Huron Breeze(Sunrise-Side Mystery Book 1)

If you see the name Landon Beach on a book, just click borrow or buy. You will enjoy a well written, character driven book with a great story. He does it again. He crafts a character focused murder mystery. I loved the framing story of a well known author who lives in the area needing inspiration for her next book. While I enjoyed Rachel Roberts, Topaz stole the show. Her smart, savvy agent was a highlight of the book. The insights on the book industry were entertaining and illuminating. I loved the fact that Rachel hides in plain sight, not chasing fame, though she has the fortune. Professional private investigator Obadiah Ben-David was wonderful as well. I loved the callouts to Iron Man! As is the standard in a Beach novel, a rich variety of characters come to life as secrets are uncovered with a murder as the catalyst. I listened to the brilliant Scott Brick bringing Beach's characters to life with another fantastic performance. I loved the twist ending as well as Rachel outselling other she previously ghosted for. An entertaining thriller that gives insight into the publishing industry. I've been a fan of the author since his incredible Great Lakes series and he just keeps getting better. I can't wait to start his new book Narrator. The subject matter is definitely intriguing since I am a fan of several narrators.

Complicated tale with strong sub plots. The last third is action packed. A good read. Main protagonist is interesting but not easy to believe.

Mr. Beach continues to traverse new territory, and I continue to voraciously consume his work like a pelican parked at the fish-cleaning table. Huron Breeze delivers the danger, adventure, and clever dialogue his loyal readers now crave; however, this novel explores a theme we have not yet visited in his previous books: the intricacies and challenges of the authorial process. Rare is the novel that allows a reader a glimpse into the inspirations that drive a writer to produce great fiction, and I found myself grateful that Beach let us in. I felt almost frustrated with the industry pressures that harass his protagonist, a world-renowned author of fiction, into continued production, yet I appreciated the resilience she demonstrates and, thus, came to understand the stamina and rigor required to be a consistently creative and successful author. I was even more fascinated with how her experiences participating in the investigation central to the small-town mystery - which are themselves inherently interesting and wrapped in signature Landon-Beach action - inspire the storyline she simultaneously composes. I’m underqualified to compose much more than a 3-year-old’s soccer game review, but I feel more knowledgeable of the writing process and empathetic towards our great authors because of Huron Breeze. As a habitual reader of Beach’s books, I was delighted to return to the small Lake-Huron town and revisit some of his more memorable characters and settings; I also enjoyed coming back to the familiar Great-Lakes culture that he so well describes. I have no idea where Beach might take us next, but I hope he continues to pursue his talent for developing mystery and refuses to allow the cut-throat book-publishing industry to badger him away from the genuine, unique storytelling so many of us have come to love. Perhaps, Mr. Beach will acknowledge, in his moments of fatigue or frustration with the industry buzzards, that very few of those burpy birds could hold down 30 kids a class, 5 classes a day, 184 days a year - with quality instruction - nor officiate a ship full of ornery U.S. Navy sailors while still writing well enough to keep us all devouring their work. Keep hooking 'em, Mr. Beach.

Interesting but no twist at the end like I was expecting, I was disappointed in how it ended.

“Huron Breeze” is a wonderful crime/mystery story with complex characters and tight story telling. Typically, Beach’s books sit firmly in the thriller genre, but almost all have had elements of mystery or intrigue, so a pure mystery was A natural fit to his style. If you are a new reader to Beach, do not fear, Beach’s books can be read out of order, though a few Easter eggs will be missed that long time reader will smile at. Overall, this is a great story and as always, I was sad when I turned the last page and had to leave Beach’s world. There are a few common themes that appear in most Beach novels, but despite the recurring formula, he finds a way to make them feel fresh and exciting. One such theme is his main characters have troubled pasts or unresolved issues that haunt them in the present. In “Huron Breeze”, Rachel and Obadiah play the leading roles, and each start their journey with significant woes. Rachel, a bestselling novelist, struggles with severe writer’s block after the death of her father. Obadiah, the town’s most famous professional investigator, walks around with the pain of the passing of his young wife, who had succumbed to cancer. This setup helps set the tone and motivation for the MCs and makes “Huron Breeze” so much more than a whodunit. It is a story of personal triumph and coping that will leave every reader caring deeply for its characters. Another, more fascinating recurring theme, is there is always some character in every Beach novel who is a technophobe. It stands out so much to me that I look for it in every story. Sometimes it’s a subtle “I hate cell phones” and other times it’s a conversation between characters about the perils of new technology. Whenever it happens, I imagine Beach sitting at a desk writing on his Hermes 3000 typewriter, by candlelight, laughing at the rest of us “always connected” humans! I will wrap up this review with my favorite observations of Beach’s writing. Beach has an amazing ability to tell a complex story in a very neat and concise way. His pace is never slow, his books aren’t overly long by-word count, but the stories are always filled with tons of detail that make the world feel real and complete. As with his other books, I was hungry to read more! I wanted more adventures of Obadiah and Rachel. I really hope that one day Beach decides to write a series of novels around a single character. His method of storytelling could easily produce a character that holds an audience’s attention for a very long time. Perhaps that character will be Adrienne Astra?

Lots of info about Michigan and the Lake Huron Coast. There were a ton of characters - too many to keep track of. Satisfying ending. Wil read book #2.

Tedious, badly written bilge. There are many more better thrillers out there. Don’t waste your time. Can’t understand the hype