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Myrtle Beach Mystery #3

Death on the Golden Mile: A Myrtle Beach Mystery - Book 3

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When a woman Clark Thomas has never seen before sits down across from him in his bookstore, she gives him an invitation to dinner . . . and murder.
He takes the beautiful stranger up on her offer. Her father is the host. He is a retired Hollywood music composer and lover of puzzles. What Clark doesn't know is that someone wants the host dead, and the host wants Clark to figure out who before it's too late.
But a storm is coming that disrupts the dinner party and ends with murder at an oceanfront mansion on one of the most prime stretches of Myrtle Beach. The host leaves hints about who had a motive to perform the deed. When the fingers point at Clark, he has to unravel the clues while the guests dig out from the storm damage that leaves them cut off from the outside. It turns out that the cavernous home has its own secrets.
Clark finds everyone had a motive to kill the host, but only one could have done it.
Along the way, he learns more about his wife's death, but with every answer, more staggering questions arise.

282 pages, Paperback

First published August 23, 2022

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About the author

Caleb Wygal

28 books176 followers
Be sure to follow Caleb on BookBub for the latest on sales: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/caleb...

Caleb is a member of the International Thriller Writers and Southeastern Writers Association, the author of five novels, social media marketer, woodworker, occasional golfer, reacher of things on tall shelves, beach walker, shark tooth finder, and munchkin wrangler.

His two Lucas Caine Adventure novels, Blackbeard's Lost Treasure and The Search for the Fountain of Youth, were both Semi-Finalists for the Clive Cussler Adventure Awards Competition.

He is currently at work on the next book in the Myrtle Beach Mystery Series.

He lives in Myrtle Beach with his wife and son (the munchkin).

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5 stars
398 (57%)
4 stars
213 (30%)
3 stars
66 (9%)
2 stars
10 (1%)
1 star
3 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
Profile Image for Wade.
760 reviews25 followers
September 2, 2022
“Who in their right mind would hold a dinner party on the same evening as a tropical storm? Someone desperate to find out who was trying to kill them was the answer.“

“First a tornado, now a possible killer was on the loose.”

“There’s been a murder.”

Another entertaining Caleb Wygal cozy mystery set in Myrtle Beach. I have to say, I can’t get enough of Clark and his penchant for solving mysteries. I liked the story and plot of this one, though it was not my favorite of the series. I guessed one big reveal super early and kept waiting for it to happen. I will say that the second big reveal definitely threw me for a loop which was good. This one had both a tropical storm coming and a tornado which made it exciting. A bit repetitive in places as Clark kept going over where everyone was when the gunshot took place. But overall, it was enjoyable and had a satisfying ending. Will definitely keep reading this great series.
6 reviews
August 31, 2022
Just finished "Death on the Golden Mile".
Another slam dunk in the Myrtle Beach mystery series from Caleb.
4,417 reviews43 followers
November 11, 2022
Who killed John Allen Howard and why??? I’m glad it was named Karen and not Karin!!! Clark will figure things out though, won’t he??? I enjoyed this story and recommend the book.
Profile Image for Kathy Hassig.
186 reviews
October 16, 2022
I really enjoyed this book. It kept me guessing pretty much till the end. Can't wait for the next one.
Profile Image for Ann Haefele.
1,737 reviews26 followers
January 12, 2023
Love reading this mystery series with a Myrtle Beach setting. This 3rd in the series has a murder that takes place at a home on the “golden mile” , a strip of gorgeous ocean front homes/estates on Ocean Blvd that I frequently walk by and wonder what it’s like to own one.
10 reviews
October 19, 2022
Golden Mile

Just finished Death On The Golden Mile Great book. Left me in goose bumps. Love this series of books can’t wait for more.
Profile Image for Susan W.
114 reviews2 followers
April 13, 2024
I enjoy this series and this is the best one yet!
Profile Image for Debbie Hawkins.
96 reviews3 followers
November 22, 2024
I loved this book and the Author Caleb Wygal! I’m new to this author and he is awesome so for!
Profile Image for Madison Jones.
14 reviews
Read
July 13, 2026
Where do I even begin?
Merely 7 pages in I was already physically cringing from all of the blatant name dropping of Myrtle Beach locales.

It wasn’t in a subtle way either, places were being dropped like bombs in the middle of a story that didn’t call for exposition on what the exterior of a shopping center looks like or what stores are there.

I’ve never seen such an egregious display of what can only be explained as paid advertisements of local businesses inside a novel. Place after place that no self respecting local would ever visit, mentions left and right of the boardwalk and ocean blvd as if people have forgotten the location of the book.

There’s even a line that specifically mentions the type of coffee blend the narrator drinks and from what coffee shop he bought it. Nowhere in any price of literature have I ever seen coffee described this way. No one writes “I poured myself a cup of Folgers that I bought at Walmart” so why would we need to do that here!?

An entire paragraph was dedicated to describing a local shopping center and Market Common on a wholly separate occasion. Many of the local campgrounds were featured by name, and more restaurants were rattled off than I can count (I actually stopped counting at 25).

Don’t get me started on the actual grammatical errors I came across as well. The sentences were choppy and the dialogue was frankly terrifying.

It was clear that the author derived inspiration from Agatha Christie novels (he even compares the books crime to one of her plots - “The situation reminded me of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express”) let alone this is almost completely named after her novel “Death on the Nile.”

Safe to say I’m not this author’s target audience of older locals or vacationers who want their beach read dripping in quippy mentions of their favorite tourist attractions.
Profile Image for Ryan Hoffman.
1,215 reviews2 followers
August 28, 2022
This addition to the series follows an.old school story troupe, diner party at a rich guys house, the host turns up dead, with a hand full of guest that have motive, and a detective dou investigate. This is the story when Clark Thomas receives a invitation to the home of former Hollywood composer, John Allen Howard, by his daughter, Erin, to his home for a dinner party. Clark brings along friend and associate, Chris McNally. Fun for the third book in this series.
110 reviews
January 5, 2023
This book took me a few months to read it. It was a read a few chapter lay it down. Start another book then come back. Once I got about half way threw thou, I couldn’t lay it down. I though the killer was one person, but the actual killer surprised me and I never saw it coming! It was a great book! The ending was good. Can’t wait for the next!
Profile Image for Jane.
23 reviews
June 25, 2023
Caleb had me fooled!

Great story. Lots of twists and turns, interesting characters and terrific plot. It kept my attention right to the very end and was caught totally by surprise when the killer was revealed. Well done again Caleb!!
129 reviews
September 18, 2022
Another whodunit page turner. Life got in the way so took me awhile to be able to truly enjoy and immerse myself into the life of Clark but once again not disappointed.
Profile Image for Brittany Benko.
Author 5 books19 followers
November 28, 2022
Another great mystery read that kept me on my toes. Caleb kept me guessing unto the end who the murderer was on the Golden Mile.
Profile Image for Curt Weeks.
19 reviews1 follower
February 2, 2023
Wonderful book, great series! Makes reading easy and fun. Read the second half of this one in one night! You must read this one. Thanks Caleb, for writing this series!
Profile Image for Kelly.
Author 2 books18 followers
August 21, 2023
In Death on the Golden Mile, Clark Thomas, bookstore owner and lover of puzzles and mysteries, does it again – finds himself in the middle of a murder scene, but this time it happens in the middle of a tornado. After a dinner invitation from a famous Hollywood music composer, Clark finds himself trying to figure out which of the family members or dinner guests murdered the composer before dinner while tropical storm Karen brought a tornado with her to the upscale neighborhood of the Golden Mile, part of the Myrtle Beach area.

At first, things look pretty cut and dried, but, all is not as it seems. As Clark looks over the house and questions the family members and guests, he begins to wonder who the real murderer may be.

Caleb Wygal did a great job setting up this mystery and creating the possible suspects. As the reader follows Clark on the murderer’s trail, questions arise and there are several people who could have had a motive for murder. Mr. Wygal takes his readers to several Myrtle Beach businesses as Clark investigates this murder and, at times, the reader is on the edge of their seats as Clark may be in danger or is faced with an angry suspect who may threaten him.

I also read and reviewed Mr. Wygal’s first “Myrtle Beach Mystery”, Death on the Boardwalk, which was a good read. You can read my review of Book One here. However, as all writers know, the more books they write, the better their books become. Therefore, in my opinion, Mr. Wygal has done a better job of creating his cast of characters and setting up an intense murder scene. He’s even improved his unofficial detective, Clark Thomas, who inherited his love of mysteries from his mother. In Death on the Boardwalk, Clark sought out his mom’s help in regard to his thoughts on who committed the murder whereas, in Death on the Golden Mile, though Clark does talk to his mother about it on one occasion, he actually solves the case without further discussion with his mom.

Instead, he’s actually out on what seems to be his first date with Officer Gomez of the Myrtle Beach Police Department. At an art gallery, Clark discovers information about one of the murder suspects, and it isn’t long before he puts everything together and solves the case.

If you enjoy murder mysteries that are free of profanity and grisly details and you enjoy trying to help the amateur detective solve the case, or trying to solve it before the amateur detective, you’ll enjoy Death on the Golden Mile by Caleb Wygal.

I did read Death on the Golden Mile before reading Book 2 of the “Myrtle Beach Mysteries” series, and though I missed some of Clark’s personal story and some of his interactions with Gomez and her partner, Moody, I didn’t miss anything that made me feel lost or confused while reading Death on the Golden Mile. However, I definitely want to go back and read Book 2: Death Washes Ashore, as well as the rest of the “Myrtle Beach Mysteries” series because I have come to love Myrtle Beach and I enjoy trying to figure out whodunnit before Clark Thomas does. I also would suggest reading the series in order.

I give Death on the Golden Mile by Caleb Wygal 5 stars.
Profile Image for Mark Baker.
2,476 reviews222 followers
April 16, 2025
Book store owner Clark Thomas is surprised when a woman comes in with an invitation to join her father for dinner. Even more surprising is that the man is John Allen Howard, famed Hollywood composure. The night of the dinner party turns out to be the night the remnants of a hurricane are passing through town. During the chaos, someone kills the host. It seems the rest of the guests all had motive. Can Clark figure out who did it?

The plot employs a few mystery cliches, and I did roll my eyes a couple of times at them. I also spotted a key clue early on. Overall, the mystery is good, however, with an ending that did surprise me. We don’t see quite as much of the supporting players as we might, but I did appreciate the updates on them. That also includes a little forward progress on Clark’s wife’s murder, an ongoing story. I did spot a couple of timeline issues, but they were more annoying than anything else. We meet the suspects at one time, but it wasn’t long before I was able to keep them all straight. As always, I enjoyed the vacation setting of the series. Those who enjoyed the first two books will be glad they picked this one up.

Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
12 reviews
January 26, 2026
This is the third in this series that I have read. Is author has a way of having many suspects with reasonable questions. I enjoy reading about a place. I have visited many many times over the years and I can almost see the streets, the area , the ocean, from his books. I do read fast, especially when I want to get to the end and find out who the murderer really is. Also, the question…..what really happened to his wife…..she died….but was it a heart attack? Getting ready to start on the next book in this series.
Profile Image for Ashleigh Coker.
71 reviews
August 30, 2026
C.Wygal keeps getting better & better! His “Death On The Golden Mile” is just another one of his novels that kept me guessing right up to the very end, & not to mention the plot twist I didn’t see coming! When I say that Wygal has done It again, he has done It again! You cannot go wrong with picking his Myrtle Beach Mysteries if you love mystery just as much as I do. It is a must read…but you have to go in order! Start with Book 1 & follow in order…you will become obsessed! (I’m patiently waiting for the next three in the series to arrive from Amazon!)
Profile Image for Joyce.
2,525 reviews11 followers
March 20, 2024
A fast cozy mystery set in a storm and a dinner party taking place. There
Were several who could have committed the murder, but only one did it.
The book had a good plot and moved at a good pace with interesting
Characters. The setting was Myrtle Beach and the tale had a satisfying
Ending. I enjoyed this writer. Recommended
230 reviews
August 13, 2024
I read this only because of the last line in the first book of the series. The main character is nice but it is kind of blah throughout. There is another murder and we're teased throughout about the wife. It continues to be a travelogue for Myrtle Beach more than anything else but I have to get the question asked at the end of the first book answered so I read on.
Profile Image for PAMELA ANN READS BOOKS.
841 reviews13 followers
January 7, 2025
𝑨𝒎𝒂𝒛𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒓𝒅 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒃𝒚 𝑪𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒃 𝒘𝒚𝒈𝒂𝒍 😍😍😍

𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒆𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒔 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒂 𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒈𝒖𝒚𝒔!! 𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒓𝒌 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒎𝒄 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒂𝒑𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒖𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉! 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂𝒏 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒎𝒖𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂 𝒇𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒚 𝒊𝒏𝒗𝒐𝒍𝒗𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒍𝒖𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒔. 𝑹𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒆𝒆! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🥳🥳🥳
89 reviews1 follower
November 18, 2025
It took me a while to finish this book( book club book was long and I didn’t finish it either — now to finish that book).
Glad I stuck with this because I had the wrong person pegged as the killer. And what a way to end — of course I have to read the next one but I’m gonna finish a Christmas book I started last year — after I finish last months book club book and this months book club book
Profile Image for Julieta.
53 reviews1 follower
July 9, 2023
Each time I read a book in this series- I think to myself, “how can the next book be better than this?”. Well, let me tell you- every time the series gets better and better!

I completely didn’t expect the plot twist at the end of this book and was hooked until the last word!
Profile Image for Kathi Lyn.
59 reviews
June 27, 2024
Caleb Wygal is becoming a stronger writer through each book. I couldn’t put this one down. It’s a 4.5 stars for me, with 1/2 a star missing because I WANT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT AUTUMN’S death/murder! 😜Well done!
Profile Image for Deana Myers.
92 reviews
May 16, 2025
Book #3 of the series.

Bookstore owner, new author and amateur sleuth Clark Thomas finds himself in yet another conundrum. This time it’s at a family dinner of a retired Hollywood music composer.

Another Myrtle Beach murder and Clark’s on the case…….who did it and why.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Profile Image for Barbara.
585 reviews4 followers
June 12, 2025
Another great read in the Myrtle Beach Mystery Series. Clark Thomas just keeps finding himself involved in murders and mayhem. Can he solve this one? And, will he find any more information out about his wife’s death? Can’t wait to read the next one.
Profile Image for Susie James.
1,083 reviews25 followers
April 18, 2023
Pretty good stuff from Caleb Wygal in "Death on the Golden Mile", but I got the killer right -- still, more tantalizing notes about our hero's late wife, Autumn. Will her death ever be parsed????
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews