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Resort at Castaway Bay #8

Innocent or Guilty

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A forensic psychologist moves to Shipwreck Island and renews her relationship with Ezra Reinhold, a reclusive billionaire who enjoys poking around in cold cases and has the means to hire the best people to find the answers no one else has been able to.

In book 8 in the series, a man is found floating in a raft is rescued by has no memory of who he is or how he ended up drifting at sea. Sydney is asked to work with the man in the hope of helping him remember. Syd begins to have some luck and is feeling downright hopeful, when the body of another man washes ashore. Might their circumstance be related? Might the man who was found in the raft either be the victim of, or killer of, the man who washed up on the beach?

150 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 23, 2023

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About the author

Kathi Daley

327 books1,800 followers
Kathi lives with her husband, kids, grandkids, and dogs in beautiful Lake Tahoe. When she isn't writing, Kathi likes to read (preferably at the beach or by the fire), cook (preferably something with chocolate or cheese,) and garden (planting and planning not weeding). She also enjoys spending time on the water when she's not hiking, biking, or snowshoeing, the miles of desolate trails surrounding her home.
Kathi uses the mountain setting in which she lives, along with the animals (wild and domestic) that share her home, as inspiration for her cozy mysteries.

Join me on Facebook at Kathi Daley Books (www.facebook.com/kathidaleybooks) for updates on my books, photos of life in Lake Tahoe, recipes, contests, and giveaways. For weekly updates and contests sign up for The Daley Weekly Newsletter (http://eepurl.com/NRPDf).



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5 stars
527 (63%)
4 stars
209 (25%)
3 stars
81 (9%)
2 stars
12 (1%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
Profile Image for RO G'ma.
1,067 reviews42 followers
July 11, 2023
Innocent or Guilty is the eighth book in Kathi Daley’s Resort at Castaway Bay series. The intriguing mystery is well-plotted and complex, with plenty of twists and red herrings to keep readers engaged and guessing. The West Coast setting is charming, and the well-developed characters are three-dimensional, compassionate, and caring. Ms. Daley’s descriptive writing always makes me feel like I’m amid the activities and sharing the characters’ tragedies and joys. Christy Turner’s lifestyle blog entry is an inexpensive and fun crafting project, and she’s included a recipe for Fudge Sundae Pie. I highly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys reading well-crafted cozies.

After suffering the consequences of an error in judgment in her job as an FBI forensic psychologist, Sydney Whitmore permanently returned to her family home on Shipwreck. Sydney works part-time for Colin Black of the FBI and Ezra Reinhold, a reclusive billionaire who has assembled an elite team of experts who enjoy solving cold cases. Sydney and her friend, Kelly Green, often help Sheriff Sam Stone with his investigations. Aunt Charlie raised Sydney and her sisters, Emily and Rory, after their parents were killed in an automobile accident. Emily, her two young daughters, and Rory live at Jack’s Hideaway with Aunt Charley and Charley’s father-in-law, Hank Hamilton. Besides helping at the resort, Emily writes a lifestyle blog and volunteers for community events. Emily’s mother-in-law, Beverly Rose, who recently suffered a stroke, wants to move to an assisted living community in San Francisco to be closer to her granddaughters. Rory’s a veterinary technician who frequently brings animals in need of extra attention home with her. Logan Alexander, who also grew up at the resort, returned to the island to care for his father, Liam, and has taken over Henry Collins’ medical practice. Sydney and Logan have recently taken their long-standing friendship to the next level.

In this installment, Colin Black asks Sydney to conduct a psychiatric evaluation of a hostile agent, Chloe Carter, who had suffered a traumatic on-the-job event. In the meantime, when a man found drifting at sea on a small life raft regains consciousness, he has no idea who he is or why he was in the life raft, so Sheriff Sam Stone asks Sydney and Kelly to help the man regain his memory. As his memory returns, the man tells an unbelievable tale that turns into an intriguing and complex mystery.
Profile Image for Darla Taylor.
1,929 reviews
July 19, 2023
Sydney (Syd) is a forensic psychologist with the FBI and she lives on Shipwreck Island at her family's resort. A man is found floating on a raft who has no memory of who he is or what happened to him. Syd is asked to work with him to help him recover his memories. She's feeling good about her progress when a man's body washes up on shore. Did the first man have anything to do with the second man's death?

I'm a huge Kathi Daley fan. She's a wonderful author and storyteller. I've really enjoyed this series and this book is a prime example of why. It's well-written with well-rounded characters and relationships that are done well. This engaging story drew me in and kept me hooked from start to finish. The mystery was intriguing and will keep you guessing throughout. This was a quick, fun read that I didn't want to put down. I'm looking forward to the next book. I highly recommend both book and series which I think is best read in order.
Profile Image for Joanie Hinton.
818 reviews31 followers
July 12, 2023
Sydney Whitmore is an FBI Forensic Psychologist who now works part time and lives on Shipwreck Island at her family's resort. Sydney is working a case where she has to go to the LA office twice a week. In between she is assisting the sheriff with the help of her friend Kelly after a man with no memory is found floating in a life raft. Between the two cases Sydney is busy and puzzled. While the FBI case is resolved with a happy ending, not so much when the man finally gets his memory back. He has a very interesting story.
Profile Image for Paulette.
21 reviews10 followers
September 8, 2023
I like this series but this book bugged me

I have enjoyed this series so far though the solutions to the mysteries are usually a little simplistic. I believe in suspension of disbelief, though, and the mysteries and the characters are enjoyable enough I usually just sit back and enjoy some brain candy.
This particular book, though, bugged me mostly because there are some serious patient confidentiality breaches that really don't add anything to the plot at all. For me they were irritating enough they made the book much less enjoyable than usual.
1,735 reviews13 followers
July 13, 2023
Syd has an agent involved in a bystander killing to assess regarding her fitness to return to work. Meanwhile a John Doe with memory loss is in hospital with Syd and her friend trying to restore his memories and find out what happened. Is he an innocent victim of circumstance or guilty of murder? Also Emily's mother-in-law is again causing upset (I think Emily is a saint but should really stand up for herself). There are always a lot of storyline strands in this series which keeps the reader engaged throughout.
Profile Image for JoAn.
2,577 reviews1 follower
July 17, 2023
Ms. Daley has Syd handling more than one case this time. Syd is assigned to assess another FBI agent's emotional and mental fitness to return to active duty. She also works with Kelly and Sam again on a John Doe who was found floating on a life raft on the ocean and seems to have amnesia. These two plots were smoothly paced and kept me turning the pages to see how each case would be resolved. I always enjoy visiting Castaway Bay and visiting the Whitmore family. An engaging afternoon read.
3,949 reviews19 followers
June 12, 2025
Great story!

This one will surprise you in the end! I loved the mud slide and the car load of pet's! Took me back to when I was a pre teen and we were stranded by a flash flood with a trailer full of horse's and ponies coming home from a parade! My dad, uncle and grandfather unhooked one of the trailers and pulled car's stranded in the mud and debris! Can't wait to read the next one!
3 reviews
July 12, 2023
Another great read from Kathi Daley

Innocent or Guilty provides
another "slice of life" chapter in the lives of the Whittmores.

The story pulls you right in as you watch Syd juggle family with solving crime. Her compassion and drive to help others also shows through in this latest offering.

It's a quick, easy read that will leave you wanting the next installment right now!
Profile Image for Kerrie A Summers.
161 reviews3 followers
July 15, 2023
Resort at Castaway Bay Innocent or guilty

A man came floating in a life boat. He was taken to the hospital with a bad case of not remembering his name or why he was in a lifeboat. Another story was going on at the same time. A little girl disappeared and the FBI are looking for her. I enjoyed the book.
Profile Image for Lisa Millett.
298 reviews11 followers
July 19, 2023
Great cozy mystery

I love Kathi Haley's books. Her characters are so well developed and the mysteries are light yet always interesting. I love this series set on Castaway Bay and love having the familiar characters as they interact with each other and work together to solve the mysteries.
455 reviews1 follower
September 2, 2023
Wonderful

Kathi does it again. Syd finds herself working with a FBI agent that needs to work through some things and a case of amnesia on a case with Kelly and Sam. Interesting thing is that the guy with amnesia was a bad guy transporting drugs on a yacht but he didn't remember and then made up a story to cover. In the end all cases were solved.
90 reviews1 follower
September 29, 2023
Great book

