Sutherland's Crossing

Beau Crenshaw #1

by Gwen Kelly

Set in steamy Charleston, South Carolina, the mysterious disappearance of a twin daughter to wealthy socialites has the town ablaze with rumor and conspiracy.

What began as a missing person’s case now has Detective Beau Crenshaw heading in a different direction when a body turns up at a swamp. The pattern of death is eerily similar to Mary’s, an unsolved murder from years earlier.

The collision of similarities too great to be a coincidence makes him suspect he is chasing the same person, but how can this be possible? Has this person been lying dormant all these years, waiting for the right opportunity to erupt, or is this a copycat?

Beau goes on the hunt for a killer. He can’t mess up this time. He’s given a second chance to get a madman off the streets.

What follows is a dark web of intrigue and deception that will push Detective Beau Crenshaw to his limits.

Genres: Mystery

288 pages, Paperback

Published March 16, 2024

About the author

Award winning author for Life Lessons of Lucy Lu. Best children's picture book!

New Release as of 3/17/24! Sutherland's Crossing - A Beau Crenshaw Detective Novel.

Reviews

[Gwen Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of course I will give this a 5 star! It is my book!! Please check it out! A sinister and twisted murder mystery! And check out my giveaway!!

[Alex Moon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who doesn’t love a good murder mystery. The book was a wonderfully written page turner, quite literally until the end. I won’t spoil the ending, that’s for you to read. I can’t wait until the next Detective Beau book comes out!

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow , just wow!! This is so twisted it's making my eyes cross. How vile could this killer be?? The details and descriptions are raw and gripping. I'm thinking I know whodunit until the end, then I'm simply stunned. I could completely see why the murders occurred, and I empathized with the killers. There was so much hate in this wealthy family that it was unfathomable, and it bubbled over into some heinous actions. I don't condone murder , but I can see why each was committed. How much abuse can someone take before they act out?? I guess this was the answer about how much!! Great read I highly recommend. It kept me in the dark until the end.I voluntarily read a free copy of this book provided by book sirens and am giving an honest opinion.

[Zoe E · Rating 4 out of 5]

A first read of this author.

This was a gripping mystery. Full of suspense and twists. I did find it a little slow in places. But when it was fast paced it was FAST.

Good character development and very in depth descriptions.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Cryssie Addis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dangerous secrets in Charleston, South Carolina will most certainly rock the picturesque facade of this charming town. Sutherland’s Crossing by Gwen Kelly is a book that will keep you in suspense with a twisting conclusion that will leave your jaw dropped.

Gwen Kelly is an award winning author and Sutherland’s Crossing is the first murder mystery book in the Beau Crenshaw series. This is a murder mystery book that might have some triggers for sensitive readers.

The Barrington family is one of the wealthiest families in town. Trouble arises as one of the Barrington twins turns up missing. Detective Beau Crenshaw is put on the case and is thrown into a web of lies and manipulation. As he falls deeper into the case, a body is found in a nearby swamp. Beau must keep digging to find out the truth and what happened to the Barrington sister!

The characters in this book were well thought out and described perfectly. You couldn’t help but to feel like you knew exactly who they were, even if they were not likeable characters. This book had me on the seat of my pants and I found it hard to put down. I got angry, I cried, I was shocked…..truly a book that kept me drawn in from start to finish. If you enjoy crime shows or a good mystery, then this book is for you. I highly recommend this book and really hoping another book in this series is released!

Secrets can destroy a community but most of all, secrets can destroy the reality of every single person involved. Sutherland’s Crossing is a MUST READ!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Teresa Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sutherland's Crossing is a deceptively simple and straightforward police procedural; find who murdered the Barrington daughter. But don't let yourself be fooled. Nothing in this story is simple or straightforward. There are more twists and turns than you can throw a stick at, and about the time you think you could have something figured out, Ms. Kelly throws a curveball, and you discover that nothing is as you thought it would be. I must admit that I had a suspicion about one part of the story, but the revelations about another completely blindsided me. Just the way I like my mysteries - twisty, turning, and never straightforward. I highly recommend this book, and I hope that there are many more in the series. I received a review copy from the author via BookSirens, and this review reflects my honest and voluntary opinion.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible plotting, character development, depth, and the most amazing twists!
Unputdownable.
I requested and received a temporary digital review copy from BooksGoSocial via NetGalley. *****
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@Smashwords #goodreads #bookbub #storygraph #librarything @barnesandnoble @kobobooks @booksamillion @#bookshop_org #bookshop_org_uk @relationshipissues @dysfunctionalfamily
All proceeds from this book will be donated to Georgia SPOT Society for spay and neuter.

[preethi a · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book I got as an ARC, in which the premise was extremely exciting. It starts off extremely well with all the makings of a movie pot boiler. A missing twin, a gruesome dead body discovered and an angsty protagonist. The pace too is good, through the book. But as the plot progresses, the plot becomes seemingly self evident and overly explained by the author.

What I liked though is that there is potential for the protagonist to be more nuanced in sequels if one were to expect them from the author.

[Holly Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as a review and this is my own opinion. The book grabbed my interest from the start. It contains two grisly murders, so beware those with a faint heart. The characters were good and irritating, and propelled the story along. The main character, Beau, is flawed, of course, but the reader gets an inside look into his make up and helps to understand both sides of his problem marriage. The ending was abrupt but it made me want more.

[Becca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one threw me for a loop. A little. I had a feeling about something with the sisters so I was suspicious of that from the get go. Especially after the mom. But Mary threw me off. That one I was not expecting. This was good. Very very good. I would like a lot more of this series.

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

[DHammacher]

My friend wrote a book! I really like the Beau Crenshaw character. And love the Charleston setting of course.

[Jacqueline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am an ARC reader and this is my honest opinion. This is certainly is a mystery thriller! It begins with a scene that ends with a terrible, vicious murder which is not described as it happens, thankfully. In fact the description of what was done to the victim is so horrific I can't imagine how the author thought of all the details. I am going to criticise the detail in which the investigation of the body by the medical examiner is described - it might be interesting to others, but I feel I've read - and watched - enough murder mysteries to have a good idea what happens in a post mortem, and to think that it doesn't need several pages of detailed description of exactly what they do. However, what the examiner found was shocking. After a short time I did have a good idea of what had happened but it turned out at the end that detective Crenshaw had done a few things that were "behind the scenes" - not mentioned in the story. The end was more convoluted that I had thought, which was a bit of a surprise .The second storyline of the problems between Beau Crenshaw and his wife provided a sort of interesting human story. All in all, I enjoyed this book and I thought it was well written. I would read more if the series continues

[Thea Mae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sutherland’s Crossing by Gwen Kelly is the story of Beau Crenshaw, a police detective in a small town in the 90s, who is determined to solve the murder of a local woman whose high-society family must be backmanaged, while also trying to keep his marriage from falling apart.

Kelly’s novel, while set in 1995, does a good job of capturing the spirit of a hard-boiled 40s noir while managing to contemporize it. The story is a boilerplate crime novel that lovers of the genre will feel comfortable with, and it successfully walks the line between a twist no one could see coming and one that’s obvious from the first. (While there are graphic descriptions of murder, death, and dying, they seem more suited for the horror genre, coming off as a bit melodramatic in this narrative.) Beau’s a former gambling addict with a tragic backstory and a missus who just wants him to be present and is trying to prove he has earned his place as lead detective. The story jumps between Beau’s tumultuous marriage counseling sessions with wife Kathleen and his investigative endeavors on his case. However, the sessions don’t add much to the story, and any info the readers learn could have easily been woven into the narrative elsewhere (readers will have to decide for themselves if we only see Kathleen through Beau’s eyes, or if Kelly had trouble giving this frustrated and traumatized housewife depth past what she could do for the plot). The police work is the meat of the story, and any reader who enjoys procedurals will eat up Beau’s attempts to connect all the dots—even when he has to erase some and rethink what he thought he knew. Despite Kelly writing in 3rd person, the tale mainly follows Beau, which makes some of the POV shifts to other characters feel a little out of place and inconsistent. Still, most of the main characters maintain their unique voices, which makes the world of the novel robust and convincing.

Lovers of detective novels will find this an easy and enjoyable read, and even if they find the perp fairly obvious, the twists and turns will still make the journey satisfying. Readers who are looking for spice or a more complicated whodunnit may not find the tale gratifying.

[Meggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Sutherland's Crossing" by Gwen Kelly is a captivating detective novel which portrays the perversity of the human being. This novel gets you through a emotional rollercoaster and the plot twist is unbelievable.

From the first page I was caught in the story and it was difficult to put the book down. Most of the characters were well developed and their background and experiences through their lives were captivating, it was easy to empathize with their emotions. The story line was easy to follow and well elaborated.

The plot is about a murder which the main character, the detective Beau Crenshaw, must solve. After examining the body, it is observed that there are some similarities with an old cold case. Beau finds himself entangled in a surreal situation which helps him solve the case.

The reason for the four stars is that I missed some information on the first murder and on some characters which are mentioned but there is no information or a substantial background, as well as the motive of the actual murder.

All in all, as an avid detective novel reader, the author successfully immerses you in the story and the setting, and, even though I believed to know who the murderer was, the plot twist left me flabbergasted. I totally recommend this book to those who love a short but intense dark novel.

[Brandi Conico · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t love this book. It was relatively well written and could’ve been great, but I feel like the author is trying to channel some TikTok books.

I was hooked from the beginning. Then it got really slow, so I put it down for a while and then got invested again- so much so I forgot there was a dead body. Then I felt like I got a primer on time of death investigation. I appreciate the author’s research, but I didn’t need a laundry list of all the ways to determine time of death with all the detail. Then I got invested again.

But I knew then that this was going to be an “unexpected” twist book. And then the author wraps things up without the help of the rest of the book. So it kind of annoyed me in that regard.

I don’t like when pieces all fall into place without plot developing their movement and that’s what this felt like. I think the author could write really great crime fiction, but this tried to hard to fit into the TikTok model, so I wasn’t a fan.

I hope to read something else by this author sometime in the future.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Cinna Ho · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It was a little slow to start but the twist near the end was good. I DID NOT SEE IT, but when it happened I was so mad I hadn't thought of that!

I felt the ending might have been just a little rushed and I wanted to know more about Beau and the possible trial to come, but all in all it was a very entertaining read.

Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this book early. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.