Audiobook Review: Beach Thriller by Jamie Day

 

Beach Thriller by Jamie Day

Publication Date: June 9th 2026 by Macmillan Audio

Pages: 368

Audio Book Length: 12hrs 20min

Narrators: Emily Shaffer, Jane Oppenheimer, Jennifer Pickens, Megan Tusing

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Holly, a moderately successful writer, is suffering from writer’s block, but needs to come up with her next book soon. Especially since she’s hurting for cash. Moving back to her childhood home, a rundown beach cottage isn’t something she wanted to do but it’s all she can afford. Holly just needs to hunker down and write a book. That’s difficult when reminders of her sister’s death which was ruled as “undetermined” are around every corner. Holly knows in her gut that Anna was murdered, but the police did little to solve it.

 

Jade, not quite eighteen, ran away from a troubled home has also landed in Beauford, her path intersecting with Holly’s.

 

Finding her old draft, “Beach Thriller”, which was based on those events motivates Holly to uncover the truth and finally get justice for her sister.  Unfortunately, digging around for the truth puts both Holly and Jade in danger.

 

It took me a bit to get into the story and some of the dialogue and reactions felt a little off, but around the 30% mark I was fully invested. I enjoyed Beach Thriller and liked both Holly and Jade. I liked the “book within a book” aspect. I guessed at some of the reveals, but others were a surprise. I appreciated how it all was explained and made sense, wrapping up the story in a satisfying conclusion.

 

I listened to the audio version and having a full cast of narrators, one for each POV, definitely enhanced my enjoyment!

4 Stars

Book Description:

Holly Sinclair, a struggling writer, is forced from her cherished New York apartment and returns to her family's seaside cottage in the charming town of Beauport, Massachusetts—a home she hasn't seen in nearly twenty years. Guilt grabs her the moment she arrives. Years ago, her sister died here, and Holly still blames herself.

She arrives on a mission from her literary agent to write a best-selling novel. Her future depends on it. But she’s not the only one with an agenda. Someone is watching Holly's every move from the shadows. Desperate for a good idea, Holly makes the fateful choice to write about her past. The Watcher sees all and knows what Holly doesn’t: Some secrets must remain buried.

As threats from the ominous Watcher become increasingly sinister, Holly realizes that, even though the past is a faint echo, it is still close enough to be deadly.

Review: The Storm by Rachel Hawkins

 

The Storm by Rachel Hawkins

Publication Date: January 6th 2026 by St. Martin's Press & Macmillan Audio

Pages: 288

Audio Book Length: 7hrs 48min

Narrator: Alex Knox, Cathi Colas, Dan Bittner, Jane Oppenheimer, Patti Murin, Petrea Buchard, Stephanie Németh-Parker

Source: Publishers

Rating: ★★★½

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Geneva has inherited her parents’ beloved but financially struggling inn, the Rosalie, perched on the hurricane‑battered coast of St. Medard’s Bay, Alabama. The historic property has weathered many storms, yet keeping its doors open has been a fight. So, when August Fletcher, a true‑crime author, books a long stay to research the infamous Lo Bailey case, Geneva sees a rare opportunity to help keep the Rosalie afloat.

 

Lo Bailey, a local girl accused of killing her married lover during the catastrophic Hurricane Marie in 1984, has always been a name Geneva recognized but never truly understood. As a new hurricane builds and threatens, secrets are revealed that tie past and present together.

 

The tension builds chapter by chapter, each reveal raising the stakes as the incoming hurricane barrels closer. The story unfolds through multiple POVs, primarily Lo and Geneva, with glimpses of August through his manuscript and other characters. Lo, in particular, was a standout: flawed, magnetic, and impossible not to root for.

 

While I correctly guessed some of the twists and found a few details a bit far‑fetched, I was completely absorbed from start to finish. It’s an engaging, atmospheric read that kept me turning pages.

 

I alternately read and listened to the audio copy and can recommend either version. The audio was wonderfully narrated by a full cast, Dan Bittner, Patti Murrin and Stephanie Németh-Parker, just to name a few, and it definitely enhanced my entertainment!

3.5 Stars

Book Description:

St. Medard’s Bay, Alabama is famous for three things: the deadly hurricanes that regularly sweep into town, the Rosalie Inn, a century-old hotel that’s survived every one of those storms, and Lo Bailey, the local girl infamously accused of the murder of her lover, political scion Landon Fitzroy, during Hurricane Marie in 1984.

When Geneva Corliss, the current owner of the Rosalie Inn, hears a writer is coming to town to research the crime that put St. Medard’s Bay on the map, she’s less interested in solving a whodunnit than in how a successful true crime book might help the struggling inn’s bottom line. But to her surprise, August Fletcher doesn’t come to St. Medard’s Bay alone. With him is none other than Lo Bailey herself. Lo says she’s returned to her hometown to clear her name once and for all, but the closer Geneva gets to both Lo and August, the more she wonders if Lo is actually back to settle old scores.

As the summer heats up and another monster storm begins twisting its way towards St. Medard’s Bay, Geneva learns that some people can be just as destructive—and as deadly—as any hurricane, and that the truth of what happened to Landon Fitzroy may not be the only secret Lo is keeping…

Review: Kills Well With Others by Deanna Raybourn

 

Kills Well With Others (Killers of a Certain Age #2) by Deanna Raybourn

Publication Date: March 4th 2025 by Berkley

Pages: 368

Source: Publisher

Rating: ★★★★½

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

After the events of the last book, Billie, Mary Alice, Helen and Natalie, our beloved sixty+ year-old deadly assassins, have been living a low-key life for the last year, until they get a call from The Museum’s director, Naomi. It seems some of their past files have been leaked and one operative has been murdered. Naomi tasks them with eliminating the threat while they also deal with a possible mole within.

 

The files leaked paints targets on their backs so they must hunt down the killer lest they be picked off one by one. Their mission takes them on a wild adventure across the globe, crossing the Atlantic to the UK and then all over Europe. It was a fun and exciting ride!

 

Billie narrates the story in the present and in the past, giving glimpses of the targets and missions in the past that may be part of the threat.

I love the idea of women still being vibrant and deadly in their 60s and these ladies are badass! They’re each other’s ride-or-die, but that didn’t stop some good-natured squabbling, and the banter cracked me up! Their disguises on the train were hilarious! Nula the chicken was priceless and stole the show! Not sure if we’ll get another mystery with these gals, but I’m so there if we do!

4.5 Stars

Book Description:

Four women assassins, senior in status—and in age—sharpen their knives for another bloody good adventure in this riotous follow-up to the New York Times bestselling sensation Killers of a Certain Age.

After more than a year of laying low, Billie, Helen, Mary Alice, and Natalie are called back into action. They have enjoyed their rest, but the lack of excitement is starting to a professional killer can only take so many watercolor classes and yoga sessions before she gets the itch to get back in the game. When they receive a call from Naomi Ndiaye, the head of the elite assassin organization known as the Museum, they are ready tackle the greatest challenge of their careers.

Someone on the inside has compiled a list of important kills committed by Museum agents, all of them connected to a single, shadowy figure, an Eastern European gangster who rules her business empire with an iron fist and plays puppet master in international affairs. Naomi is convinced this criminal queen is bent upon revenge, killing off the agents who attempted to thwart her, and the aging quartet of killers is next.

Together the foursome embark on a wild ride across the globe on the double mission of rooting out the Museum’s mole and hunting down the gangster and her assassin. But their nemesis is unlike any they’ve faced before, and it will take all their experience and a whole lot of luck to get out of this mission alive.