Slaughter at the Seaside

Max's Campervan Case Files #2

by Tyler Rhodes

A foot in the sand. A body on the shore. Sometimes the coast can be deadly.Burned-out chef Max Effort—he still hates his parents for the name—is slowly settling into vanlife. After cruising along the North Wales coast, he's finally got a system for keeping his VW organised, bought himself a sun shelter, and even come to terms with cold showers. Used to swanky kitchens and state-of-the-art equipment, he's even mastered cooking outside without the flame blowing out.One-pot cooking or bust was Max's promise to himself, but the joys of letting his dinner simmer for hours on lazy summer days are soon on the back-burner when murder rears its ugly head once more.A relaxing walk on the beach with his best friend Anxious the Terrier turns into a total stress-fest when he stumbles across a severed foot poking out of the sand. The rest of the body is discovered soon after, and Max feels like it's his duty to help solve this puzzling crime.Trying his best to stay out of the way of the local detectives, the clues soon mount up, along with the body count, and it becomes apparent that nothing is at is seems in the once quiet coastal town of Abergele.With his trusty Terrier sniffing out the clues, and stealing all the ice-cream, Max teams up with the local lifeguard to solve the mystery, but he can't stop pining for his ex-wife. When she arrives for an impromptu visit, the team are soon up to their necks in the carnage as accusations fly and an innocent man risks spending the rest of his life in prison.Can Max figure this out in time, or will he push his luck too far?Contains a stunning one-pot recipe at the end. Perfect for those on the road, or anyone who wants a great meal without all the washing up! A journey of freedom, friendship, and murder mystery on the open road.

197 pages, Paperback

Published December 12, 2023

Reviews

[Nicola Reed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such nonsense really I can’t decide if I love them or loathe them them … but a holiday read/listen that I quite enjoyed the ridiculousness of! And there’s a recipe included - that’s a win and deserves a star in itself!

[CelticMoonGoddess · Rating 5 out of 5]

After enjoying book 1 in the series and the adventures of Max and Anxious was excited to read book 2. Totally captured by Max, Anxious and the great cast of characters in this book series.
The murder mystery is great as lots of twists and turns, suspects and motives which had me guessing and suspecting everyone until the end reveal. The ex-chef who keeps finding bodies as he embarks on his new life on road embracing vanlife with his faithful and adorable dog Anxious. I really enjoy Tyler Rhodes humour, characters and storyline. The banter between characters is great, lots of puns and just a generally great, enjoyable and fun murder mystery adventure.
About to start book 3 as hooked in to see what happens next for Max and sub-plot of how it works out with Min.
Highly recommend as a good clean, cozy and totally enjoyable page turning read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Max and his adorable terrier are back farther upthe coast of Wales. It has only been a short nit of time, and it appears he has adapted to his new lifestyle faster than most.

A slight criticism here is this reader wished the author extended the timing between book 1 and book 2. As it stands, it has only been a week. I personally think if timeline was farther out, it would be more realistic.

Max and Anxious befriend more of the van-life community. This is an unique group of people who have chosen to downsize their lives and travel in campers or vans. Some are retired while others have the ability to tele-commute alongside the beautiful Wales coast.

Max is determined to keep well away from dead bodies and murder. Except, Anxious the Terrier discovers a severed foot. Max is once again mixed up in suspicious circumstances. He just can't help himself asking innocent questions and walking into weird situations.

Book 2 can be read out of order. But, would lose important information between Max and his exe wife. It is still a well written compact mystery with no extraneous paragraphs to wade through.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous 2nd Installment in Series
I thoroughly enjoyed this latest installment of the Max's Campervan Case Files series. The story was well-written, and the mystery had plenty of twists and turns to keep me guessing. I love that Max is honest about his love for his ex-wife, but does not pressure her into resuming their relationship. Trev was a fun sidekick character in this book, and I laughed at his antics more than once! Anxious (the dog) was helpful as always, and I loved his little bit at the end of the reveal. I look forward to reading more in this series, and highly recommend it to all lovers of cozy mysteries!

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

4-1/2 stars. 2nd in series. Chef Max Effort & Anxious his terrier are walking on the Welsh beach when he finds a severed foot sticking out of the sand, then the rest of the body soon after. Max has come to feel that helping people (and solving crimes he comes across) may be his new purpose in life after leaving the high stress chef's life. I'm enjoying Max's reimagining of his life & his growth along the way. Author's descriptions make me want to go campervanning instead of my life. Looking forward to more in series.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fantastic read, but I'm starting to get annoyed with the whole romantic angle, where Max wants to get back with his ex-wife (who is now his best friend, and she wants to get back with him too). The romantic chatter is boring, and I'm starting to wish they'd either get back together already or just depart completely. It's an unnecessary part of the whole story, and like I've said - boring. I'm also a bit annoyed that Max never does as he's told and he's always sticking his nose in to criminal cases, when he's been warned several times by the police. I know it's part of the story, but I think he should be given a formal warning or something

[Nikkorkat · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just finished the second book and feel no need to read a third; the characters are too cutetesy, the main character is a brilliant detective because he used to be a 3 star Michelin chef, he feeds his dogs onions and garlic and somehow the dog is still alive...

There's no conflict anywhere in these stories. A chef buys a van and drives around, stumbling onto murders at every campsite and solves the crimes himself. It's just ... stupid. I won't even get into the ex-wife nonsense.

Highly do *not* recommend.

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable nonsense! The characters are not really subtly drawn, the plot is verging on ridiculous, there are some jarring Americanisms and other clunky writing - and the characters' names are unbelievable! But that said, they have a charm and an ease of reading that somehow overrides all of this. The view of a life spent living in a campervan, one pot cooking and all of that means that even though I can't decide whether I love or loathe these books, I will probably find myself returning to the series in due course!

[Shantelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This second book in the series was slightly less obnoxious in that the main character seemed to have gone from the emotional capacity of a 17 year old to closer to 20. Still, Max's lack of emotional maturity and continued self absorbed personality is off putting. The only reasons I might read book 3 are because it's free on kindle unlimited and set in the community of fulltime vanlife.

[Emmalynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 2 was a quick and good read. Anxious continues to be the real sleuthing and adorable star of the story. The author claims Max is 33 but writes him as a middle-aged person, common, being in your thirties is NOT in your dotage!! Do better 😒😒 this mystery centered around ice cream, secret ingredients, milk, and murderrrr!

[CMLH · Rating 5 out of 5]

Max is on to his next adventure in his camper van with Anxious the Terrier when he comes across a foot that is not in the place it should be. As he tries to figure out what happened, so many things circle around him. I enjoyed the banter and characters in this story and look forward to more cases.

[Louise Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

Another excellent, cozy mystery from Tyler Rhodes following ex chef and amateur sleuth Max Effort and his sidekick dog Anxious as they help solve another murder. Looking forward to reading the rest in the series.

[Ali Newboult · Rating 3 out of 5]

A light, easy read with all the classic cosy crime ingredients- quirky characters, a charming setting, and a sprinkle of murder. It doesn’t break new ground, but it’s perfect if you’re after something gentle, familiar, and fun to breeze through on a quiet afternoon.

[Catherine Konkoleski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun series, my fav character is Anxious who knows how to enjoy life. The stories are on the edge of believable but I did laugh out loud at times. Will look forward to finishing the series.

[Phil Altimas]

a good easy read , loving where the series is going

[Ruth Randall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant

I'm fast becoming addicted to these books. Great little reads and fun. I can thoroughly recommend it. Can't wait to get started on the next one.

[Janine Ivey · Rating 5 out of 5]

a nice change of locations

I am enjoying the series, as it’s ticking so many boxes for me: mysteries, food, the British settings, and I live in a camper van!

[Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 2 in the adventures of Max Effort, a chef who has given up the pressures of a kitchen, for life in a VW camper. Shame about the murders.

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just excellent as is his chicken and rice recipe ! Onto book number 3 !

[Vicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

great read

Love the storyline, characters and of course the pooch. Relaxing read but with the ‘who dun it?’ vibe. Can’t wait to see what the van-uskteers get up to next 😃

[Ann Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

very fun read

This book was fun, witty excitement and an all-around great book to read. I can’t wait to pick up the book 3.

[mrs s linton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pleasant light read.

[Cindy Lea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great second act!

Love the continuation of Max & Anxious' story! I'll be following along, for sure! I love this series and can't wait for each one!

[Mark waite · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun installment in the campervan mysteries

[Shirley Maude · Rating 5 out of 5]

Max and Anxious are too busy solving murders to relax. A light hearted murder mystery.

[Nigel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great read, easy going good characters, interesting plot and some nice twists and turns

[Aaron Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun, easy to read book

[sarah wintle · Rating 5 out of 5]

camper van murder

Brilliant story didn’t want to put the book down great story about life on the road with murder in the mist

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This cozy mystery won’t save the world, but it was an entertaining read, and I enjoyed it. I’ll definitely move on to the next book in the series.

[Emily Meckley]

We listened while on a trip and found it fun and entertaining.