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Beach Bound #1
Wiped Out: Murder is a Beach
Murder is a beach!
Fraya Taylor is done with the drama of life on the mainland. She’s carved out a new magical black girl life for herself in Kailua, Hawaii, writing novels, talking story with her bestie, and soaking up the sun.
But sometimes life has other plans.
When a scream splits the air one morning, Fraya runs toward the sound—and what she finds there catapults her into the dangerous world of pro-surfing, where money rules and taking risks is required.
No more sipping cold brew on the beach. Now Fraya’s life is in the balance. And if she and her zany writing group can’t catch the killer, she might totally wipe out.
Wiped Out is a cozy mystery novella set in paradise the first in the Beach Bound Cozy Mystery series. You’ll love it because friends and family are just as important as solving murders. Buy or borrow today!
Fraya Taylor moved to Hawai'i to get away from the drama of her hometown and to start fresh. With her zany writing group and her best friend, she's carved out a quiet life for herself of writing her novels and soaking up the sun.
One day, she was talking story with her bestie in Kailua, HI, sipping her cold brew, and living her magical black girl life, when a scream split the air. Running toward that sound, catapulted her into a world of money, danger, and pro-surfing.
Wiped Out is a cozy mystery novella set in the tropics where friendships and family are just as important as solving the crime.
- GenresMysteryCozy Mystery
110 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 25, 2019
17 people are currently reading
38 people want to read
About the author
Tamara Woods
14 books170 followersTamara Woods was raised (fairly happily) in West Virginia, where she began writing poetry at the age of 12. Her poetry takes a close look at the human condition, particularly race relations and classism. Her first poetry collection "The Shaping of an "Angry" Black Woman" is available for order at Sakura Publishing site and at Amazon.
She has previous experience as a newspaper journalist, an event organizer, volunteer with AmeriCorps and VISTA, in addition to work with people with disabilities. She has used her writing background to capture emotions and moments in time for anthologies such as Empirical Magazine,one of the founding editors of The Reverie Journal, her blog PenPaperPad and writing articles as a full-time freelance writer.
She is a hillbilly hermit in Honolulu living with her Mathemagician.
You can find her all over these internets:
Like her on Facebook
Tweet her
Add her to your G+circles
Tumble with her
Watch her videos
She has previous experience as a newspaper journalist, an event organizer, volunteer with AmeriCorps and VISTA, in addition to work with people with disabilities. She has used her writing background to capture emotions and moments in time for anthologies such as Empirical Magazine,one of the founding editors of The Reverie Journal, her blog PenPaperPad and writing articles as a full-time freelance writer.
She is a hillbilly hermit in Honolulu living with her Mathemagician.
You can find her all over these internets:
Like her on Facebook
Tweet her
Add her to your G+circles
Tumble with her
Watch her videos
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
August 1, 2020
The Pros:
1. Carefree Black woman living her best writing life in the land of Aloha.
2. Accidental sleuth-iness.
3. Supportive group of women friends - plus one for Bechtel list.
4. Mystery wrapped up nicely though I pretty much knew who the culprit was.
5. Two potential love interests - one grumpy, the other Mister hang ten.
6. Black girl surfing.
The Cons:
1. Too damn short.
2.Needed some serious editing.
3. Not enough description of characters. I couldn't quite envision them
Overall, I definitely want to see a longer book in this series.
1. Carefree Black woman living her best writing life in the land of Aloha.
2. Accidental sleuth-iness.
3. Supportive group of women friends - plus one for Bechtel list.
4. Mystery wrapped up nicely though I pretty much knew who the culprit was.
5. Two potential love interests - one grumpy, the other Mister hang ten.
6. Black girl surfing.
The Cons:
1. Too damn short.
2.Needed some serious editing.
3. Not enough description of characters. I couldn't quite envision them
Overall, I definitely want to see a longer book in this series.
September 25, 2019
I would have enjoyed this story so much more if there had been another round of edits and proofreading. The plot itself was sound, but there were a few moments where I was thought it could have come together a bit better. There was a distracting amount of typos. I can usually handle a typo here or there, but there were multiple ones in each chapter. It just needed some line edits and a final read-through, I think. I enjoyed the mystery, and the main character is likable enough. I like supporting self-pub authors, and I would give this one another try, I'd just like to see some sharper editing.
April 30, 2022
This book has a lot of potential, but I don't think it quite lived up to that potential.
Wood does a great job of transporting the reader to Hawaii and fleshing out the setting of the mystery. There are a number of interesting storylines outside of the mystery such as Fraya trying to find her way as a divorcée and the brewing love triangle she finds herself in.
The book also features a Black protagonist and several other characters of colour who are all written in a non-stereotypical fashion, something that's unfortunately still rare for cozy mysteries. I really appreciated this.
However, I would've loved to have seen Fraya do even more investigation than she did in the book. It felt as if the mystery would've been solved at some point by someone else, even without her active involvement. It's as if she stumbles into the answer to the mystery. I realize that this book is a novella (only 97 pages), but I still think there could've been more of a mystery within.
I also think this book would've benefitted from some more editing. There are numerous typos and mistakes throughout the novel, to the point where it may become distracting for the reader. For example, a character is referred to as Gamilla Kim on one page and Gamilla Lee on the next.
It's a decent introductory novel for a cozy mystery series, but there's also room for improvement.
For more of my reviews, please visit my blog.
Wood does a great job of transporting the reader to Hawaii and fleshing out the setting of the mystery. There are a number of interesting storylines outside of the mystery such as Fraya trying to find her way as a divorcée and the brewing love triangle she finds herself in.
The book also features a Black protagonist and several other characters of colour who are all written in a non-stereotypical fashion, something that's unfortunately still rare for cozy mysteries. I really appreciated this.
However, I would've loved to have seen Fraya do even more investigation than she did in the book. It felt as if the mystery would've been solved at some point by someone else, even without her active involvement. It's as if she stumbles into the answer to the mystery. I realize that this book is a novella (only 97 pages), but I still think there could've been more of a mystery within.
I also think this book would've benefitted from some more editing. There are numerous typos and mistakes throughout the novel, to the point where it may become distracting for the reader. For example, a character is referred to as Gamilla Kim on one page and Gamilla Lee on the next.
It's a decent introductory novel for a cozy mystery series, but there's also room for improvement.
For more of my reviews, please visit my blog.
November 12, 2021
Freya is trying to enjoy her new life as a divorcee and a writer in the paradise of Hawaii. She came to escape the drama of her ex-husband. But tragedy falls as she finds a famous surfer dying in front of her beach house as a mysterious male figure rushes away. Freya feels guilty that she did not get to the dying woman in time. In the search for closure, Freya starts to investigate the case — just to give the cops a hand.
Really, I only found two cons in Wiped Out By Tamara Woods:
One: There were a few errors but not much more than one would find in a mainstream published book.
Two: It could have been a bit longer to delve into the characters or the world of surfing more. I did care about Freya and her friends. But the victims did not get much book time. Since this is a series, it was not too disappointing that the book was shorter and still has some character development to come out in future books.
Pros:
By far, this is a very enjoyable book. It promised and give me exactly what I needed at the time, a cozy summer mystery with a bad as a woman writer of color (Freya and the real writer Tamara Woods) plus a touch of possible romance. Most importantly, I had a great reading experience. It was soothing murder mystery! And I am rooting for Freya to get her groove back and dating some of the male lead, especially the mysterious writer-surfer Keith.
I was very impressed that this was an indie book with an excellent cover, good plot, and interesting characters. I would highly recommend writers check out Tamara Woods’ channel on YouTube where she and other authors share tips and host write ins and even virtual writing retreats.
All in All, I give this book a 4 out of 4 starts. If you looking for a diverse cozy mystery, this is it!.
Really, I only found two cons in Wiped Out By Tamara Woods:
One: There were a few errors but not much more than one would find in a mainstream published book.
Two: It could have been a bit longer to delve into the characters or the world of surfing more. I did care about Freya and her friends. But the victims did not get much book time. Since this is a series, it was not too disappointing that the book was shorter and still has some character development to come out in future books.
