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The Treasure Hunters Club #2
Return to Breakneck Island
Not yet published
Expected 6 Oct 26Win a free print copy of this book!
5 days and 01:05:22
30 copies available
U.S. only
Long-buried secrets resurface in this alluring mystery from the bestselling and award-winning author of The Treasure Hunters Club that welcomes readers back to Maple Bay—a seaside town “that has all the cozy charm of Jessica Fletcher’s Cabot Cove, with almost as many murders.” (Library Journal, starred review)
Breakneck Island: nestled precariously off the coast of Maple Bay, the lighthouse atop this rocky outcrop is all that stands between safe passage and nautical disaster.
For generations, the MacLeary family lived on Breakneck Island in an isolated and physically-demanding existence. One night in 1932, after a ruthless storm battered all of Maple Bay, the MacLearys disappeared without a trace, leaving behind only whispers of a missing fortune.
Nearly a century later, three people are drawn to Breakneck Island and its perplexing past, Peter Barnett, a recent Maple Bay transplant who’s piecing his life back together and possibly catching feelings for a charming professor; Dandy Feltzen, a wistful teenage girl searching for new beginnings while juggling the arrival of an unexpected visitor; and Cass Jones, a successful author given a cryptic tip for a haunting new story.
As Peter, Dandy, and Cass are drawn into the orbit of one of Maple Bay’s darkest mysteries, dangers past and present collide on the rocky shores of Breakneck Island, and the real story of the MacLearys finally comes into focus. But if the island is to reveal its oldest secrets, it may demand fresh bodies in return.
Breakneck Island: nestled precariously off the coast of Maple Bay, the lighthouse atop this rocky outcrop is all that stands between safe passage and nautical disaster.
For generations, the MacLeary family lived on Breakneck Island in an isolated and physically-demanding existence. One night in 1932, after a ruthless storm battered all of Maple Bay, the MacLearys disappeared without a trace, leaving behind only whispers of a missing fortune.
Nearly a century later, three people are drawn to Breakneck Island and its perplexing past, Peter Barnett, a recent Maple Bay transplant who’s piecing his life back together and possibly catching feelings for a charming professor; Dandy Feltzen, a wistful teenage girl searching for new beginnings while juggling the arrival of an unexpected visitor; and Cass Jones, a successful author given a cryptic tip for a haunting new story.
As Peter, Dandy, and Cass are drawn into the orbit of one of Maple Bay’s darkest mysteries, dangers past and present collide on the rocky shores of Breakneck Island, and the real story of the MacLearys finally comes into focus. But if the island is to reveal its oldest secrets, it may demand fresh bodies in return.
332 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication October 6, 2026
About the author
Tom Ryan
12 books534 followersTom Ryan is an award winning author, screenwriter and producer. His YA mystery KEEP THIS TO YOURSELF was the winner of the 2020 ITW Thriller Award for Best YA Thriller, the 2020 Arthur Ellis Award for Best YA Crime Book, and the 2021 Ann Connor Brimer Award, and is currently being adapted for television. His followup YA mystery I HOPE YOU’RE LISTENING was the winner of the 2021 Lambda “Lammy” Award for Best LGBTQ Mystery. He was a 2017 Lambda Literary Fellow in Young Adult Fiction.
Tom, his husband and their dog live in Nova Scotia.
Tom, his husband and their dog live in Nova Scotia.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced review copy of Tom Ryan’s Return to Breakneck Island, a sequel to The Treasure Hunter Club Mystery.
I absolutely loved The Treasure Hunters Club so I was excited to get back to Cass, Peter, and Dandy in Maple Bay. This sequel introduces new characters from the past and present and a few visitors to the island. Return to Breakneck Island has a dual-timeline, providing history and hints of a new treasure to find in Nova Scotia. And our main characters are spending more time apart.
I had high hopes for this sophomore effort in this series but ultimately felt overwhelmed by ALL of the themes and plot lines used to move the story along. The sequel requires readers to remember a lot from the original book, which may be difficult since this book doesn’t publish until October.
Because the main characters aren’t working together this time, there are a lot of new characters to get to know, which means they don’t get much depth or complexity. Several have pretty transparent motives, which leave few surprises at the end of the book.
