Bookends and Beach Reads

By Kait Carson

Okay, anyone humming Simon and Garfunkel right now—you’re outed as being over ahem, a certain age. Not that I would know, mind you. Never heard of them myself—is that my nose that’s growing?

This is the time of the year when every newspaper, webpage, and magazine has a ‘top beach books of 2025’ list. Tables jam bookstore entrances touting best summer reads generally accompanied by poster featuring stylized beach scenes. Print ads offer popular books for your consideration. After a while, the ‘professional’ lists look alike.

The big publishing houses have the bucks and marketing staff to flog their offerings, but there are so many more books available that deserve recognition. It’s a long-held principle that the crying baby gets fed. So let’s make some noise for the little guy. Here’s my list, in no particular order, of the best five books I’ve read this summer.

Someone is Out There, by Kaye George. Darla Taylor is doing her best to  lead a quiet life and failing miserably. The only constants in her life are her dog, Moose, her best friend Gin, her career as a nurse, and her handicapped mother. Of those, only the dog can be relied on. 

The tension ratchets up with each turn of the page. It's the kind of book that keeps you awake nights and when you do manage to turn out the lights, haunts your sleep. George is known as a cozy writer, and this novel is her debut thriller. This book was a surprise, and I hope it's followed by more in the same genre. 

Demons and Ramen, by A.M. Loweecey. I hope this will be a series. As you may be able to tell from the title, it is laugh out loud funny, but it also explores serious issues. Yes, it's a book of exorcism and possession and a love story of sorts between a priest on hiatus and a thousand-year-old shapeshifter, but it's hysterical. And bittersweet. Denis Kaine, the priest exorcist, is on a quest to discover why his brother, Xavier, died. The Kaine twins were an unbeatable exorcist tag team. Now Denis is a solo act, and he needs to prove that Xavier didn't die by suicide, but that there was more to his death. Loweecey’s writing is clear and crisp. I didn’t want to put it down.

 

Shattered Sight, by Liz Milliron. This is the first of a new series by Milliron and it’s wonderful. Set in Niagara Falls, New York, the legendary tourist attraction does double duty as a backdrop and a character. As the book opens, Jackson Davis is returning to work as a detective following a lengthy medical leave. No sooner is he through the door than he’s presented with a rookie partner and a new case. The death of a woman with everything to live for but whose secrets swirl like the currents of the river that swallowed her. Is it murder or suicide? The higher ups at Niagara PD are on the fence. The clock is ticking. Jackson’s career may hang in the balance.

 Milliron deftly takes us on a deep dive into the psyche of a man struggling to overcome his own demons, reclaim his life, and do the right thing. It’s a compassionate and heartfelt book, and I’m looking forward to the second installment.

A Poisonous Palate, by Lucy Burdette. A beach read set at the beach. This is the fourteenth book in the Key West Food Critic mystery series. All the books are worth the read, but this one appealed to me on a personal level. The book alternates between Big Pine Key in 1978 and the current day. It also includes mention of two of my favorite lower Keys restaurants: No Name Pub, and The Square Grouper. Catherine Davitt approaches Haley to help solve the 1978 disappearance of her friend from a hippie camp. Catherine and Veronica had sought refuge from their Michigan lives in the laid-back Keys and joined a loosely organized commune. Veronica disappeared on the night before the authorities destroyed the commune. Almost fifty years later, many of the former members are still in the Keys. As Haley interviews the survivors, it becomes clear that someone doesn’t want the mystery solved. This was an ending I didn’t see coming and a villain I never would have guessed. A fun read, and a wonderful trip down memory lane. 

Always You and Me, by Dani Atkins. Romances are my secret pleasure and this one does not disappoint. Besides, they are always great beach reads. This friends to enemies to lovers second chance romance had me sobbing. Lili and Josh meet as pre-teen next-door neighbors. Josh carries the baggage of his past life as a badly treated foster child. When he and his foster family move away, the pair vow to keep in touch, but, well, life. Although they touch base from time to time, it’s always as friends. When Lili meets Adam, she falls hard. The relationship pushes Josh to declare his love on the eve of Lili and Adam’s wedding. Harsh words are involved and the two resolve never to speak again. Until Adam begs Lili on his deathbed to get in touch with Josh. That’s as far as I can go without the risk of spoilers, but I loved this book and am looking forward to reading more by this author.

 What’s in your beach bag this summer?

 Kait Carson writes the Hayden Kent Mysteries set in the Fabulous Florida Keys and is at work on a new mystery set in her adopted state of Maine. Her short fiction has been nationally published in the Trues and Woman’s World magazines. Her short fiction has appeared in the Silver Falchion Award nominated Seventh Guppy Anthology Hook, Line, and Sinker and her nonfiction essay was included in the Agatha Award-winning book Writing the Cozy Mystery. She is a former President of the Guppy Chapter of Sisters in Crime, a member of Sisters in Crime, and Guppies. Visit her website at www.kaitcarson.com.