Pros:
By far, this is a very enjoyable book. It promised and give me exactly what I needed at the time, a cozy summer mystery with a bad as a woman writer of color (Freya and the real writer Tamara Woods) plus a touch of possible romance. Most importantly, I had a great reading experience. It was soothing murder mystery! And I am rooting for Freya to get her groove back and dating some of the male lead, especially the mysterious writer-surfer Keith.
I was very impressed that this was an indie book with an excellent cover, good plot, and interesting characters. I would highly recommend writers check out Tamara Woods’ channel on YouTube where she and other authors share tips and host write ins and even virtual writing retreats.
All in All, I give this book a 4 out of 4 starts. If you looking for a diverse cozy mystery, this is it!.
June 6, 2020
Interesting characters, fun setting, intriguing plot but...
The main character and her writing group was a lot of fun. The different romance potentials also added a lot of playfulness and intrigue to the story! I guessed wrong on the killer, but I almost wish I would have been right. The reveal felt a bit rushed to be honest, it came out of left field and felt unsatisfactory to me. And who it was felt a bit disappointing, to be honest. I would read the next one for the characters and setting, though! They were a lot of fun. I will also say that the editing on this book felt rather lacking, there was quite a few glaring issues on almost every page, so if that bothers you, take that into account beforehand. Missing punctuation, incorrect spelling, characters popping in and out I did not recall seeing before (Cam) etc. Most of the time they were annoying but didn't confuse the story too much, except for one sentence that started in the middle and so I had no idea what was trying to be said. However, if that sort of thing doesn't bother you too much, you will enjoy this story nonetheless, I did. I am looking forward to the next one because I see a whole lot of potential in this series and characters!
The main character and her writing group was a lot of fun. The different romance potentials also added a lot of playfulness and intrigue to the story! I guessed wrong on the killer, but I almost wish I would have been right. The reveal felt a bit rushed to be honest, it came out of left field and felt unsatisfactory to me. And who it was felt a bit disappointing, to be honest. I would read the next one for the characters and setting, though! They were a lot of fun. I will also say that the editing on this book felt rather lacking, there was quite a few glaring issues on almost every page, so if that bothers you, take that into account beforehand. Missing punctuation, incorrect spelling, characters popping in and out I did not recall seeing before (Cam) etc. Most of the time they were annoying but didn't confuse the story too much, except for one sentence that started in the middle and so I had no idea what was trying to be said. However, if that sort of thing doesn't bother you too much, you will enjoy this story nonetheless, I did. I am looking forward to the next one because I see a whole lot of potential in this series and characters!
November 28, 2022
My first book by the author. The series has potential but needs a little editing. A few missed words, misspellings, etc.
Fraya is an author living on the beach in Hawaii. While working on her latest book, she hears a scream and runs outside to see a man running away and a young woman lying on the sand. When she reaches the woman, she realizes she is dying and calls the police. Haunted by the dying woman's last words, she becomes determined to find out who killed her and why. With the help of her best friend and a guy from her writer's group, she enters the world of competitive surfing, where jealousy, greed, obsession, and love all playing a part as motive for the possible murder of Gamilla. When another surfer is killed, Fraya realizes that she must be getting close and that if she isn't careful, she might find herself caught in the killer's sight.
Fraya is an author living on the beach in Hawaii. While working on her latest book, she hears a scream and runs outside to see a man running away and a young woman lying on the sand. When she reaches the woman, she realizes she is dying and calls the police. Haunted by the dying woman's last words, she becomes determined to find out who killed her and why. With the help of her best friend and a guy from her writer's group, she enters the world of competitive surfing, where jealousy, greed, obsession, and love all playing a part as motive for the possible murder of Gamilla. When another surfer is killed, Fraya realizes that she must be getting close and that if she isn't careful, she might find herself caught in the killer's sight.
June 22, 2020
I picked this up because I was in the mood for a good cozy mystery, and the idea of being in Hawaii was too much to pass up. I adored the story from the first page, Fraya was amazing, well rounded and a perfect character to go along the journey of solving a murder with. I was so sure I had the killer picked out, but then I was surprised at the end which is always a good feeling. I love Woods’ way with words and the way she tells the story. I’ll definitely be checking out the next book in this series, and will be reading others by her as well. Overall, highly recommended and a new favourite!
