Big Trouble on Sullivan’s Island. Boyer, Susan M. Holland : Stella Maris Books, LLC, 2023.
This is a big, juicy Southern mystery/romance where the setting (Charleston, S.C.) is almost a character of its own! The library has purchased this in electronic formats only; I recommend the audiobook (through Libby), because the Southern accents really add something to the story.
Hadley Cooper is a P.I. in the Charleston area. When she rescues a dog on the beach of Sullivan’s Island, she makes a new friend and gets a new client, Eugenia Ladson. Eugenia thinks her husband Everett is cheating on her, and hires Hadley to find out for sure. Eugenia invites her to join her group of friends, who meet on the beach for drinks once a week (never mind you aren’t supposed to drink on the beach). The group is varied in age and interests, but all have been adopted by Eugenia, who is the kindest soul. Hadley has had her dream house fall in her lap – a gentleman hires her to housesit a beautiful mansion on Sullivan’s Island, something she couldn’t afford in her wildest dreams, and now she has some friends to get together with on the island.
Hadley is a local girl, but one with an interesting history. Her mother raised her on her own, and didn’t tell her anything about her father until she was dying of cancer. Hadley wants nothing to do with Swinton, her father, but she has become good friends with her half-brother, J.T. Of course, Everett and Swinton run in the same (very expensive) circles, so in investigating him, she runs into her father. She tries to avoid him as much as possible, but Eugenia has something up her sleeve about her father that might change her mind.
When there’s a murder, Hadley is the main suspect’s alibi, but she is convinced he is guilty. She investigates the murder, even though her ex-boyfriend, Cash, has already arrested someone, a bartender called Katarina. Hadley is convinced someone has framed Katarina, and uses her PI skills to help her mount a defense.
The mystery is good, but what makes this book great are the characters. Eugenia is larger than life, as are her friends. There’s a scene outside of a funeral that will have you laughing so hard you cry. Hadley is a quirky vegan who is fairly straight-laced, especially for a private investigator. J.T. and some of the other men described in the book come out of Central Casting for Rich Southern Boys, but that’s a stereotype for a reason! I know some of those Rich Southern Boys myself! Boyer’s writing captures so much Southern charm that I’m planning on reading other books by her.
This is definitely summer reading, but it works for the fall and winter, too. I tend to picture myself in warmer climes when it is cold, and this book will fit that bill!
Mary Beth Adams is the Community Engagement Librarian for Alamance County Public Libraries. She can be reached at 336-570-6981 or madams@alamancelibraries.org.