Death on Dickens Island (The Books on the Beach Mysteries, #1), by Allison Brook

 

Publication October 21, 2025

Tradition vrs. progress? Old vrs. new? Change vrs., well, "we've always done it that way". Those might be the main themes of this one aside from the murder mystery. The fictional Dickens Island sounds like a volatile mix of emotions as the book opens, both for main character Delia Dickens at home and throughout the community overall. And that's before the murder happens. Delia finds herself caught in the middle of it all, between feuding family members and outspoken residents who want to have a say in what happens in the community. Although shocked by the murder, the first known murder in the area, the residents don't let go of their concerns about the use of certain properties or the idea of a ferry line to connect the island better to the mainland. Was the murder the product of all these emotions or, uh-oh, a secret affair or some other family angst? 

To be honest, I didn't particularly care for Delia as the story opened. I was dubious about her thinking of why she abandoned Conner, her son, with her parents for nearly a dozen years. She seemed to have some real, sensible reasons behind it but, well, that's a long time. I did warm up to her eventually but it took quite a bit given the initial slow pace of the plot. That's normal for any new series, of course, but toss in the community angst and family drama going on and it was all bit hard to take in. I'm not sure we didn't spend as much time on those issues as we did the murder, not to mention the side story involving, no lie, Captain Kidd's supposed journal and an also supposed treasure map. Oh, boy, does that ever get Conner, Delia's son, into trouble. Oh, and there's a ghost, too. I actually rather liked Hannah the grandmother ghost but felt she was a bit extraneous. Perhaps she'll play a bigger role later but for this installment the role she played could have just as easily been conveyed via a surprise diary or some hidden letters. That said, she was a highlight for me and I found myself perking up whenever Delia and she connected. Given the other characters general turmoil, it was hard to connect with any of them aside from Jack the vet who treated the stray that Delia called Riley. 

Loved Riley, especially his relationship with Conner. Conner perhaps shows the most growth throughout, in fact, and shows great responsibility where Riley is concerned. Toss in a blooming relationship for Delia with Jack and there's progress. Bottom line, didn't love this installment but also didn't hate it. There's a lot of promise there. 3.5 rounded up. Thanks #CrookedLaneBooks for the early intro to this new set of characters and the intriguing setting of Dickens Island.