Death at Paradise Beach

by Jan Christensen

No one at the Sea Breeze Condominiums liked Barry Everhart. But when condo manager, 39-year old Luna Dearborn, finds him bludgeoned to death in the Texas coastal seagrass, the police seem to believe she’s a prime suspect. She quickly hires a shrewd, intriguing lawyer named Casper. The next day her mother and hippie grandmother arrive from Minnesota in a vintage VW bus for a planned visit. Further complicating her life, she’s met a new man who’s igniting some feelings she’s not sure are reliable. Between entertaining her quirky relatives, answering more police questions, and coping with a surprise visitor, Luna has less time to chill out on the condo’s roof garden and laze on the beach while her assistant manager takes charge. When he’s attacked and ends up as a suspect, Luna realizes that she needs to prove someone else is the killer. But there are more shocking surprises in store for her. Will she be able to prevent more deaths, including her own?

Genres: Cozy Mystery

252 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 23, 2020

Reviews

[Ellie Ness · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to the author for giving me an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. The novel is available now to those on Amazon Unlimited or can be downloaded or purchased in a traditional format.

Death At Paradise Beach by Jan Christensen is set mostly in and around a new condo in Texas. The condo manager Luna is in her late thirties and divorced but doing really well in her chosen career. She has an eye for a handsome man and, unfortunately for her, prefers them to be a bit of a rogue. The day we meet Luna she is en route to the library and takes a stumble right into the arms of a man who is just her type and Luna resists every instinct she has to throw caution to the wind because her body wants to respond to what she sees and hears despite him being an unknown quantity. On her way back from the library Luna sees a dead body near her condo and calls the police and this is where her troubles start.

The novel is written mostly in dialogue and short chapters with a cliffhanger to make you read on. Luna is joined in her escapades by her famous mother, an old hippy grandmother, questionable father, albino lawyer etc. etc. It is a quirk of the novel that many of the characters are related to others who appear- for example a doctor is related to a lawyer and a different lawyer is related to a police officer. Perhaps this Texas community is meant to be a small one but when I lived in a condo in Virginia in 1987 I didn’t feel the sense of family everywhere that this novel creates.

The book is a perfect beach read, or at least it will be in the final version, because there’s sun, sand, banter, money and flowing alcohol. The dialogue is light and it will appeal to those who like suspecting everyone and being surprised at the end.
As I said, I have what I think is an advance copy which still has a few errors in it that would be caught by a human reader but not by a spellchecker because it’s the wrong word in that context. After a slight edit it would be a 4 star review but as it stands, I would give it a 3.

[Hope Hunter · Rating 3 out of 5]

After a bad breakup with her husband, Luna moved to Paradise Beach and reclaimed her life. She worked her way through college and became the manager of a condominium and found a home in the small seaside Texas town. As she was preparing for a visit from her strait-laced, ultra conservative mother and free-wheeling ultra liberal grandmother, Luna stumbled upon the body of one of the condominium owners. Feeling as though she would be identified as a suspect, she engages the services of a lawyer named Casper. As the murder is investigated, more strange accidents begin happening to Luna and other condominium owners. Luna cannot help but investigate and as she digs deeper she unravels a tangled web of relationships, double-crosses, and not-so-pleasant surprises from her past.

This cozy mystery is a quick and easy read. I like that Luna is a 39-year-old protagonist; there are not many books featuring characters of this age. I also enjoy the characters of Diana and Selena, Luna's mother and grandmother respectively. The stark personality contrast between the two provided humor and highlighted Luna's personality as being a mix of the two. Although I absolutely hate the use of the word "privileged" in this day and age, it constantly kept coming back to me as I reflected on Luna's character. It became amplified when she called (expensive) lawyer Casper over every little thing that happened - to the point of making Luna seem helpless and ditzy which was in direct contrast of her initial portrayal of being someone who was strong enough to get herself out of a horrible relationship and gain a successful, independent life on her own. There was a lot happening in this story, and many storylines that can be followed. I am hoping that the helplessness displayed with Casper was a set-up for a future romance between the two. I enjoyed the setting and characters enough that I will definitely pick up the next book in the series when it is published.

[Susan Oleksiw · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the first of a new series, Luna Dearborn is a successful manager of a large condo building used to dealing with the ever-so-persnickety condo owners and the occasional breakdown in air-conditioning, but when she finds one of the owners dead, she’s confronted with a problem not so easy to solve. At the same time she’s met a man who seems almost too good to be true, but she’s drawn to him anyway. When her conservative mother, Diana, a successful advice columnist, and her hippie grandmother Selena arrive for a visit, she’s ready for a vacation. Unfortunately, even going away for a few days makes things worse.

Three generations of women support, tease, and help each other as Luna becomes, first, a suspect and, later, the chief defender of the man arrested for the murder, her condo assistant, Nat. She hires a lawyer, Casper, an albino, who turns out to be the fraternal twin of one of the police officers investigating the murder. Things don’t look good for Nat, and things aren’t looking very good for Luna either when she finds threatening notes in her condo and compromising photographs of her ex-husband and girlfriend missing from her office.

In a fast and smoothly paced story, Luna struggles to manage her condo building, keep the owners happy, and her apartment door locked so she doesn’t walk in and find all manner of folks in her living room. Fun and light and highly recommended.

[κris ☄ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Big thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Death Paradise is the first book of the series. A fast-paced, light, and quick read for a mystery or thriller book.

Death Paradise follows Luna Dearborn's story who manages a condo building named Sea Breeze at Paradise Beach, Texas. On her way to the library, she stumbled to a man Vance Ballard who immediately gave her an impression. On her way home from meeting Vance, she found a dead body who's resident and owner from the condo she manages. That unexpected moment turns everything Luna's peaceful atmosphere into a mess.

Honestly, I really enjoyed reading this book. It was a quick, cozy, light, and fast-paced mystery or thriller book I've read this year. Luna's family arrived after the incident for a vacation and I really adore them. They really have this cute and fun gravity around them.

The plot goes smoothly and the exciting part was quite not tricky. I admit, I already know who's the culprit of it all and I wasn't wrong. Nevertheless, the ride was really interesting and intriguing because new characters keep on popping which makes you suspect.

Overall, I am impressed by the author's writing style, it was a kind of new setting for a mystery/thriller book. for me. If you're looking for a cozy, fast-paced, and fun modern mystery or thriller book, this book is for you!

[LittleRead · Rating 4 out of 5]

Luna Dearborn manages the nicest condo building in Paradise Beach, Texas. Life is good. She just met a gorgeous man and her mother and grandmother are coming for a visit.

On her way home from meeting Vance, Luna comes upon the body of one of the residents in the condo building. When The police question Luna about the man she realizes her candor put her on the suspect list, so she hires a lawyer to guide her through the process. Just in time for her family to arrive fir their visit.

Soon it seems Luna attracts the worst luck when her office is ransacked, she receives a few warning notes, and she doesn’t quite know who to trust outside of her family and her lawyer. Luna’s gut doesn’t seem to be speaking to her, leaving her questioning everything. Now she has to hope she doesn’t ask the wrong questions and make herself the next victim.

I really like the three generations of Dearborn women. I see my mother, myself and my daughter and can relate to the family dynamics. Looking forward yo-yo seeing what the future holds for Luna, Diana, Selena and the gang.

[Rajie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick and delightful read. It had good pacing, and a large range of characters, set on an idyllic beach resort in Texas. The main character, Lucy, and her family had so many peach daquiris that I wanted one quite desperately by the end... Lucky, we get a recipe! Unfortunately for the novel, the writing fell a bit flat for me, and I thought it could have used a good editor. There was some repetition (eg. we follow a character for a time, then they meet another character and repeat their day to them), some short, choppy sentencing, and some typos (eg. more than once "physic" was used instead of "psychic".) There is also some repeated questionable behaviour exhibited by Lucy, especially regarding lawyers and locking doors. This was enough to distract me into reducing my rating on an otherwise good cosy mystery.

I would recommend to anyone who is a fan of a good cocktail, and who enjoys cosy mysteries.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley, Jan Christensen and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for copy of Death at Paradise Beach. This is my personal review.
I am always excited to read a new cozy mystery series! This was one that will have me looking forward to the next in the Luna Saga series.
Luna Dearborn manages the Sea Breeze Condominiums in Texas. Life was good for her – she had just met a really nice guy and her Mother and Grandmother were coming to visit. She was looking forward to everything coming up in her life.
She was on the way back after meeting Vance and she stumbled upon the body of once of the residents of the condos. Luna becomes the main suspect! She knows that she has to figure of what happened. The twist and turns kept me guessing until the very end.
I really like the three generations of women together. The family dynamics is one I really look forward to reading in future books in the series.

[Pam Watmore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Luna, a condo Manager at Sea Breeze Condo in Texas finds a resident murdered on the beach. this sets off a chain of events just as she was about to take two weeks holiday with her Mother and Grandmother but when the assistant Manager is attacked and her office raided it is looking like the events are all tied up with the condo and the people that live there. Luna's holiday is cut short as more incidents occur and it is lovely but strange to see the interaction between Luna and her family whilst all this is going on. Another death occurs and Luna is possibly in danger - but is she? Is the culprit aiming at Luna or the other residents. The ending is a bit too convenient to make it believable and the reason the person who is found in her flat is rather unbelievable and does stretch the imagination but it is a very readable book and quite humorous in places. I found it easy to read.

[Veronica Towey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book it a real page turner. I was hooked right away. I received a copy of the book from the author through “Voracious Readers Only”. I wasn’t familiar with the author but like cozy mysteries, so I figured I’d give it a try. Well, I’m glad I did. The characters are well developed and likeable. I loved, Luna, the main character as well as her mom Diana and grandmother Selena. I tend to look for female leads in the books I read and these three were great to get to know. There were enough twists and turns to keep me interested without confusing me. I was surprised when the murderer was revealed, I honestly didn’t see it coming. That’s the sign of a great book. Death at Paradise Beach is a wonderful cozy mystery, a quick, fun read, I’m hoping it becomes a series, I’m anxious to see more of Luna and her cast of characters.

[Mc Chanster · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

I quite liked this read!

I thought Luna was a great lead in his cozy mystery. She's strong and independent, and I loved the relationship she shares with her mother and grandmother. The Dearborn women are wonderfully quirky and it's clear how much they love, and support each other. The twists and turns were complex, but not complicated and it was a fun ride trying to figure out "whodunnit". I did find there were parts that seemed to drag longer than they needed to be, but I was definitely invested in figuring it all out with Luna. An easy read and a lovely way to pass a couple afternoons!

Thank you Voracious Readers and Jan Christensen for my copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Keri Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good fun read! It wasn't too hard to figure out who the villain was, but it was a good jaunt to get there. There were some loose ends that were left unstated that seemed like they may be related to this first book, but perhaps they are tied up in a subsequent book? Some sequences and details in the book felt like filler for the sake of pages, or perhaps the author was trying to make it feel more like a real person's life? I'm not sure, but it keeps me from giving 5 stars as I found them a bit annoying and threw me out of the story. But I read a lot and it could just be me. Overall, I'll be checking out more from this author.

[Bunny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mystery is not a genre I normally choose but I really enjoyed Death at paradise beach. It was a light read, but that didn’t diminish the suspense at all. I thought I had it all figured out, but boy was I wrong! What seemed like a clear cut case turned out to be anything but as more and more characters were introduced, all bringing their own unique dynamics to the story. I felt like the characters personalities all developed in a very organic and natural way and they all added their own personal touch to the plot. Thank you Jan and voracious readers for the free copy!

[Renee Winter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh how I enjoyed this book! Since it takes place in Paradise Beach, Texas, I can totally relate since I grew up near Galveston. The story plot moves swiftly and smoothly. The characters are such that you will feel like old friends! I'm ready for the next book in this fun to read saga. Kudos Jan Christensen!!
Thanks #netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Annalisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very cute and fun cozy. It is definitely one of the better cozies that I have read this year. I thought it was very well written and the characters were really well developed. The twists and turns were many and I enthusiastically followed them at every turn. It was an absolutely fabulous book. I really recommend this book.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun romp! I loved it. It was a fast paced murder mystery. I flew through it. The characters were real and very relatable. The description of the area looks n Florida felt like you were there. It reminded me of Joanne Fluke’s books. I’m looking for others by Jan Christensen and can’t wait to continue the series!

[Phyllis Barlow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable book, but there were a couple of bad editing mistakes. I won't point them out because it might spoil the story, but you will know them when you come across them. The first one I thought might be foreshadowing, but it wasn't.
Still, was a pleasant read, and I plan to read the next one in the series when available.

[Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Condo Capers and a cool summer cocktail.

Firstly, I loved the inclusion of the story's signature cocktail recipe. I shall be trying it this summer!

A fun, quirky, and quick summer read. Family dynamics, a new love interest or two, and a ghost from the past all converge at the condo complex managed by Luna.

An elegantly written mystery with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing right until the final pages. I look forward to seeing the next installment in the Luna Saga Series.

Note: I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author via Voracious Readers Only

[LiteraryChic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Voracious Readers for allowing me to read this fun and fast paced book! This author is new to me and did not disappoint. I truly enjoyed the book along with it’s fun characters. I definitely cannot wait to read the second book in this series. I definitely would recommend giving this book a try for all you cozy mystery readers out there!

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Welcome to the wonderful world of cozy mysteries. Jan Christensen knows how to set a scene, create a character, make you feel like you’re right there next to them solving crime. Settle in for the day or night and read this fantastic page turner.

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Death at Paradise Beach by Jan Christensen is the 1st book in the Luna Saga mystery series. Luna Dearborn is a 39 year old condo manager at the high end Sea Breeze Condominiums in Texas. Luna finds one of the owners dead on the shore. Wow, what can I say about this book except I really enjoyed it, and am looking forward to the next book in the series. Their are so many twists and turns, and this book has a little bit of everything. Not only is Luna a suspect in the murder, her mother and grandmother are visiting from Minnesota. Grandma is a hippie, and her mother is as straight lace as they come. I highly recommend this book, there is never a dull moment.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

[Lacey Harrington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Death at Paradise Beach by Jan Christensen is the 1st book in the Luna Saga mystery series. Luna Dearborn is a 39 year old condo manager at the high end Sea Breeze Condominiums in Texas. Luna finds one of the owners dead and then jumps in to find the murder.
#DeathatParadiseBeach #NetGalley

[Trinity Waddell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review through Voracious Readers Only

Thoroughly enjoyed this cosy mystery. It kept me guessing throughout. Very clever twists and turns, relatable characters. Looking forward to reading more by Jan Christensen.

[Rach3l · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It was an interesting mystery with lots of twists and turns. I liked that it was lighthearted without giving up the suspense.

Side note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review

[Andria Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read great characters! Love the Dearborn women!!!

Wish i could read the next book now. This will be one of the murder mystery series i follow from now on.

[Sheree · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really fun book to read & I’m loving the whole family!

[Laura Lipton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another quick and easy read from VRO; a mystery with interesting characters and settings that doesn’t
Get solved until the last chapter. Very enjoyable read.

[Linda Feenan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light hearted who dunnit! Had no idea who did it but enjoyed changing my mind who did it from beginning to end. A fun read, highly recommend it.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. Love the cover. Cute murder mystery novel. Great weekend read.

[kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Voracious Readers and the author for providing me a copy of this book for my honest review.

I really wanted to love this book - a cozy mystery with quirky characters in a tiny beach town. Without giving any spoilers, I couldn’t connect with Luna, the main character. Much of the dialogue felt stilted and it read as though the novel had not been through a final edit and polish. All the elements are there but it felt loose and baggy and a bit unfinished.

Perhaps later novels in this series feel more cohesive but I didn’t connect enough with Luna to want to read more.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC free from VRO and this is my voluntary honest review.
* A suspenseful, mystery thriller.
* Contained a few unnessary cuss words.
* A quick, easy read.
* Interesting characters.
* Fast paced.
* Smooth plot.
* A interesting,light, enjoyable, pleasant, intreging read.
Read and enjoy!