Bookish Buys: Beach Reads and Deadly Deeds by Allison Brennan

Bookish Buys

Inspired by Beach Reads and Deadly Deeds by Allison Brennan

Wearing a red hot swimsuit with coordinating lipstick and nail polish, topped off with a crisp white Panama hat trimmed in matching red, and floating on a red and orange inner tube surrounded by inflatable sharks? That’s not just a summer vibe—it’s a whole main character mood, straight out of Beach Reads and Deadly Deeds by Allison Brennan.

This bold, beach-ready look says Mia Crawford, but make her daring. It’s the ultimate fantasy: a meticulous, cat-loving bookworm finally cut loose on a private island, trying to remember what it feels like to just be. For a woman who usually plays it safe, slipping into this vibrant ensemble is a declaration—of fun, of freedom, and maybe, just maybe, of reinvention.

But make no mistake—those inflatable sharks aren’t just for show. They’re a cheeky nod to the danger lurking beneath the sun-soaked surface. Because while Mia might be on vacation, mystery never takes a day off. One minute, you’re floating with a cocktail in hand, feeling like the glamorous lead in your favorite beach read. The next? You’re piecing together cryptic notes in the margins of a battered novel and realizing everyone on this island has something to hide.

So go ahead—rock that fiery swimsuit, swipe on your lipstick like you mean it, and drift among those friendly blow-up sharks like the heroine you were always meant to be. Because when the plot twists come (and they will), you’ll be ready. Books in one hand, beach clues in the other, looking like a red-hot force to be reckoned with. Mia Crawford-style.

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Bookish Buys: Beach Reads and Deadly Deeds by Allison Brennan

About Beach Reads and Deadly Deeds by Allison Brennan:

In this sun-dappled mystery from New York Times bestselling author Allison Brennan, a risk-averse bibliophile gets in over her head when strange notes in a book draw her into a real-life investigation.

Mia Crawford is responsible to a fault. She has to be. Between her high-demand job and taking care of her grandmother and her cats, she has little time for anything else. What time she does have, she pours into reading. Mysteries, romances, thrillers…books filled with women who are far more impulsive than she would ever dream of being. Now, forced into taking a long-overdue vacation, she finds herself on a luxurious private island where she just might have a chance to reinvent herself—for a little while, anyway. She can explore the island. Flirt shamelessly with a cute bartender. Have a vacation fling. Live like a heroine in one of her favorite novels.

Or she can curl up with a good book on the beach. Turns out reinventing yourself is easier planned than done. But when gossipy notes written in the margins of an old book turn out to be clues to the disappearance of another guest, Mia finds herself diving headfirst into a dangerous adventure. With everyone at the resort hiding secrets of their own, she’ll have to solve this real-life mystery before she becomes the next target.