What Happened to Liz

by Crysta Duryea

Genres: Mystery, Thriller

297 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 16, 2026

Reviews

[Emily Solar]

my favorite read of the year!! it kept me guessing, i loved the characters and i want to live in coral haven!!!

[Lillie Grove]

What happened to Liz was a perfect summer story that you could read all year long! It was suspenseful, twisty, and a real page-turner. I especially loved the blog narrative- such a great way to engage readers. Highly recommend!

[David Duryea]

Great visual storytelling with tons of imagery, captivating characters and setting. Felt like I was literally in coral haven while reading. The ending was crazy!!! Can’t wait for this authors next book to come out. 11/10

[Chelsey Lyons]

Coral Haven is the most idyllic beach town and the perfect setting for this thriller. Easy to read & easy to love - Couldn’t put this one down!

[Madeline Good]

I haven’t read a thriller this good in a long time. This is going to be my new go to book recommendation!!

[Crysta Duryea]

Enjoy Coral Haven!! 📗🌊☀️🍷

[Stacey Miles]

Easy beach town read with murder plot. Not a crazy thriller by any means and slightly predictable but still great for a quick beach read!!

[Kayla Yuhas]

What Happened to Liz was an easy breezy read, perfect for beach lovers, fans of mysteries (but not too scary!), and anyone who loves a little gossip! The setting and characters were so well developed that I could easily picture the characters’ every move and felt like I was one of the girls with Carly, Olivia, Madison, and Claire! I love when a book tricks me, and this one definitely did with a great surprise ending!

[Kayla]

What Happened to Liz!! Loved this book. The details have you feeling like you are right there in Coral Haven with all the characters. The motive of the crime is something I never saw coming. The author’s writing style draws you in and truly immerses you in each scene. Can’t recommend this one enough!

[Ryan Greene]

Very cute summer mystery beach read

[Victoria]

The perfect beach read! Easy to get lost in and is a quick, easy read

[Rachael Wolfe]

What a great beach read! With well-developed characters and a fast-paced plot, I was hooked from the beginning and couldn’t wait to see what happened next. I was wishing there would be a part 2 - maybe the perspective of Bauer!!

[Maddie Buettner]

an amazing read, made me feel like I was on the beach in Coral Haven in the middle of February. Could picture everything so vividly. Any beach lover will LOVE this book. 10/10.

[Juliana]

Lovely, easy, fun & mysterious beach read. Or airport read, vacation read, anything read really! Loved following Claire’s journey and getting to know her, her friends and the lovely town of Coral Haven. I found myself asking over and over what happened to Liz and looking forward to reading more.

[Catherine Ernest]

The cutest cozy beach mystery! This novel has made me beyond excited to move to the town that inspired this story. Great summer read! 👏🏻✨🌊☀️

[Bobby Zurad]

wonderful story!

[Samantha Dewey]

I really enjoyed this book! It was such an easy read and the story just flowed. There’s a great mix of mystery and crime-solving, but it’s balanced with a cozy, feel-good vibe. The historic beach town setting—Pilates, drinks on the beach, best friends, blogging—somehow makes even a murder feel a little less scary. I can’t wait to read more from this author!

[Gianna Pownall]

This book was such an easy read!! I loved the setting of the beach town mixed with mystery. Wish this book would turn into a series, cannot wait to read more of Crysta’s work!

[Taylor Mcilhenny]

Couldn’t put it down!

[Ali Marino]

amazing!!

I love a good thriller and this is for sure going on my comfort reads list. It’s beautiful chaos of a smaller town murder mixed with a beach town is a storyline I didn’t know what I needed in my life!

[Kara Camuso]

Loved this book! It had the perfect mix of suspense, mystery, and coastal vibes that kept me hooked!

[Gianna I.]

What Happened To Liz was my favorite read of the year thus far!! The attention to detail, commitment to each character, and the inviting, cozy, whimsical nature of Coral Haven, which was felt while reading, kept me reaching for the book. I spent my time reading mostly at work, when business was slow, looking out the window at my own version of Coral Haven here in Cape May. This allowed me to feel a part of the story as the plot unfolded, and I am forever grateful to have had this kind of immersive reading experience. If you love fast-paced, attention-grabbing mysteries, and hold any ounce of love and appreciation for cozy beach towns, this is the book for you! :)

[Robyn]

What a wonderful cozy mystery. I love all of the Cape May vibes. The characters felt like people I wanted to meet in real life. The pacing was great and one of my favorite parts were the blog posts.

I would love to see a Coral Haven series.

[Suzie]

I started off being so excited. I found little easter eggs in this book and related to the setting. The author did a great job at keeping the story set in the early 2000's. After a while, I was kind of annoyed with Claire for being so nosy. Personally, I think it took too long to find out that Liz and Claire were actually friends. In the first quarter of the book, they seem more like acquaintances, so when Liz dies and Claire acts so invested, I was put off. Then, by mid-book, you find out they were actually close and in the same group.

This is where the book really picks up. Adam and Beau are both suspicious, but having read so many thrillers, I thought it couldn't be that obvious. I didn't get the same bad vibes from Beau's new girlfriend as Claire did. Then again, if my good friend's ex came around with a new girl, I would probably not like her either.

I will probably pick this book back up, but for right now I just lost interest. I am not connecting enough with Claire. I love the world-building and think the small town is described perfectly. Even the tourists are described spot on.

I will pick this book back up. I just need a pause on thrillers and mysteries.

[Sarah Mormello]

I grabbed this from our neighborhood bagel shop with high hopes and solid intentions of supporting a local, but there were too many instances in which the dialogue felt forced and interactions unnatural-especially in regard to the detective. I did truly enjoy the many visual snippets inspired by our town, along with the vibe of how summer feels living here. The author expertly captured the scene; it was characters I wasn’t convinced by.

[Tammy]

5⭐️ because this local author managed to debut a novel that not only was hard to put down, but has so much opportunity to become a series! Crysta, please do a sequel, or add on to this as a series using the other characters! I’m really interested in Ava’s story from her perspective! Loved this, and so glad I picked it up on my day trip to Cape May 💙

[Riley Johnston]

i loved this book. the characters are so well developed. the setting feels like the main character... the imagery is so good and i just loved getting fully enveloped in the world of coral haven. can't wait for the next one!!

[Sue]

Great beach read.

[Brandon Swader]

Incredible writing and imagery. Wonderful characters, interesting story with a great ending !!

[Reece Harty]

“Sometimes, the only cure for a crowded mind is an empty horizon” - pg. 130