The Death By Bikini Mysteries

Death By Mysteries #1-3

by Linda Gerber

Nice!

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult, Contemporary, Crime, Adventure

Mass Market Paperback

First published December 22, 2008

About the author

Linda Gerber recently returned to life in the Midwest after four years in Japan where she served as the RA for SCBWI Tokyo. Her books include SASS: Now and Zen, SASS: The Finnish Line, Death by Bikini, Death by Latte, Death by Denim and the upcoming novel, Trance.

She currently lives and writes in Dublin, Ohio, blissfully ignoring her husband, four kids, and one very naughty puppy"

Reviews

[Cassidy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. Basically it is a very large book (about 660 pages total) but it's actually 3 books is one copy. So it seems like a lot but it's not. I have reread it many times. It's kind of a YA mixed with mystery. I love books that have huge twists at the end and this is one. One thing I'd say that I didn't like it that as you go on, book 3 seems kind of.. forced? it isn't as good as the other two for sure. But I thought about it and I think it might be because by the time you get to book three, you have read 400 and something pages haha. Anyway all three books follow one theme and story. Basically a teen girl works at her dads resort in the middle of no where and is always sheltered and bored. she hasn't seen her mom in 4 years, then this family comes to stay at the resort and she likes the teen boy then they fall into this CRAZY adventure through the book and she is like a spy with her mom and people die, and get poisoned and SO much more. I totally recommend this if you like surprises and the mystery. It's honestly like watching LAW & ORDER, you try to figure out the answers to the mysteries the whole time...

['jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent teen mystery adventure series. I wonder if she will continue the series...

[Kaela M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book series, Aphra Behn Connolly starts out working at an island resort and ends up running for her life with the mysterious Seth, a boy whose family must remain hidden at all costs, or their lives will be forfeit! Routinely clashing with the forces of the Mole, the two find themselves falling in love, and getting involved with the CIA. Spies, mysteries, and secrets abound!
I liked how the main heroine never once fell into the "damsel in distress" trope. She could think on her feet, and fight her own battles. She even once saved the love interest! And, Seth? Well, he was tall, dark, handsome, and an all-around nice guy. It's a shame that there aren't any more tales after book three, because it would have been great to have an ending where they get to stay together, for once.
There are a few complaints I have, though. The reveal that the agent in Paris was working for the bad guys seemed to come out of nowhere. I think there should have been more hints, otherwise it seemed kind of pointless to put it in at the very end. Also, Ryan needed more backstory since what we did get made me super-curious about him! Finally, it drives me nuts that there is a hook for a sequel! What assignment did Ryan ask Aphra to do? Will we ever know?
All in all, I would call this a firm four-star read. Whodunnit fans look no further! Linda Gerber will not disappoint!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the record, this is an omnibus--three books in one. Usually I catch omnibuses from the other end. I buy three books by the same author, see a new book by the same author, buy it, and discover that it's an omnibus of books I've already read.

I bought the book at the school's book fair. It was cheap and I need new mysteries because this year's class of 6th graders are into mysteries and I'm into fantasy. My classroom library tends to reflect my preferences.

I'm glad I bought it. The books are the classic mysteries, just with a teenager involved. It's light, fluffy reading and a good way to use up some time.

The thickness of the book may scare off some readers but the cover may lure them in, too.

[Elizabeth Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

i got to go into a thrift shop in KS ... found 6 books ... for like gosh was it .25 cents a piece? i think that was, what it was??! this was one of the six i did pick ... cool cover ... the book cover got me, i mean look at that, so humorous and fun!! couldn't help it!! ... what a read. new to Linda's writing. well done. will read more soon enough. check this series out!! i am truly shocked there are not more reviews, i would have thought it would have been eaten up by so many mystery fans??! so weird. i love the cover ... so creative. i mean it came out in 2008?? that has been so long ago. well not that long but still?? odd. check this out ... u will love every second ... what a great series. maybe folks read it individually? or?? ( ;

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this series. The main character is kind of a modern Nancy Drew, except not nearly as smart. She continues to make silly mistakes that make everything worse. Although she comes through in the end to save the day, I'm not sure how many times I shouted at her to just stop climbing out windows because she just kept causing more problems. Great read for young teens.

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Received a box of light mysteries from my father in law. This book looked perfect for light reading and it was. YA is the obvious audience but it kept me turning pages. Enjoyable characters and just enough twists and turns. I am not a fan of first person narratives but got past it after a few chapters.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried, but I just couldn’t get into it. I so couldn’t get into it that I Gave It Away.

[Lynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I only read the first of the three. I started the second and just couldn't get interested. Seemed very far fetched for a sixteen year old to defeat an accomplished assassin.

[Doris Pierce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book

[Magdalena Piwowarczyk · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely YA vibes, but I read all three books so that’s saying something.

[Cheyenne Werner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ibread this when I was a freshman. It was ok when I was younger.

[Amy Byers]

I so love these mysteries that I have read before but now it's in 1 book this is great!!!

[Jessica 🥨 (kinda inactive rn because of school) · Rating 4 out of 5]

overall this series gets a rating of 3.58 stars ⭐️

[Abby R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Death By Bikini Mysteries
672 pages
Linda garber
mystery

This book is a combination of Death by bikini, Death by Latte, Death by Denim. Aphra was living on a private beach with her father. They've had more celebrities stay at thier private island resort than you could count. Everything was normal till the Mulos show up. Then life was just not normal. Aphra being her curious self she looks around for infomation on the family. She discovered a dark secret about the Mulos. This book goes from her fathers privately owned island to her mom who is in a city then to England then to italy to Greece. In Death by Latte and Death by Denim Aphra is a sort of helping spy for her mom.


I didn't give this book five stars because at times it is hard to understand. If they changed that it's a five star worthy book for sure. I think this book wold be good for older kids about 7th grade kids to about 10th grade kids

[Whitney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad. Main character is a fit and toned yet unassuming agent-in-training-but-doesn't-know-it-yet young lady named Aphra. And there's a hot dude in each book in this series, yay! She does adventures and tries to emulate her parents who are appropriately in the periphery of her life, since she is in her late teens.

The moments when our heroine acts in self-centered ways are minimal, and are often checked by the supporting characters, which I applaud. No one should EVER miss an opportunity to tell a teen: "This is NOT all about you, mkaaay?" :)

[Courtney Chappell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read these books back in 2011 and this is what I had to say: "I liked these books. They were fun and I didn't know what was going to happen next. Sometimes it was confusing what was happening, but for the most part I was totally hooked. I will probably be reading this again."
After reading them again, I don't think I'm going to keep them this time. When I read it this time, things seemed rushed and very romance oriented. It's a fun book and definitely one you don't really have to think about. But I'd rather read another book instead.

Also read September 2011

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book contains the 3 books in the series: Death By Bikini; Death By Latte; & Death By Denim. Even though it's a young adult series, I think many adults would like it as much as I did.

The main character, Aphra Connolly is a modern day Nancy Drew. There's lots of intrigue & espionage as we follow Aphra through the 3 books, from her family's island resort to Seattle & then Paris. Each book could stand alone, but with this 655 page omnibus you get all 3 in one volume.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mini-Review:
I liked the book. It was a good mystery and it was short so it is great for the summer.
I thought it was odd that Aphra kept thinking about kissing Seth when they were running from the killer. It seemed a bit unrealistic and she seemed to become very close Seth in two days after 2 conversations. I did like the mystery because I felt that it was decent and you can figure out the "bad guy" pretty quickly and it was fun.

[Christine Alibutud · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 THIS-WILL-BE-THE-DEATH-OF-ME STARS!!!!


My favorite was the first book! But the other two books were also the bomb!!

Mysteries rolled with romance and humor, definitely a good read!!

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a popcorn read; you couldn't stop until there wasn't anything left. This publication was actually a collection of three books: "Death by Bikini", "Death by Latte", and "Death by Denim". The stories were connected and this publication proved very convenient. (Albeit a bit chunky at 650 pages.) The story was not a typical murder mystery--it was more of a teenage "Bourne Identity" complete with double agents--and no that's not a spoiler. Nicely done, and just a lot of fun.

[Charlotte A · Rating 5 out of 5]

In general I love this series. It is an over all good series. I did not find it challenging to read, so it didn't take me that long to finish it despite the page count. I feel that people looking for a beginner mystery series to read would like this, as long as they are a girl around 11 or 12 years old. I think that although it is predictable it is still a good easy read, that I would recommend to most.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Death By Bikini trilogy are fun books to read. I love how all three of the books, Death By Bikini, Death By Latte, and Death By Denim all continue Aphra's story, but take place in different locations. If you enjoy plot twists, these are great books for you! They are fun mysteries, but nothing too scary. They are a great mix of thrill, romance, emotion, and determination. Perfect beach or vacation books!

[Jc · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has all 3 of the books in this trilogy in one big paperback. I'm about 100 pages into it and it is really good. The books included are:

Death by Bikini
Death by Latte
Death by Denim

This was a fun, light, summer read. Thoroughly enjoyable and I would read it again. Great for the younger crowd, as well.

[Faith · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried to read this, I really did. But I could not take it anymore after a while. I finished the 1st book, but made it half way through the second (maybe?) before giving up. There was this huge disconnect from the previous book that just made me not like it. Aphra gets whiny in this book and it completely annoyed me. (it was understandable but, ugh.....)

[Hannahmcclary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am currently reading this book, but I absolutley loved the first book in the book (Death By Bikini). I am looking forward to the other books in the book and hopefully to read other books by this author.

[Kendra · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Death By Bikini mysteries is the perfect beach read although I turned my bathroom into my personal oasis to get the beach effect. Easy reading, engaging dialogue, an all-around fun time. This is a must!

[Emme Leong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not at all what I thought it was gonna be about when I first saw it! I thought it was about a bikini (and coffee and denim) that comes to life and kills people! Just kidding! (maybe, i don't know...) Anyway, it suspenseful, enticing, and such a page turner you can't put it down!

[Mary Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a fun and light series to read. I enjoyed reading it. The twists are good. I would not have suspected the oriental girl (forgot the name, read this series a long time ago) as one of the bad guys. I recommend this as a summer read for teen girls.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was cute. Mindless reading that I did enjoy, even though I had a couple of people give me a hard time when they saw the cover. It kept my attention after getting through a really difficult and sad read prior to reading this.