November 11, 2020
This was in desperate need of an editor, but in general it was a perfectly adequate book. Both the Hawaiian setting and having a black (& divorced) leading lady felt like fresh takes on the genre, so I enjoyed those aspects. The mystery was not super engaging & while I really liked her cast of friends, I found myself mixing them up from time to time because I didn't have enough time to establish each character independent of the others. All in all, not a bad introductory book to this series, but I'd love to see the author up the ante in the next one.
December 27, 2020
A cosy, short and fun read.
When Fraya’s voice comes through, she is hilarious.
For me, there is a bit too much of “am I ready to date” while trying to choose between two guys (one of which doesn’t even seem to be interested as far as I can tell from his behaviour). I think the book doesn’t go deep enough into the surfer scene the murder is set against and the whole murder mystery feels like a set up for future books/the romance parts that I expect to see in the next book.
When Fraya’s voice comes through, she is hilarious.
For me, there is a bit too much of “am I ready to date” while trying to choose between two guys (one of which doesn’t even seem to be interested as far as I can tell from his behaviour). I think the book doesn’t go deep enough into the surfer scene the murder is set against and the whole murder mystery feels like a set up for future books/the romance parts that I expect to see in the next book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 30, 2020
So good! Full of suspense, humor and a good mystery! Also, her pop-culture references were so perfect I loved every one lol! The MC Fraya was so relatable (I love that with one look you know exactly what she's thinking hahaha!) and three-dimensional.
And that ending! I don't want to give it away but I need to read the next one now! Can't wait for the sequel!
And that ending! I don't want to give it away but I need to read the next one now! Can't wait for the sequel!
October 30, 2019
First time cozy mystery reader here
This was the first cozy mystery I read and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I usually prefer more romance, but the mystery of whodunit kept me turning pages.
This was the first cozy mystery I read and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I usually prefer more romance, but the mystery of whodunit kept me turning pages.
April 24, 2020
A murder in your own back yard. That's kind of what happened but the back yard is the sandy beach on one of Hawaii's Islands. The caracters are vibrant , bold ,and full of humor . The mystery of who done it is full of intreage .A two 👍kind of read.😉🙄Kat
August 13, 2020
An Absolute Must Read
Wiped Out is my first Cozy Mystery. I enjoyed every moment of this story, and found myself reading through the night to find out who done it. I look forward to coming out what happens next in Fraya's world.
Wiped Out is my first Cozy Mystery. I enjoyed every moment of this story, and found myself reading through the night to find out who done it. I look forward to coming out what happens next in Fraya's world.
October 27, 2024
That ending!!
The setting is incredible! The characters that surround Fraya are shaping up to be a good group. The mystery stumped me, but when I looked back, all the clues were there. But what really got me was that ending!! That was unexpected. I need to go find the next book.
The setting is incredible! The characters that surround Fraya are shaping up to be a good group. The mystery stumped me, but when I looked back, all the clues were there. But what really got me was that ending!! That was unexpected. I need to go find the next book.
October 19, 2025
A fun and breezy cozy mystery set in Hawaii! I really liked Fraya, she’s smart, funny, and easy to root for. The mix of sun, friendship, and suspense kept me hooked, and the island setting made it feel fresh and different. A perfect quick read for anyone who loves light mysteries with heart.
June 26, 2019
A fun cozy mystery with a Hawaiian vibe! A quick entertaining read.
November 11, 2019
Excellent.
I really enjoyed the characters. Neat plot. The killer took me by surprise. I'm looking forward to the next book.
I really enjoyed the characters. Neat plot. The killer took me by surprise. I'm looking forward to the next book.
June 20, 2020
I enjoyed meeting all the interesting characters in the story and the beautiful setting of Hawaii. Can't wait to read more about Fraya in the future. Quite the cliff-hanger at the end!
May 3, 2022
The amount of typos in this book was maddening.
October 14, 2022
Enjoyable summer read.
January 1, 2023
I really enjoyed this short mystery set in Hawaii. The characters were interesting and I would really like to know them better.
April 30, 2020
Fraya moved to Hawaii to leave the drama of her mainland life behind. Now, she lives on the beach, writes novels, brainstorms with her writer group, and hangs out with her new bestie. And then a championship surfer is murdered on Fraya's beach, and her life in paradise gets turned upside down in the world of competitive surfing, promoters, money, and possible romance.
