Summer Beach Reads – 10 Beach Mysteries

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Summer is a great time for catching up on reading – especially if you are relaxing on the beach! My favorite genre of books is mysteries, so here is a great collection of mystery stories to read on the beach this summer. All of them are set on the beach, so you can enjoy reading about murder in the sand and sun while you relax!

For great family dinner ideas check out my recipes for air fryer green beans and air fryer salmon.

Sandbar Sinister by Phoebe Atwood Taylor

This is one of a classic mystery series from the 1930s and 1940s which are all set on Cape Cod and feature detective Asey Mayo. These stories are classics and many have been reissued over the years. In this book a homeowner ends up dead and buried in the sand on the beach, and there are many suspects to be investigated. I like the humor in these series, and the glimpse they give into life during the depression and World War II.

The Pier: A Folly Beach Mystery by Bill Noel

This book is another seanotherset on the small island of Folly Beach, South Carolina, and featuring amateur detective Chris Landrum. Landrum has purchased a retirement home on Folly Beach and in this book he finds that his plans for a quiet retirement are interrupted by a floating body off the pier. This book is a fast paced light read, perfect for summer fun.

A Timely Vision (A Missing Pieces Mystery) by Joyce and Jim Lavene

This book is set on the 4th of July in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Dae O’Donnell seems to have a knack for finding missing things, but in this book she finds the body of an elderly local resident. She is drawn into the investigation and helps solve the mystery.

Lowcountry Boil (A Liz Talbot Mystery) (Volume 1) by Carolyn Hart

In this book Liz Talbot leaves moves to a South Carolina island after inheriting her Grandmother’s island home. But it turns out that her grandmother was murdered, so Talbot, who is a private investigator, naturally has to find out why. This is a light hearted book with a great setting and characters.

Beach Bum Brettby David D’Aguanno

Another book in a series this light hearted book features private detective Brett Cornell who decides to take a vacation at the beach and gets into all kinds of outrageous trouble. This book is meant to be humorous and over the top – which makes it perfect for vacation.

Endangered Species (Anna Pigeon)by Nevada Barr

Park ranger Anna Pigeon has been temporarily assigned to Cumberland Island, Georgia, where she and her partner discover a burning airplane. This book manages to include turtles, drug running and ticks all in one fun package.

Burned (Regan Reilly Mysteries, No. 8) by Carol Higgins Clark

Los Angeles private detective Regan Reilly heads to Hawaii for a bachelorette weekend, only to find that a body has washed up onto the beach by her hotel. She is hired to investigate and gets drawn into the mystery. This is a fun, quick read.

Goofy Foot: An Alex Rasmussen Mystery (Alex Rasmussen Mysteries) by David Daniel

Detective Alex Rasmussen investigates a missing person in a small Massachusetts vacation resort town. This is a fast paced thriller, and not as light hearted as many of the other books on the list.

Tilt-a-Whirl (The John Ceepak Mysteries Book 1) by Chris Grabenstein

This is the first in a series of mysteries set in a down on its luck Jersey shore resort town. Local cop John Ceepak has to investigate a murder at the town’s amusement park, followed by a kidnapping. This is a fast paced book with lots of twists, turns and surprises.

Restless Waters: A Rachel Porter Mystery (Rachel Porter Mysteries) by Jessica Speart

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agent Rachel Porter is stationed in Hawaii, where she stumbles across an international illegal exotic reptile smuggling ring. This leads to a mystery coupled with a message of conversvation, all set on the gorgeous Hawaiian islands.