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Book Reviewed by:
Mollie Smith Waters
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Written with a wry, witty narrative voice and a plot full of twists and turns, John Keyse-Walker's Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award-winning debut is a pure delight.
As a Special Constable, Teddy Creque is the only police presence on the remote, sun-drenched island of Anegada, nestled in the heart of the British Virgin Islands. In all his years on the job, Teddy has never considered the possibility that he might have to address an actual crime on his peaceful island. That is, until he receives a hysterical call about a dead man on the beach. Indeed, Teddy is shocked to discover Paul Kellih"er, a biologist who traveled to the island every winter for research, lying dead on the sands of the island's most remote beach, killed by a single shot to the head. And when the BVI's "real police" task Teddy with informing Kelliher's nearest kin of his death, Teddy makes an even more surprising discovery: there's no record that Paul Kelliher ever existed.
Suddenly Teddy's routine life is thrown into tumult as he tries to track a killer - against his boss's wishes - while balancing his complicated family life, three other jobs, and the colorful characters populating the island around him.
Chapter One
I ran my hand along the smooth curve of Cat Wells's hip. Fine grains of sand adhered where she had rolled from the blanket as we made love. She dozed in the sun, or pretended to. I looked out across the placid waters of Windlass Bight and wondered how I had gotten myself into this mess. Living in a simple place does not always make for a simple life.
I suppose it wasn't truly a mess because no one knew Cat and I had been meeting in secluded spots around the island for the last six months. Icilda, my wife, neither knew nor suspected anything was amiss in our marriage. Icilda's daily routine of home and kids, waiting tables at the Reef Hotel, and any spare moments devoted to her activities at the Methodist church did not allow time for the detection of infidelity.
Not that she had any cause to be suspicious. I had been a model husband throughout our marriage. A good breadwinner, working three steady jobs and guiding on the side. A good father to our children, ...
As someone who grew up reading Agatha Christie novels, I have always loved a good mystery. Sun, Sand, Murder is such a book. It nicely blends crime, history, setting, humor, and a good plot. The book is enjoyable on many levels, and I am hopeful that it is just the first in a possible series...continued
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(Reviewed by Mollie Smith Waters).
Randy Wayne White
Sun, Sand, Murder by John Keyse-Walker is a winner. It is written with the coral clarity of a Caribbean atoll, and evokes an edgy rhythm that suits the protagonist, Teddy Creque, and his wholly authentic domain, the Virgin Islands. Shaun Morey, author of The Crooked Pearl and Incredible Fishing Stories
Sun, Sand, Murder is a masterful island caper. A salty whodunnit that reads like a balmy breeze and a dip in the sea. Keyse-Walker surprises at every turn so grab your sunscreen and enjoy the ride!Set on the remote British Virgin Island (BVI) of Anegada, Sun, Sand, Murder is a mystery novel that owes much to its setting.
Anegada is the northernmost island of the BVI archipelago chain (click map for larger image). Of the inhabited islands, Anegada is the only one made of coral and limestone, instead of being volcano-created like the other BVIs. Anegada is approximately ten miles in length and two and half miles at its widest part. Its highest point is only 28 feet above sea level, which is how it got its name, "tierra anegada" meaning flooded land in Spanish.
Anegada has a small population of fewer than 300 residents. It has one school where approximately seventy students, from primary to secondary level, attend classes. Most ...
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