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A Special Kind of Heartache
In the second installment of The Island Mysteries, Carr Jepson, Mongin Island's amateur sleuth, and her friends are beginning to prepare for cooler days and fewer tourists. But things change quickly with the arrival of a girls' trip vacationing at the cozy Rosemont Inn, an artist who uses the island's beautiful water views as inspiration for his latest project, and a career coach who seems to be interested in more than professional development. Could the vibrant residents who call this place home and the nearby bustling quaint harborside stores shed light on what was found in the nearby dune grass? Carr will soon understand that truly being part of the Mongin Island community means she will have to rely on other people and put her helpful investigation skills to the test.
176 pages, Hardcover
Published September 24, 2024
1 person is currently reading
10 people want to read
About the author
Laura Elizabeth
2 books14 followersMy journey of writing island mysteries began one April day, many years ago, as I waited to board the ferry to Daufuskie Island, South Carolina, for the very first time. My son assured me, in a knowing voice, we would be back at that exact spot many more times. He felt what I felt: the wonder, the pull that only this special place offered us. We were captivated as a family.
As a family we rode the island's highs and lows. Through all our vacations and adventures we always left energized, restored, and whole again. Daufuskie is its own magic. There is something immediately compelling about a place that can speak to you with its quiet, that can inspire you with its beauty, that can encourage you to dream by sharing its natural bounty, and that can welcome you with possibility tucked into its mystery.
In June 2020 I began a quiet campaign to connect individuals who I believed might be able to help the island with some of its large restoration and development projects. From this work I was able to share my passion for Daufuskie and introduce this special place to people all around the world. Several of these new contacts, along with my family, encouraged me in this endeavor we now call The Island Mysteries. From this, Mongin Island was imagined.
My heart is full of gratitude for those who walked with me on this journey, and for you who choose to read these stories. My hope is that you find a place that fills you with joy, peace, and a little island magic.
As a family we rode the island's highs and lows. Through all our vacations and adventures we always left energized, restored, and whole again. Daufuskie is its own magic. There is something immediately compelling about a place that can speak to you with its quiet, that can inspire you with its beauty, that can encourage you to dream by sharing its natural bounty, and that can welcome you with possibility tucked into its mystery.
In June 2020 I began a quiet campaign to connect individuals who I believed might be able to help the island with some of its large restoration and development projects. From this work I was able to share my passion for Daufuskie and introduce this special place to people all around the world. Several of these new contacts, along with my family, encouraged me in this endeavor we now call The Island Mysteries. From this, Mongin Island was imagined.
My heart is full of gratitude for those who walked with me on this journey, and for you who choose to read these stories. My hope is that you find a place that fills you with joy, peace, and a little island magic.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 7, 2024
Welcome back to The Island Mysteries where bodies just keep washing up.
"The beach was starting to empty, and I knew what time it was."
With these dozen words, cozy mystery author Laura Elizabeth welcomes readers back to the historic little island off South Carolina's coast where the characters are sometimes charming and sometimes cantankerous—partly because the folks who love this largely unspoiled island keep finding dead bodies whose murders they have to help solve.
Full disclosure: I'm a co-founder of the publishing company that includes Laura Elizabeth in its cozy-mystery imprint, although I was not personally involved in this second book. I'm adding this review to Goodreads because friends have asked me to let them know when Laura's next mystery was coming—so, I'm posting this because fans have told me they want to see this news in my Goodreads "feed."
Sure, I'm also giving it 5 stars. But that's intended as a collective expression of the consensus of all the readers who've told me they enjoy the way Laura rings the bells of classic cozies.
What are those "bells"?
The hallmark of a cozy, of course, is carrying readers away to a "cozy" community that feels so real that we are eager to become part of it, despite the danger. Laura's so-called Mongin Island actually is historic Daufuskie Island, made famous first by Pat Conroy in his memoir-turned-movie, The Water Is Wide. Even though Conroy's memoir supposedly is based on his actual experiences as a teacher on the island, he understood that his story was enough removed from precise details that he needed to rename the island for readers. He used the name Yamacraw Island. So, Laura was following Pat's prompt in renaming the island for her book series. She also was following a longstanding practice in cozy series that has a very practical purpose. For example, the BBC's mega-hit series Midsomer Murders now has produced more than 140 episodes (and many hundreds of corpses) and the producers didn't want viewers to think it was dangerous to travel to the real-life Somerset. Hence, we get all the fun of the fictional "Midsomer," but tourists aren't terrified of setting foot in that real part of England. The same goes for Daufuskie, where Laura and her family own a home and where they very much promote tourism to this lovely spot in the Atlantic.
The second pillar of a great cozy is meeting a circle of characters we want to spend time with—in one novel after another. That's certainly true in the case of Laura's novels. What evidence do I have beyond my own opinion? Well, Laura has developed an extremely popular side project in co-producing "murder-mystery-night" group dinners based on her novels. She's already got some of these new dinner-theater dates, based on this second novel, scheduled in Georgia in early 2025! So, that's how I'm shoring up my claim that readers are falling in love with Laura's colorful characters. Her readers actually want to have a real-life dinner with them!
Laura's schedule is easy to find online by searching for TheIslandMysteries. And, here's an important tip: When those new 2025 mystery dinner tickets go on sale, they will vanish very quickly.
So, I won't spoil any details of this newest mystery in this review. And I won't write further about my own ongoing love for these novels—because I want this Goodreads posting to be more of a newsy recap of why readers nationwide are enjoying and following Laura's work.
It's not just me.
These novels are an opportunity for fictional and real friendships to form.
"The beach was starting to empty, and I knew what time it was."
With these dozen words, cozy mystery author Laura Elizabeth welcomes readers back to the historic little island off South Carolina's coast where the characters are sometimes charming and sometimes cantankerous—partly because the folks who love this largely unspoiled island keep finding dead bodies whose murders they have to help solve.
Full disclosure: I'm a co-founder of the publishing company that includes Laura Elizabeth in its cozy-mystery imprint, although I was not personally involved in this second book. I'm adding this review to Goodreads because friends have asked me to let them know when Laura's next mystery was coming—so, I'm posting this because fans have told me they want to see this news in my Goodreads "feed."
Sure, I'm also giving it 5 stars. But that's intended as a collective expression of the consensus of all the readers who've told me they enjoy the way Laura rings the bells of classic cozies.
What are those "bells"?
The hallmark of a cozy, of course, is carrying readers away to a "cozy" community that feels so real that we are eager to become part of it, despite the danger. Laura's so-called Mongin Island actually is historic Daufuskie Island, made famous first by Pat Conroy in his memoir-turned-movie, The Water Is Wide. Even though Conroy's memoir supposedly is based on his actual experiences as a teacher on the island, he understood that his story was enough removed from precise details that he needed to rename the island for readers. He used the name Yamacraw Island. So, Laura was following Pat's prompt in renaming the island for her book series. She also was following a longstanding practice in cozy series that has a very practical purpose. For example, the BBC's mega-hit series Midsomer Murders now has produced more than 140 episodes (and many hundreds of corpses) and the producers didn't want viewers to think it was dangerous to travel to the real-life Somerset. Hence, we get all the fun of the fictional "Midsomer," but tourists aren't terrified of setting foot in that real part of England. The same goes for Daufuskie, where Laura and her family own a home and where they very much promote tourism to this lovely spot in the Atlantic.
The second pillar of a great cozy is meeting a circle of characters we want to spend time with—in one novel after another. That's certainly true in the case of Laura's novels. What evidence do I have beyond my own opinion? Well, Laura has developed an extremely popular side project in co-producing "murder-mystery-night" group dinners based on her novels. She's already got some of these new dinner-theater dates, based on this second novel, scheduled in Georgia in early 2025! So, that's how I'm shoring up my claim that readers are falling in love with Laura's colorful characters. Her readers actually want to have a real-life dinner with them!
Laura's schedule is easy to find online by searching for TheIslandMysteries. And, here's an important tip: When those new 2025 mystery dinner tickets go on sale, they will vanish very quickly.
So, I won't spoil any details of this newest mystery in this review. And I won't write further about my own ongoing love for these novels—because I want this Goodreads posting to be more of a newsy recap of why readers nationwide are enjoying and following Laura's work.
It's not just me.
These novels are an opportunity for fictional and real friendships to form.
October 14, 2024
If you are a fan of "Murder She Wrote," A Special Kind Heartache is your book! Thank you to the wonderful Laura Elizabeth for the colorful blend of fiction, historical storytelling, and an amazing whodunit! Her stories connect well with people that have traveled to island communities and have experienced the culture of the closeness of the island culture. For those that have never traveled to these destinations; add them to your list!
Writing about murder is never easy. Yet, Laura does it with such perfection and color, I absolutely can not wait for the next one to come out!!!
A True must read !! 5 Stars!!
Writing about murder is never easy. Yet, Laura does it with such perfection and color, I absolutely can not wait for the next one to come out!!!
A True must read !! 5 Stars!!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews