An involving mystery with humor, heart, and a strong sense of place.
The hunt is on for a rumored treasure chest that was stolen and buried 20 years ago in this sequel.
In the novel Tourist Town (2016), a woman with amnesia found herself on Nantucket. She adopted the name Verona and, though her memory was restored, she stayed on. For the last few years, she and her boyfriend, tour-bus driver Addie McDaniel, have lived happily in their friend Clarence “Digit” Hathaway’s spacious house. But—with the couple’s relationship heading toward the next level—it’s now time to get a cottage of their own. Needing an off-season job, Addie stumbles into one as a reporter for the local paper and discovers a hidden talent for nosing around. Chief C.C. Dennison of the Coast Guard, one source, informs Addie that an island exile named Dirk Caspian is back after 20 years, intent on digging up a protected marsh for bogus reasons. The chief also tells the tale of a 20-year-old mystery—the unsolved robbery of an old, locked sea chest. Secrets past and present swirl around Nantucket as interested parties search for the lost treasure, which is deeply connected to the island’s history. Sheppard gives an insider’s view of Nantucket that summer visitors never see, one that’s quieter, more intimate, and more genuine. The story has comedy and warmth, as with the tender Addie-Verona romance—but it would be a mistake to consider Nantucket as merely cozy. The island is also haunted by the inescapable brutalities of its whaling past, as with the old chest’s first owner, a whaling captain. Supernatural undercurrents, as enigmatic as the surrounding sea, touch Nantucket and its inhabitants as well.
An involving mystery with humor, heart, and a strong sense of place.Pub Date: Oct. 11, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-578-30130-3
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Nov. 8, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A fresh and clever whodunit with an engaging twist.
A 16-year-old savant uses his Groundhog Day gift to solve his grandfather’s murder.
Nishizawa’s compulsively readable puzzle opens with the discovery of the victim, patriarch Reijiro Fuchigami, sprawled on a futon in the attic of his elegant mansion, where his family has gathered for a consequential announcement about his estate. The weapon seems to be a copper vase lying nearby. Given this setup, the novel might have proceeded as a traditional whodunit but for two delightful features. The first is the ebullient narration of Fuchigami’s youngest grandson, Hisataro, thrust into the role of an investigator with more dedication than finesse. The second is Nishizawa’s clever premise: The 16-year-old Hisataro has lived ever since birth with a condition that occasionally has him falling into a time loop that he calls "the Trap," replaying the same 24 hours of his life exactly nine times before moving on. And, of course, the murder takes place on the first day of one of these loops. Can he solve the murder before the cycle is played out? His initial strategies—never leaving his grandfather’s side, focusing on specific suspects, hiding in order to observe them all—fall frustratingly short. Hisataro’s comical anxiety rises with every failed attempt to identify the culprit. It’s only when he steps back and examines all the evidence that he discovers the solution. First published in 1995, this is the first of Nishizawa’s novels to be translated into English. As for Hisataro, he ultimately concludes that his condition is not a burden but a gift: “Time’s spiral never ends.”
A fresh and clever whodunit with an engaging twist.Pub Date: July 29, 2025
ISBN: 9781805335436
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Pushkin Vertigo
Review Posted Online: July 4, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2025
A top-class cozy infused with dry wit and charming characters who draw you in and leave you wanting more, please.
Four residents of Coopers Chase, a British retirement village, compete with the police to solve a murder in this debut novel.
The Thursday Murder Club started out with a group of septuagenarians working on old murder cases culled from the files of club founder Elizabeth Best’s friend Penny Gray, a former police officer who's now comatose in the village's nursing home. Elizabeth used to have an unspecified job, possibly as a spy, that has left her with a large network of helpful sources. Joyce Meadowcroft is a former nurse who chronicles their deeds. Psychiatrist Ibrahim Arif and well-known political firebrand Ron Ritchie complete the group. They charm Police Constable Donna De Freitas, who, visiting to give a talk on safety at Coopers Chase, finds the residents sharp as tacks. Built with drug money on the grounds of a convent, Coopers Chase is a high-end development conceived by loathsome Ian Ventham and maintained by dangerous crook Tony Curran, who’s about to be fired and replaced with wary but willing Bogdan Jankowski. Ventham has big plans for the future—as soon as he’s removed the nuns' bodies from the cemetery. When Curran is murdered, DCI Chris Hudson gets the case, but Elizabeth uses her influence to get the ambitious De Freitas included, giving the Thursday Club a police source. What follows is a fascinating primer in detection as British TV personality Osman allows the members to use their diverse skills to solve a series of interconnected crimes.
A top-class cozy infused with dry wit and charming characters who draw you in and leave you wanting more, please.Pub Date: Sept. 22, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-98-488096-3
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Pamela Dorman/Viking
Review Posted Online: June 30, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2020
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