I am never disappointed in any thing that Kathi Daley writes and this book is the same. They are always easy to read and have a lot going on. Bringing Bev back to cause problems bad words for Emily. I hoped Beg would have a change in her behavior would happen due to the stroke. Oh well! This book had so much going on and its really worth the read.
Profile Image for Cindy.
905 reviews1 follower
March 2, 2024
Interesting series

There are several things going on in this story. Syd is a consultant for the FBI and has been called in to work with an agent whose partner was killed and a bystander was killed when she tried to shoot the killer. There is also a missing girl and a guy with amnesia and blood on his shirt. Then the body of a stabbing victim shows up.
191 reviews2 followers
May 28, 2024
very unexpected ending

The main character has so much going on in this book. Working for the FBI on an interesting assignment, while working on an unusual case involving an amnesiac for the local sheriff. One works out better than the other. I prefer to tell about the book to make you curious, if you think it sounds interesting, read this book.


Profile Image for Kate.
660 reviews6 followers
August 16, 2025
novella, not novel

These are such fun books. The unraveling of a crime, and a criminal’s mind. A bit of family drama, some romance, a few puppies and kittens. I don’t Eve like pets, but they are cute, heartwarming touch. Oh! And a natural disaster in the islan. Kindle clocked me at just over and hour
690 reviews1 follower
April 2, 2026
Who is he? and where is Carrie..

Can anyone find Carrie? Well why did she run away in the first place. Anyway back to the main story, who is the guy with blood on his shirt. Next, the other issue is the agent who needs counseling before returning to active duty. Then we get the last part of the interaction at the senior living place. Interesting stuff.
377 reviews7 followers
July 12, 2023
Interesting book

Another great book in this series. I love that it tAkes place by the water. There are always many law enforcement agencies working together. The main characters are all likable. And the mystery is always interesting.
Profile Image for Sandra.
280 reviews3 followers
July 21, 2023
amnesia

This tail was more complicated than most. Anna amnesiac and a missing girl, one FBI agent and one investigator, not to mention one body. We have them all together and you’ve got two interesting tails that will keep you turning pages.
143 reviews2 followers
August 1, 2023
This is a super book. Several plot lines running sat the same time.

If you want a book with multiple problems and multiple solutions thks and that they will book is for you. Each topic is interesting on its own but together it makes reading this book more exciting.
126 reviews1 follower
August 13, 2023
Much like Syd and Kelly, i was under Harry's spell.

Syd and Kelly use methods to help Harry regain his memory. Interesting to read about them and the results that followed. Bird house instructions are a plus.
124 reviews
October 14, 2023
Guilty or Not!!

Syd is taking care of another FBI agents emotions after a couple of tragedy's. She is also helping Sam and Kelly with a man who has lost his memory after being found on a raft unconscious. This book shows a little bit about how the mind works.
Profile Image for D.
1,319 reviews16 followers
November 21, 2023
When an amnesic man washes ashore, Kelly and Syd work with him in recovering his memory. The John Doe has blood on his shirt from a second person. As always a suspenseful tale, I read in one fast and fun setting.
Profile Image for Stephen Levesque.
3,037 reviews
October 13, 2025
Totally enjoyed it! This is a well written and has well developed characters. The story is catching and with the strong characters makes for a very enjoyable read. Great Reading Everyone! Can't wait for the next one!
Profile Image for JANE VAN HORN.
2,152 reviews12 followers
July 12, 2023
Great book

This is another great book in the Resort at Castaway Bay series by Kathi Daley. I love the characters and the cases they take on.
4,417 reviews43 followers
July 12, 2023
Drugs in the bedsprings??? How did they get there??? Blank or foggy memories are okay, but made up memories... I enjoyed this story and recommended the book.
173 reviews1 follower
July 12, 2023
a good one

I really like this series and this one was as good as the others. It will make more sense if you read them all in order.
Profile Image for Linda Morriosn.
16 reviews
July 15, 2023
This is one of the best stories I follow, the characters are so interesting, and the cases are different and I aways learn something new. Thanks
Profile Image for Susan.
1,742 reviews
July 20, 2023
enjoyed the latest book, looking forward to reading more of the series...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews