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The Anatomy of a Perfect Murder
Eight children vanished from Breakwater Bay.
No bodies were ever found — until now.
Breakwater Bay, Maine is a town built on secrets, saltwater, and silence. For years, children have disappeared without a trace, leaving behind grief-stricken families and unanswered questions the town would rather forget.
Ariadne “Addie” Hastings escapes into the freezing ocean, where the water numbs her pain and quiets the fractures in her life. But during one routine swim, Addie surfaces tangled in seaweed — and face to face with a body she recognises.
Tillie Hope.
The first girl to disappear.
Lucas Kumar has spent seven years obsessed with the missing children of Breakwater Bay, driven by the disappearance of his own sister. When Addie’s discovery drags the past back to the surface, Lucas finally has proof that the town’s secrets were never gone — only waiting.
As Addie and Lucas dig deeper, their connection grows alongside the horror of what they uncover. Every clue pulls them further into a mystery rooted in grief, guilt, and something darker than either of them expected.
Because the ocean remembers what the town tried to forget.
A haunting YA mystery with supernatural horror, found family, and slow-burn romance — perfect for readers who love summer-camp dread, emotional depth, and chilling revelations.
Set in the same universe as The Enigmatic End to Bethany Reed
No bodies were ever found — until now.
Breakwater Bay, Maine is a town built on secrets, saltwater, and silence. For years, children have disappeared without a trace, leaving behind grief-stricken families and unanswered questions the town would rather forget.
Ariadne “Addie” Hastings escapes into the freezing ocean, where the water numbs her pain and quiets the fractures in her life. But during one routine swim, Addie surfaces tangled in seaweed — and face to face with a body she recognises.
Tillie Hope.
The first girl to disappear.
Lucas Kumar has spent seven years obsessed with the missing children of Breakwater Bay, driven by the disappearance of his own sister. When Addie’s discovery drags the past back to the surface, Lucas finally has proof that the town’s secrets were never gone — only waiting.
As Addie and Lucas dig deeper, their connection grows alongside the horror of what they uncover. Every clue pulls them further into a mystery rooted in grief, guilt, and something darker than either of them expected.
Because the ocean remembers what the town tried to forget.
A haunting YA mystery with supernatural horror, found family, and slow-burn romance — perfect for readers who love summer-camp dread, emotional depth, and chilling revelations.
Set in the same universe as The Enigmatic End to Bethany Reed
- GenresMystery
369 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 18, 2025
About the author
Ashlea Stannard
6 books35 followersteen author, reader and literature student. i write crime novels, romance and the occasional tragic novella. my debut novel "the enigmatic end to bethany reed" is out now.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 22, 2025
What can I say that I haven’t said already? After finishing Ashlea’s fourth book, it’s safe to say that she’s hit the nail on the head yet again. It’s amazing to see her pour her heart and soul into every novel she writes, and TAOAPM is no exception! (though I am getting slightly scared that she may be TOO interested in murder-don’t kill me please)
Characters: 10/10
Ashlea perfectly fleshes out her characters to make them feel as real as possible! Each character is unique in their own way, and once again she’s made me crush on a totally lovely and unattainable male character (at least unattainable for me anyway). Ariadnes quiet charm burrows into your heart, making you empathise with both her life and her story. I love them!
Plot:10/10
Ashlea’s perfected the art of small-town mysteries, but she’s still able to keep me guessing by throwing in jaw-dropping plot twists :0000 I won’t reveal much because spoilers, omg I did not see it coming. 10/10
As a little input from my Sgt, after explaining the setting of the book, he said “too much water. 8/10” (don’t listen to him, it’s a seaside town-although he might now read it lol)
Keep doing what you’re doing. You’re amazing and I wholly recommend this book for new and veteran readers! Love you Ashlea <3
Characters: 10/10
Ashlea perfectly fleshes out her characters to make them feel as real as possible! Each character is unique in their own way, and once again she’s made me crush on a totally lovely and unattainable male character (at least unattainable for me anyway). Ariadnes quiet charm burrows into your heart, making you empathise with both her life and her story. I love them!
Plot:10/10
Ashlea’s perfected the art of small-town mysteries, but she’s still able to keep me guessing by throwing in jaw-dropping plot twists :0000 I won’t reveal much because spoilers, omg I did not see it coming. 10/10
As a little input from my Sgt, after explaining the setting of the book, he said “too much water. 8/10” (don’t listen to him, it’s a seaside town-although he might now read it lol)
Keep doing what you’re doing. You’re amazing and I wholly recommend this book for new and veteran readers! Love you Ashlea <3
July 15, 2025
HOW DO YOU KEEP DOING THIS TO MEEE
with every book ashlea breaks my heart and somehow i love her even more for it. i was literally glued to this book
with every book ashlea breaks my heart and somehow i love her even more for it. i was literally glued to this book
July 24, 2025
reviewing my own book, because who better to show up for than yourself?
this is my fourth novel, but in so many ways felt like me first. i’ve never written a thriller before, never dipped a toe into horror and family and everything tangled between them. i didn’t know if i was cut out for it, if i was allowed, but the anatomy of a perfect murder arrived anyway. dark, lyrical, limping into the room with ballet shoes in one hand and a gaudy gold locket in the other, whispering “write me anyway”. so i did.
this book is about dancing to someone else’s tune and then deciding, one day, not to. it’s about friendship and memory and trauma that echoes down the hallway years after the door was broken.
and somewhere in that tangle— it’s about love, too.
to returning readers who have read all four books: thank you for sticking with me while i learnt to light a match in the dark. to those just arriving to my dark corner of maine: i hope you brought a flashlight.
this is the book i’m proudest of, the one that broke me down as an autor and built me back up like some kind of holly jackson/stephen king/ethel cain frankenstein. it’s for the girls who were never supposed to survive but did anyway.
and yes… there’s more coming.
breakwater bay isn’t done with us yet.
with a full heart,
thank you.
this is my fourth novel, but in so many ways felt like me first. i’ve never written a thriller before, never dipped a toe into horror and family and everything tangled between them. i didn’t know if i was cut out for it, if i was allowed, but the anatomy of a perfect murder arrived anyway. dark, lyrical, limping into the room with ballet shoes in one hand and a gaudy gold locket in the other, whispering “write me anyway”. so i did.
this book is about dancing to someone else’s tune and then deciding, one day, not to. it’s about friendship and memory and trauma that echoes down the hallway years after the door was broken.
and somewhere in that tangle— it’s about love, too.
to returning readers who have read all four books: thank you for sticking with me while i learnt to light a match in the dark. to those just arriving to my dark corner of maine: i hope you brought a flashlight.
this is the book i’m proudest of, the one that broke me down as an autor and built me back up like some kind of holly jackson/stephen king/ethel cain frankenstein. it’s for the girls who were never supposed to survive but did anyway.
and yes… there’s more coming.
breakwater bay isn’t done with us yet.
with a full heart,
thank you.
April 27, 2026
This novel follows protagonists Ariadne and Lucas who find themselves entangled within a complex criminal case involving the disappearance of young girls from their town, a series of haunting events that have cast a shadow over its residents for decades. Our setting, Breakwater Bay, is perfectly picturesque and fully fleshed, but the darkness underpinning its façade seeps through the cracks in the cliffsides, slowly emerging and deepening as the story progresses. In the wake of the difficult themes that the novel explores, the relationships that bloom from this darkness are pure and poignant, like wildflowers that persist in the most unforgivable of landscapes.
The core subject matter is one that I have little exposure to, or knowledge of, and I appreciated the inclusion of the information the author had provided after the novels conclusion, which draws everything into a ‘real world’ perspective. It’s difficult, but necessary, to comprehend how events such as this can happen outside of fictional spaces, and how devastating the consequences are, but this is why reading is so crucial, as the light is shone on victims that are so often found hidden away on a shelf – in picking them up, its hopeful that awareness and action are encouraged.
The pacing was excellent, the mystery was gripping, so once again, I absolutely flew though this in just a few sittings. I’m thrilled at the thought of this being book one in an interconnected series, and at seeing these characters again one day.
The core subject matter is one that I have little exposure to, or knowledge of, and I appreciated the inclusion of the information the author had provided after the novels conclusion, which draws everything into a ‘real world’ perspective. It’s difficult, but necessary, to comprehend how events such as this can happen outside of fictional spaces, and how devastating the consequences are, but this is why reading is so crucial, as the light is shone on victims that are so often found hidden away on a shelf – in picking them up, its hopeful that awareness and action are encouraged.
The pacing was excellent, the mystery was gripping, so once again, I absolutely flew though this in just a few sittings. I’m thrilled at the thought of this being book one in an interconnected series, and at seeing these characters again one day.
August 23, 2025
Thrillingly creepy and filled with jaw-dropping plots twists, this book kept me up at night more times than I’d like to admit.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews