. In the attic, she finds some old papers and newspaper clippings about a missing person. She wonders why the papers are in the cottage. Drue also wonders about the recent suspicious death of a young woman who worked at a local beach resort. The woman’s mother is unhappy with how the firm handled her daughter’s case. Drue finds the case heartbreaking and begins investigating on her own.

Is it possible that someone at the firm is involved in these cases? Could Drue be putting herself in danger as she tries to find the truth?

I really enjoyed this novel!

Most of the story takes place in the present, but there are chapters from 1975/1976 interspersed throughout the novel that give the backstory of one of the cases Drue is researching.

I thought this was a very well-written, well-paced story with many great characters. Drue’s story was interesting and so were the cases she was investigating. It was emotional at times but was also often refreshingly funny.

“Sunset Beach” was an engrossing and satisfying novel with layers and twists that kept me gripped and quickly flipping the pages.

Now I just need to decide which Mary Kay Andrews novel I’m going to read next!

 

I’d like to thank St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an advanced copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.