I grew up reading. My father loves mysteries and my mother loves romances. My grandmother loved biographies. In high school, trapped in a whirlwind of teenage hormones and angst, I loved reading Thoreau and Ellison and Conrad and Shakespeare. I also read romances and cozy mysteries and teen novels. I would read anything to escape. I still do. Escape what? It doesn't matter. Reading offered it in spades.
It still does, and while I read quite a bit for work, more and more, my escape comes in the form of easy reads, like Mary Kay Andrews The Weekenders. I've long enjoyed her books. She writes about the South and, on occasion, Florida. She calls St. Pete her hometown and one of her earliest works, Licketdy Split, takes place in DTSP — it's out of print but you can get the audio book or eBook.
This summer, The Weekenders sat on my reading list as I plowed through book after book, saving this summery read as a reward. It did not disappoint; as with every other Andrews book I've read, I didn't want to put it down. She captured the relaxed vibe of the South's coastal islands and sucked me into the story effortlessly. Belle Island, NC is a real place, although, as with most of Andrews' works, the island takes on a magical summer charm in the book.
Being a fan of the South and the ocean and the sand, this book hits all the right notes. Think of it — and all her works — as cozy mystery meets coastal charm, a sort of cozy coastal, if you will: Heavy on the Southern island, slightly less heavy on the mystery. It sounds easy, but if it were, the market would be flooded with these sorts of books.
It isn't, and that in and of itself speaks to Andrews' skill.
This article appears in Sep 8-15, 2016.