Folly

Folly Beach Mystery #1

by Bill Noel

Chris Landrum is about to have it all-an extended vacation, a second home at the beach, and early retirement. There's only one glitch-murder is part of the package on the small South Carolina barrier island of Folly, where eccentric residents live bohemian lifestyles in the shadow of historic Charleston. Soon after settling on Folly Beach, Chris is befriended by an unlikely cadre of a realtor who looks like an out-of-season Santa with an attitude; a waitress who shares rumors and effuses charm; a professor; a lovely, intelligent, and unattached reporter; and a quirky, president-quoting, tag-along companion. He is fascinated by the company of his newfound friends, the novelty of the strange island that they call home, and the contrast of it all to stately Charleston. But when Chris finds the body of a prominent developer and lands in the middle of the Folly Beach spotlight, he immediately becomes a threat to the killer-and his vacation paradise might be the scene of his own untimely death. Vacations aren't nearly as much fun when one of your new acquaintances is trying to kill you, and catching a murderer is not the normal way to spend an extended holiday. But on Folly Beach, what's normal? Chris will take on a challenge that is anything but .

Genres: Mystery, Southern, Suspense, Romance, Fiction

211 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2007

Reviews

[Michelle Kennon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful jaunt through the quirky island better known as Folly Beach in South Carolina. The story is long and meandering, because the island and the nearby city of Charleston is the true protagonist of the story. The murder almost feels like an afterthought for much of it, because Noel focuses on what it's like to be a local at such a unique place. It's a feel good story with some murder, romance, and a happy ending to boot. Never did I have to think beyond the words on the page. I also cared about all of the characters. My only real complaint is that at the end of the story the protagonist acts as if he knew all along who the murderer was. As a first person point of view the reader knows that's not the case. Another small complaint I have is that the Lost Dog Cafe is relegated to "The Dog" I think it should be called "Lost Dog." Rolls off the tongue better. All in all this is not a groundbreaking story, but is pleasant to read despite the typos. I hope Noel found an editor.

My family frequently vacations on Folly Beach, so I ate up every bit of description and genuine honesty that Noel captures about this place. Having gone this past week to Folly, it's amazing to me that so much about the island has changed in ten years. The Holiday Inn is now called the Tides, and an Irish pub, St. James Gate, is now on Center Street. "The Boat" has also recently been relocated because of a tropical storm. For the nostalgia and joy I feel about the place I look forward to reading more of Noel's books about Folly Beach.

[Brackman1066 · Rating 1 out of 5]

This needed an editor. The digital version is a wreck, with missing and misplaced punctuation, wrong names, etc. I like the narrator's voice, but the dialogue is just painful. [revising review because I let myself get sarcastic] Basically, much of the dialogue only seemed to exist so that we could see how quirky all the characters are. If it's not clear right away, repeated iterations of annoying character tics are just, well, annoying, especially if they don't advance the plot. I got so tired of it that I quit reading.

[Meg J · Rating 3 out of 5]

It should probably only get 2 stars for the actual story, but the guy did such an awesome job of recreating the setting of Folly Beach that I wanted to give him 4 or 5. A fun beach read with mystery and all the goodness of Folly. The author does need a new editor if he decides to write another book.

[Dianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a decent start to a mystery series set in Folly Beach, South Carolina. No flowery wording here, just unadorned and direct storytelling. After I got used to Noel's writing style, I actually enjoyed the unique characters and their sense of humor. Apparently, the series has quite a following, as book #22 was released in 2022.

[Tonya · Rating 4 out of 5]

great down to earth book!

I feel l Ike I knew the people in this book! I could see them in my head. Love his writing style. He takes you to Folly in this book

[Jenny Hales · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had so much fun reading this book! We are going to Folly Beach soon. There are so many references to places and things in this story. This was a nicely written mystery and I look forward to reading more in the series.

[Irene Frances Olson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Enjoyable Story

Character-driven novel with lots of plot to move it forward. I absolutely loved each and every primary character. It would have received 5 stars from me if there had been fewer editing and Kindle formatting errors. But I will say, said errors did not prevent me from enjoying the book.

[Mary Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Living in South Carolina and being familiar with Charleston and Folly Beach, I was curious to see what Bill Noel did with this novel. I found myself smiling at the smart comments the main character made, and I enjoyed seeing Folly Beach and Charleston through his eyes. The plot is somewhat complicated, and some of the characters could have used more development, but this is an enjoyable read.

[Patricia Gulley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of the book seemed like Chris' month long vacation with a mystery mixed in.

[Laurie Beach · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was thoroughly enjoyable. By showing rather than telling, Bill Noel slowly creates a relationship between the reader and his protagonist, Chris Landrum. The tale will hook you from the beginning and the eccentric Folly Beach characters will stick with you long after you finish.

[Valerie Spraggins · Rating 5 out of 5]

When trip to SC with Jill. This is near Charleston! Dec 8,2022 to Dec 14

[Andrea Strickland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quirky beach read

This was the author's first novel and it shows. I seriously hope in his subsequent novels he gets an editor. Yet....The mistakes are part of what made this story charming.

I'll admit...if it didn't take place on Folly Beach and Charleston, SC, I probably wouldn't have read more than 50 pages. But, his descriptions of the Lowcountry were so vivid and accurate that I had to stick with it. Charleston is my chosen home. I love it and Folly Beach passionately.

From my understanding, there are 11 novels in the Folly Beach series. I don't know if I will want to read them all, but will certainly try a few more. I have a feeling they will improve.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Noel's style of writing throws the reader a curve. At first, it's not certain whether this is going to be a good story, but by the second chapter it begins to worm its way into your heart, and ends up being a letter from home about a man who is very dear to you. The series, beginning with Folly, is exquisite; full of characters (REAL characters) and situations that tickle your thoughts long after you've put the book down.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charleston, SC is one of my FAVORITE cities, with its proximity to Folly Beach one of the reasons why. Folly Beach serves as the backdrop for author, Bill Noel's murder mysteries, with "Folly" being his first. At times, it felt as if Noel was trying too hard to make his protagonist, Chris Landrum, too clever, too funny, too sarcastic. A fun diversion, no more, no less.

[Cindy Friend · Rating 3 out of 5]

The fact that the setting is familiar makes this book a pleasant read. Perfect beach book.

[Kenneth Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great rambling tale from a perspective this reader doesn't normally see. Characters are well defined, not too cookie cutter. There's sex, but only referred to, no scenes. Sure there's murder and mayhem but it's not too heavy. It just sort of rambles on, slow and methodical, much like the island. Make me want to visit the place at least once in my life, if only to try to experience the ambiance Bill so beautifully creates.

Now, for the bad, and the reason I had to 4 star it: The version on my kindle has many formatting errors. Some below the line quotation marks, hyphens in words that were forced for one version that aren't HARD Split in this version. Some sentences are even HARD Split, making the text jarring. There's also a few things that the editor should have caught such as duplicate words that should have been caught. Lastly, synonyms were found around the area. If you can overlook all that like I did, you're in for a great tale.

Finally, YES, after all that, I'm still interested in reading more from Bill Noel and his Folly Beach Series.

[Ed Bandarovich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hooked!

I saw a brief announcement of Mr. Mike's 17th book in the Folly Beach Mystery Series. Since I enjoy going to Folly Beach regularly from my new home in Johns Island, I thought I would give one a read. Found "the Marsh" in the library (#5 I believe) and after about 20 pages was totally hooked! I then read "Ghosts" and "Missing" immediately thereafter as they were available. As those books allude to last events, the only logical thing to do was start at book 1 "Folly". It's always interesting to read a good mystery with characters and places you can identify with. Based upon the 4 of Mr. Mike's books I've read, I see my summer 2020 reading list ultimately getting to his latest!

[Carmi Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had me hooked from the first page!

I love books set in Charleston and the surrounding area as it is a favorite vacation spot for our family. This book was a suggestion for me on Amazon and I am very pleased to see that there are many more in the series! Hands down my favorite character is Charles Fowler. Chris Landrum has come to Folly Beach to vacation and possibly purchase a retirement home. His first Monday he comes across a murder victim and all chance of a peaceful vacation go out the door! With the assistance of ha friend Charles, he solves the murder and catches the murder just before is month long vacation ends. Love all the descriptions of Folly and it’s residents. I need to go for a visit soon!

[Nancy Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the authenticity of this book. Mr. Noel knows Folly Beach, and he takes you there. As a reader obsessed with the sense of place, this appeals to me. The characters are realistically created and charming; one can find new friends and interesting conversation as well as the charming sense of place. It's a light, pleasant, scenic vacation with a puzzle to solve -- except this puzzle is a mystery that interrupts the main character's relaxation and juxtaposes it with suspense and fear. My cup of tea. It's good to find there are many more of these enjoyable reads in a series. I got my copy from...the Folly Beach branch of the Charleston County Library. I confess I had it routed to my closest branch, however.

[Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was probably a bit generous with my rating, and that is likely because I was recently in Folly Beach, and was delighted with the detailed accuracy of the descriptions of the place. It brought me right back to the week I spent there. The version I read was an ebook, and that might explain the number of errors in the text. I don't know how it compares to the print version. The story was cute, characters charming but I think the author has a misguided level of understanding around the desirability of near to retirement aged men by much younger women. This could kick the novel into the fantasy category. A fun read and if you haven't been to Folly, you should go!

[Chuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story. We have visited Folly Beach many times in the past, and it was fun reading about the various locations, restaurants, etc. Surprise ending. This e-book had so many issues with typos, editing issues like upside quotation marks, misspelling, bad grammar, missing words, etc. It was very distracting while I was reading as there must been dozens of issues. I will probably read other books by the author, and I hope those others will not have the same problems.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really love book series so I was happy to find this first in a series, unfortunately it falls very short.

I read the digital version and it had MULTIPLE errors. Who edited it? The errors really detracted from the reading, but ultimately the true problem was just the book itself. The characters were quirky but not deeply developed so overall they were shallow caricaturization of common personalities.

I won’t be reading more in this series.

[Melissa Loucks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this for my 2021 Reading Challenge and the prompt was a free book from your TBR pile. This book was gifted to me by my mother; she found it while vacationing in Charleston. I was not sure what to think of the book since Mysterys that are not told from law enforcement point of view are not really my thing. I actually ended up enjoying this book. It was a fun a read and it's a series. I have the first 6 books to enjoy.

[Luannette Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This one made a long plane ride seem very short!

I read the second book in the Folly Beach series before reading this one. I was advised by another mystery writer to read this one, the first in the Folly series. This is A well written book containing humor, romance, friendship, and yes, a mystery that I certainly had not figured out until near the end of the book.

I will definitely read more books by this author!

[Debra Merillat · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 This was a very, slow meandering Murder mystery that takes place on Folly Beach, SC. As Folly Beach is one of my favorite places, I could envision it well. This book introduces you to the quirky locals and the setting well. I enjoyed the leisurely ride. This is the author’s debut novel. He has many more novels with Folly Beach,the setting, really being a character as much as the local residents.

[Mary Quire · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first cozy mystery in a long while and a nice and refreshing change. I enjoyed the innocence of the main character, Chris, and followed the storyline on the edge of my seat all the way to the who-done-it ending. I had to make myself slow down just to have the book last until I can get the next one. One thing is for sure, I am definitely hooked. Kudos to Bill Noel!

[Sharon Zapka]

This is the first book in an on-going series about Folly Beach. It's well written, funny, and just plain fun to read. It masquerades as a mystery, but I think it's more of 'just good ole story' with lots of quirky characters set in a wonderful location. Entertaining. I wait anxiously each year for the next book.

[Laura K. Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first cozy mystery by this author and I look forward to reading more of the series. Yes, the digital version needs some help, and was a distraction in a few places because some of the dialogue was missing. I live north of the Charleston area and look forward to exploring the areas described so well in the book.

[Phillip E Maynard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific!

I really enjoyed this book. It’s well written and a good twisty turny mystery that keeps you guessing. I also happen to love Folly Beach and Charleston, so needless to say, it was great fun reading about a mystery taking place there. Can’t wait to read the rest in this series?

[Rena]

This was my first book by this author. I liked the plot but didn’t care for the sarcasm that runs throughout. Also could used a good proofreading. I purchased the next 3 books in this series as they were only 99c. I may at some point read them.