Excerpt + Giveaway + Review: "Drowning Lessons" by Rachel Neuburger Reynolds

On occasion, I like to pick up a cozy mystery as a change of pace from the (many) romance novels I usually read, which is why I am happy to be participating in the book blitz for "Drowning Lessons" by Rachel Neuburger Reynolds, book #1 in the Red Frog Beach Mystery Series.  As soon as I read the back cover description for this book, I was hooked.  The story sounded like it would be a light, fun read perfect for relaxing by the beach or pool, and it turned out to be exactly that.  The setting was beautiful, the characters were quirky, and the mystery kept me guessing right up until the end.  My full review is below, but overall, I can say that reading this book was an enjoyable way to spend a rainy Sunday afternoon, and I look forward to reading the next book in the series when it is released later this month. 

For a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card or one of 5 tote bags courtesy of the author, click here!  (Giveaway ends on October 17.)

About "Drowning Lessons"

You are cordially invited to a destination wedding to die for…

Welcome to Bocas del Toro, a remote chain of islands off the Caribbean coast of Panama. Five days of glorious sun and lush rainforest await the forty guests celebrating Bridezilla Olivia’s dream wedding—but will a murder sink the catered affair? Before anyone’s got time to start working on a tan, an unfortunate snorkeling accident eliminates a member of the wedding party. Maid of honor Lexie Marino smells trouble, and is thrust into the responsibility of investigating, needing to solve the case before her bestie’s trip down the aisle gets tropically derailed. The show must go on.

Lexie’s a little too tall, a little too awkward, and a little too brokenhearted, but she’s determined to nail the real killer. Can this unlikely sleuth stay afloat as she’s hit by wave after wave of wildly entertaining characters, including an alpha bride, surfing detectives, and a high school flame long forgotten? You’ll find yourself laughing until the very end of Drowning Lessons, a debut cozy mystery that makes the perfect beach read. Rub in some coconut oil, dangle your feet in the crystal-blue waters of Starfish Beach, and sip a cool drink as Lexie discovers the deductive superpowers she never knew she had. Let the party begin!

Read an Excerpt from "Drowning Lessons"

If I owned a Caribbean resort, I’d put double locks on all the doors, regardless of going against the grain of island courtesy.

After having terrible dreams, I woke up in a cold sweat to find Olivia staring at me as I slept, a sour frown on her pretty face.

“I’m sorry,” she said, “I’ve been terrible over the past couple of days, so I wanted to come by before today gets ridiculous and say I’m sorry and thank you. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me since kindergarten. Thank you for being my family.” She handed me a blue box. “I was going to wait until Sunday, but I felt today might be penultimate.”

“You always get that word wrong. It doesn’t mean best. It means next to last,” I chided.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

I knew that blue box, just as all women did. That little blue box that was the curse of the Tiffany & Co. brand. Receiving one was always an adrenaline filled build up and an inevitable let down, not being the big emerald cut engagement ring we’d hoped for. One would be forced to show excitement at the keychain from the silver.

I held my breath and opened Olivia’s box. In the overcast morning light, its contents shimmered: a pair of hoop earrings with three rows of exquisite diamonds, a five-figure purchase. I knew how much they cost because I suggested those for her wedding. She had passed on them for being too subtle, but they were good enough for me.

“Oh my god, thank you.” I excitedly put the earrings on. “This is too much.”

“It’s just money,” she said, having achieved that enviable level where extravagant gifts meant nothing.

Hush money.

“You’ve done more than I should have ever asked, and now on top of bridesmaid stuff, needing to clear Walter’s name and everything. I’ve been on the phone trying to get lawyers from New York, but it’s 6 a.m. I’ve got to get to Panama City to get to the embassy. It’s a mess and it turns out that on this island, it’s easier to close an airport than open it, when the people in charge have gone surfing.

“I’ve been up all night. And I mean all night. I spent hours looking through everyone’s phones we collected for the event. You’d be surprised at how few people lock devices,” Olivia explained. “You’d be shocked at what’s going on! Walter’s uncle Gordon is having an affair with a chiropractor named James. Also, Lloyd, though he is my first suspect, does good seductive texting, and Amanda is close to dumping her husband. You think that she’d tell me!”

I got out of bed and opened the doors to the deck. “Don’t go out there. You don’t know who’s listening,” snapped Olivia, then dropped to a whisper. “I’ve got a boat to take me to Almirante and then a helicopter to Panama City. So, you need to hit the streets, by boat I guess. I need you on the ground. Talk to people. Most homicides are solved within 48 hours. Someone had to see something.

“Anything. You can find something when you’re hosting the zip-line tour. You were good with those cops yesterday. We’re in it. To win it. Color me exhausted. I wish I’d have slept. I’ll tell you one thing: I’m not getting married in a Panamanian prison. Just figure this out. I can’t do both.

“I really am still banned from the police station. I guess you can do that down here. My face is on a Polaroid with a devil mustache and horns, so entry is denied. Can’t be legal. Don’t worry, I’ll be back for the costume party.”

She stood up and headed for the door, then thought twice, coming back and hugged me for a long time.

I whispered, “You have to come clean.”

We sat on the bed and she cried, not having any answers or clues. Her long blond hair was sweaty and she hadn’t been sticking to her three showers a day routine.

When I finally wiped her last tear away, she begged, “You’re the only one I can trust. Everyone will leave and I’ll never get married. Or we can at least find someone else we can implicate, like my sister…”

All for the sake of a walk down La Gruta’s bat lane and an eventual piece of blood red velvet cake.

There are ways I could have saved the day for everyone else. With Olivia away for the day, I could have fought to open the airport and evacuate the wedding. We’d still be on a plane with a killer, but it was a risk I was almost ready to take.

My Review

I enjoyed "Drowning Lessons," though I must admit that I found the first half a bit slow-paced for my tastes.  Fortunately, the story picked up in the second half, and I read most of the book in one sitting.

I found the characters to be enjoyably quirky, especially Lloyd, a.k.a "the Dissector," the accused (but never proven) serial killer; flighty bridezilla Olivia; flirty Migs the photographer; and surfer detectives LaGuardia and McDonough.  I wasn't crazy about Josh, main character Lexie's love interest, but since this book wasn't a romance, I was able to mostly ignore that aspect of the story and focus on the other elements. I especially appreciated the book's comedic elements, as well as the fact that the mystery kept me guessing until the end. 

Overall, "Drowning Lessons" was a light, easy read, perfect for enjoying by the beach or pool.  I will plan to read the next book in the series to see where Lexie's adventures take her next.

*ARC provided by the author via Xpresso Book Tours.  All opinions expressed are my own.