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In Sunbaked, the first Pineapple Cay adventure by author Junie Coffey, a newly-divorced woman decided to pack up and move to a beach house on a tropical island—only to get caught up in a mystery. And she finds herself caught up in yet another investigation in the sequel, Beachbound.
The story catches up with the newest resident of Pineapple Cay, Nina Spark, as she finds herself hosting a last-minute conference for her former boss, Professor Philip Putzel. While the egotistical professor isn’t an easy person to work with, the pay is too good to pass up. But when Philip criticizes both colleagues and sponsors in his keynote speech—and is attacked and left for dead that night—Nina once again starts digging for clues, wishing that she could just go back to the peace and relaxation of her new life on the beach.
It seems as though there’s never a dull moment on the not-so-sleepy island of Pineapple Cay. Nina and her new friends—real estate agent Pansy and bartender/mail carrier/yoga instructor Danish—have a way of finding all kinds of trouble. This time, in addition to attempted murder at the conference, Nina also clashes with her neighbor and stumbles on a mysterious red truck and another possible crime. Unfortunately, though, some of the plotlines aren’t especially well-developed—and some parts feel more like filler than important aspects of the story.
Meanwhile, Nina sometimes comes off as older than her 30-some years. Though her battles with her wild and crazy neighbor, Les, are perfectly understandable, her demeanor makes her seem older than she really is—and quite a bit stuffier, too. She sounds more like an angry old lady than a woman who decided to trade in the hustle and bustle of city life for a tropical adventure.
Still, the island antics of this second installment in Nina’s adventures make for a fun (and fluffy) read. The conference and its eccentric guests give the story its share of humor. The conference focuses on leisure studies—so it’s full of academics involved in serious debates about things like water slides and hotel accommodations for pets. The characters—like quirky Danish, long-suffering sheriff Blue, and handsome fisherman Ted—give the story personality. And the tropical setting makes it a series to which you’ll happily return—despite its flaws.
Beachbound may not be a captivating cozy mystery, but there’s still plenty here to love. So if you’re in need of a tropical getaway—but you can’t afford the plane ticket—could be worth picking up.
Listen to the review on Shelf Discovery
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