I believe some of the themes and storylines could have been saved for the next book so that they could be introduced more thoroughly and developed more meaningfully. Return to Breakneck Island seemed rushed to say a lot of things, maybe too many things.
I still enjoyed the adventure and like the main characters. Return to Breakneck Island sets itself up for a third book which I will happily read and hopefully enjoy more than this sequel. I’m rating Return to Breakneck Island ⭐️⭐️⭐️ because the main characters are growing and changing in meaningful ways and the setting and history are interesting to me.
I absolutely loved The Treasure Hunters Club so I was excited to get back to Cass, Peter, and Dandy in Maple Bay. This sequel introduces new characters from the past and present and a few visitors to the island. Return to Breakneck Island has a dual-timeline, providing history and hints of a new treasure to find in Nova Scotia. And our main characters are spending more time apart.
I had high hopes for this sophomore effort in this series but ultimately felt overwhelmed by ALL of the themes and plot lines used to move the story along. The sequel requires readers to remember a lot from the original book, which may be difficult since this book doesn’t publish until October.
Because the main characters aren’t working together this time, there are a lot of new characters to get to know, which means they don’t get much depth or complexity. Several have pretty transparent motives, which leave few surprises at the end of the book.
I believe some of the themes and storylines could have been saved for the next book so that they could be introduced more thoroughly and developed more meaningfully. Return to Breakneck Island seemed rushed to say a lot of things, maybe too many things.
I still enjoyed the adventure and like the main characters. Return to Breakneck Island sets itself up for a third book which I will happily read and hopefully enjoy more than this sequel. I’m rating Return to Breakneck Island ⭐️⭐️⭐️ because the main characters are growing and changing in meaningful ways and the setting and history are interesting to me.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This review is for an ARC copy received from the publisher through NetGalley.
The three heroes from The Treasure Hunters Club, Cass, Dandy and Peter, are back for another treasure hunting adventure in Maple Bay. At Cass's book launch party, Cookie, an older resident (who happens to be related to Dandy) begins to tell Cass there's more than one treasure to be found. Cass agrees to meet with her the next day, but before she can, Cookie ends up dead, apparently having slipped off a cliff. What follows is all three treasure hunters find themselves drawn to a nearly 100-year old mystery tied in to Breakneck Island across the bay.
Whereas the previous book had three disparate characters drawn together due to a death and mystery involving treasure, this book finds the three involved in their own lives, all eventually looking for the same thing without discussing or realizing it. Of the three character plots, the one I just couldn't stand was Peter's, though it was grating for a reason. The story switches back and forth between the origin of the "treasure" in 1932, and the main characters' plots modern day. I found the 1932 plot much more intriguing and unpredictable, while modern day I early on figured out most of the key elements, except for one surprising twist late in the story. I've seen reviews describe the first book as being "cozy thriller" and I would have to say that really describes this novel, as it was more thriller than mystery, but not as fraught with intensity, and having cozier resolutions. A relatively fast, easy read if you want a lighter mystery-thriller. 3.5/5*
The three heroes from The Treasure Hunters Club, Cass, Dandy and Peter, are back for another treasure hunting adventure in Maple Bay. At Cass's book launch party, Cookie, an older resident (who happens to be related to Dandy) begins to tell Cass there's more than one treasure to be found. Cass agrees to meet with her the next day, but before she can, Cookie ends up dead, apparently having slipped off a cliff. What follows is all three treasure hunters find themselves drawn to a nearly 100-year old mystery tied in to Breakneck Island across the bay.
Whereas the previous book had three disparate characters drawn together due to a death and mystery involving treasure, this book finds the three involved in their own lives, all eventually looking for the same thing without discussing or realizing it. Of the three character plots, the one I just couldn't stand was Peter's, though it was grating for a reason. The story switches back and forth between the origin of the "treasure" in 1932, and the main characters' plots modern day. I found the 1932 plot much more intriguing and unpredictable, while modern day I early on figured out most of the key elements, except for one surprising twist late in the story. I've seen reviews describe the first book as being "cozy thriller" and I would have to say that really describes this novel, as it was more thriller than mystery, but not as fraught with intensity, and having cozier resolutions. A relatively fast, easy read if you want a lighter mystery-thriller. 3.5/5*
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews