Death on Dickens Island: A Books on the Beach Mystery by Allison Brook
About Death on Dickens Island:
Death on Dickens Island: A Books on the Beach Mystery
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting - On Dickens Island, a fictional island in the Long Island Sound between Long Island and CT.
Publisher : Crooked Lane Books
Publication date : October 21, 2025
Hardcover Print length : 320 pages
ISBN-13 : 979-8892420488
Paperback ISBN-13 : 979-8892422536
Digital ISBN-13 : 979-8892420495
ASIN : B0DTNMGQTK
Audiobook ASIN: B0DT4WXPWL
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 fifteen-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.
My Review:
Death on Dickens Island is the first book in the brand new Books on the Beach Mystery series. Delia Dickens finds herself back on Dickens Island where she's trying to bring her parents' store into the current century and mediate between her parents. She also finds herself being the liaison between her aunt and uncle. When a newcomer is found dead on the island, both her aunt and uncle are under scrutiny.
I really enjoyed the story, characters, and paranormal elements. This story is set in a small island town where everyone knows everyone else. As Delia begins to investigate, the ghost of her grandmother appears. Her amateur sleuthing exposes more secrets than just the ones surrounding the present murder. I love the inclusion of past events surrounding the town and Delia's quest to tie them to the present.
I was provided with a copy of this book. This does not
affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. The opinions I have
expressed are my own.
My Rating:
About Allison Brook:
A former Spanish teacher, Marilyn Levinson writes mysteries, novels of suspense, and books for kids. Her books have received many accolades. As Allison Brook she writes the Haunted Library series. Death Overdue, the first in the series, was an Agatha nominee for Best Contemporary Novel in 2018. Other mysteries include the Golden Age of Mystery Book Club series, the Twin Lakes series, and Giving Up the Ghost. Her suspense, Come Home to Death, was released in April 2024, and her suspense, Dangerous Relations, will be republished in 2025. Death on Dickens Island is the first book in her Books on the Beach series.
Marilyn's juvenile novel, Rufus and Magic Run Amok, was an International Reading Association-Children's Book Council Children's Choice and has recently come out in a new edition. Rufus and the Witch's Drudge, the second book in the series, has been released, and the third, Rufus and the Dark Side of Magic, will be out later this year. And Don't Bring Jeremy was a nominee for six state awards. Her YA horror, The Devil's Pawn, came out in a new edition in January 2024.
Marilyn lives on Long Island, where many of her books take place. She loves traveling, reading, doing crossword puzzles and Sudoku, chatting on FaceTime with her grandkids, and playing with her kittens, Romeo and Juliet.
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Thank you for featuring DEATH ON DICKENS ISLAND today.
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