Sunset Beach is not just a novel. It is a crime novel wrapped in a story about a family that isn´t really a family and in which a young woman must deal with an injury that changes her life forever. So, if you are looking for a solid crime novel, you might have found your afternoon read.
Sommerglück Zum Frühstück*
by Mary Kay AndrewsTranslation Andrea Fischer
Original Title Sunset Beach
Publisher Fischer TB on March 30, 2022
Genre Novel
Pages 517
Format Paperback
Source Fischer TB
Goodreads
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If it weren't for her grandparents' little cottage, Drue Campbell wouldn't be able to take the new job at her father's law firm. In general, she feels a bit lost in her life right now. The little beach house with its old-world charm and the many beautiful memories gives her support. Then Drue discovers financial irregularities in a case the firm has been handling and sets out to find out the truth. Despite all the excitement, she doesn't have much time for love. But even if you don't search, you will find.
Story
Drue loves her independent life. She only knows what it feels like growing up with a single mother and her grandparents. That changes the moment, her mother dies and Drue has to cope not only with the grief but also with an injury that makes it clear that her life changed indefinitely. And when her father shows up after many years, she takes what he can offer. And finds something, she´d never thought possible.
Style
Basically, a solidly written novel that develops into a wonderfully designed crime novel in the first quarter. The main character makes some fundamental decisions and changes her life. The resulting conflicts and often heated discussions give the story momentum and speed. The wonderful landscape does the rest to give the reader a wonderful mental cinema.
With sensitive words, the author shows the conflict in a family that is no longer one and where new partners first must find their place. Add to that a portion of jealousy, envy, and a lot of old animosities and you have a story where mare bitingness and female life experience have their rendezvous and the main character knows how to assert herself.
Characters
Drue is a woman in her mid-thirties. She is not a career woman, nor does she have an impressive academic track record. On the contrary. She loves the loose, free life and would like nothing more than to feel the wind in her hair and the water under her feet. A stroke of fate changes everything in one moment. I particularly liked her tenacity, her way of asking questions, and her logical thinking. The woman has bite. And the heart is in the right place.
Conclusion
An all-around successful novel for entertaining reading pleasure. The mix of crime and family drama was interwoven just right and gives the reader some entertaining reading hours.
Happy reading
*This book was kindly provided to me by Fischer TB in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Thank you. Therefore, the cover of the German edition is shown first in this review.
Deutsche Rezension
Stil
Ein im Grunde solide geschriebener Roman, der sich schon im ersten Viertel zu einem wunderbar gestalteten Krimiroman entwickelt. Die Hauptfigur trifft ein paar grundlegende Entscheidungen und verändert ihr Leben. Die daraus entstehenden Konflikte und oftmals heftigen Diskussionen geben der Geschichte Schwung und Tempo. Die herrliche Landschaft tut ein Übriges, um dem Leser ein wunderschönes Kopfkino zu bescheren.
Die Autorin zeigt mit einfühlsamen Worten den Konflikt in einer Familie, die keine mehr ist und wo neue Partner erst ihren Platz finden müssen. Dazu eine Portion Eifersucht, Neid und jede Menge alter Animositäten und fertig ist eine Geschichte, wo Stutenbissigkeit und weibliche Lebenserfahrung ihr Stelldichein haben und eine Hauptfigur sich zu behaupten weiß.
Charaktere
Drue ist eine Frau Mitte dreißig. Sie ist weder eine Karrierefrau, noch hat sie eine beeindruckende schulische Laufbahn vorzuweisen. Im Gegenteil. Sie liebt das lockere, freie Leben und möchte nichts lieber als den Wind in den Haaren spüren und das Wasser unter ihren Füßen. Ein Schicksalsschlag ändert alles von einem Moment auf den anderen. Mir hat ganz besonders ihre Hartnäckigkeit, ihre Art Fragen zu stellen, und ihr logisches Denken gefallen. Die Frau hat Biss. Und das Herz am rechten Fleck.
Resultat
Ein rundum gelungener Roman für kurzweiliges Lesevergnügen. Der Mix aus Kriminalroman und Familiendrama war genau richtig miteinander verwoben und beschert dem Leser einige unterhaltsame Lesestunden.
*This book was originally published by St. Martin´s Press on May 7, 2019
Mary Kay Andrews
Mary Kay Andrews grew up in Florida and lives now with her family in Atlanta, Georgia. During the summer you will find her in her holiday residence on Tybee Island, a wonderful island just off the coast of Georgia. She is a former reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and since her bestseller Summer Rental, she is considered a guarantor for the perfect holiday experience.
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