This was a cute, quick reading cozy mystery. The author lives in Hawaii, so the setting feels authentic with nice local touches that make it realistic. Characters are perhaps a bit light but fit the cozy genre well. There are touches of humor throughout that keep the tone from getting too heavy. The mystery is decently plotted with several believable suspects. There is some romance, but it is not a focus.
There were some issues with the e-book, however. It could have used at least one more editing pass. There were sentence problems, extra words, and other errors that could have been easily caught and corrected if the book had been edited before publishing. There were a few times when the mixed-up sentences seemed to be the result of a revision where words were left in- or cut out- that should have been edited. At times, it had me pulled out of the story to sort things out.
All in all, this was a decent read. It's one that could be read in a few hours. The plot was good, and characters engaging. The only downside was the number of errors in the text.
This was a cute, quick reading cozy mystery. The author lives in Hawaii, so the setting feels authentic with nice local touches that make it realistic. Characters are perhaps a bit light but fit the cozy genre well. There are touches of humor throughout that keep the tone from getting too heavy. The mystery is decently plotted with several believable suspects. There is some romance, but it is not a focus.
There were some issues with the e-book, however. It could have used at least one more editing pass. There were sentence problems, extra words, and other errors that could have been easily caught and corrected if the book had been edited before publishing. There were a few times when the mixed-up sentences seemed to be the result of a revision where words were left in- or cut out- that should have been edited. At times, it had me pulled out of the story to sort things out.
All in all, this was a decent read. It's one that could be read in a few hours. The plot was good, and characters engaging. The only downside was the number of errors in the text.
December 21, 2023
No matter how many brain cells it’s reputed to destroy there’s a certain magic to television. My entire repertoire of jokes ... if I could actually remember them, comes from sitcoms. Mmmm that’s not a good example.
Though I’m convinced nearly two decades of watching Grey’s Anatomy were not wasted on me. I’ve a whole litany of medical jargon I can spout at the drop of a hat ... or a scalpel ... or a cranial drill for craniotomies
That said, Tamara Woods’ Wiped Out and specifically the character Fraya hold a special place for me. I feel a kinship with Fraya. In places where I might feel compelled to perform an emergency tracheotomy, Fraya is equally compelled to play detective.
Fraya throws herself into the thick of it, taking the skills obtained from years of watching Law and Order, not to mention the extensive training she’s sure she’d garnered from watching NCIS. And though the method to her madness is ... madness, there’s just something about her slightly over the top, barely under the radar demeanor that just talks to me.
Tamara beautifully juggles these moments of amateur sleuthing with a hint of love in the air.
So okay, maybe I’m not ready to walk into the nearest hospital and demand surgical privileges but I’m still right there with Fraya as she puts the pieces together to solve a series of murders and find a killer. And maybe she’ll find romance along the way. And maybe one day Fraya will make her way to the television and we can all watch her exploits as we flex those brain cells to help her catch killers.
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8HGFNoX/
Though I’m convinced nearly two decades of watching Grey’s Anatomy were not wasted on me. I’ve a whole litany of medical jargon I can spout at the drop of a hat ... or a scalpel ... or a cranial drill for craniotomies
That said, Tamara Woods’ Wiped Out and specifically the character Fraya hold a special place for me. I feel a kinship with Fraya. In places where I might feel compelled to perform an emergency tracheotomy, Fraya is equally compelled to play detective.
Fraya throws herself into the thick of it, taking the skills obtained from years of watching Law and Order, not to mention the extensive training she’s sure she’d garnered from watching NCIS. And though the method to her madness is ... madness, there’s just something about her slightly over the top, barely under the radar demeanor that just talks to me.
Tamara beautifully juggles these moments of amateur sleuthing with a hint of love in the air.
So okay, maybe I’m not ready to walk into the nearest hospital and demand surgical privileges but I’m still right there with Fraya as she puts the pieces together to solve a series of murders and find a killer. And maybe she’ll find romance along the way. And maybe one day Fraya will make her way to the television and we can all watch her exploits as we flex those brain cells to help her catch killers.
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8HGFNoX/
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews