Death on Dickens Island: A Books on the Beach Mystery
by Allison Brook
About Death on Dickens Island
Death on Dickens Island: A Books on the Beach Mystery
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – On Dickens Island, a fictional island in the Long Island Sound between Long Island and CT.
Publisher : Crooked Lane Books
Publication date : October 21, 2025
Hardcover
Print length : 320 pages
ISBN-13 : 979-8892420488
Paperback
ISBN-13 : 979-8892422536
Digital
ISBN-13 : 979-8892420495
ASIN : B0DTNMGQTK
Audiobook ASIN: B0DT4WXPWL
A divorced sleuth in her thirties must bring peace back to her small town after a murder tears neighbors and family members apart in this series debut from Agatha Award nominee Allison Brook, perfect for fans of Cynthia Riggs and Eva Gates.
Delia Dickens has come home to Dickens Island, a small island in the Long Island Sound, after a twelve-year stint in Manhattan. She’s looking forward to helping her father revitalize the general store that the family owns as well as curating a small book nook. Most importantly, she wants to reunite with her fifteen-year-old son. But Dickens Island isn’t the peaceful town Delia remembers–and she might be in more danger here than she ever was in the big city.
Delia’s Aunt Reenie and Uncle Brad, both prominent community leaders, are at odds over the sale of a farm and its future use. This has created friction, not only in their marriage, but amongst the citizens of the town. When a young woman, new to the town council and friendly with Brad, is found murdered, everything escalates and reaches a new boiling point.
With Reenie and Brad both suspects in the case and at each other’s throats, the townspeople start to take sides. When the ghost of her grandmother visits her, Delia learns how past events have impacted the present, and it is up to her to expose the farm’s sordid secrets in order to catch a murderer and restore peace to her beloved island.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
This new series from Allison Brook takes readers to Dickens Island in the Long Island Sound between Long Island and Connecticut. Delia Dickens has been living in Manhattan following her divorce, but her son has been staying with her parents on Dickens Island for the past 12 years, Delia visiting when she can, which isn’t often enough. It’s important to bring her family all together, and her father needs help with the family business, a general store. It needs to be more modern, offering products tourists want to buy while maintaining the homey feel, and continue to be a gathering place for the island’s residents and visitors. Delia is up for this task.
Shortly after her arrival, she can see something is amiss with her Aunt Reenie and Uncle Brad. Rennie is the town manager, and Brad is the head of the town council. While they agree that the town should purchase the farm on a key piece of land, they are on opposite sides about how the land should be used in the future. It is not only affecting their marriage, but members of the community are starting to take sides. Another piece of the contention puzzle is a young woman new to the town council. Brad has taken her under his wing, and Reenie believes they are becoming more than coworkers or friends.
The young woman, Missy, works at the bakery, in addition to being on the town council. The day after the council met to discuss the land purchase and use, Missy failed to show up at the bakery. Police Chief Fanning made a wellness call to her home and found her dead. With all the drama between Brad and Reenie, they are at the top of the chief’s list of suspects. And again, the people of Dickens’s Island are fired up and taking sides.
Delia’s father asks her to try to solve the rift between her aunt and uncle, so the focus will be on finding the real killer. She never imagined her grandmother’s ghost would start to visit with information she needed to set the island back to rights and help apprehend Missy’s murderer.
Ms. Brooks has created a fantastic cast of characters for this series. Delia Dickens is a great protagonist, genuine, and relatable. Being away from her son, Connor, for so long means she has to do a lot to gain his trust, and she knows it isn’t going to be easy. We meet her father, who runs the general store and has a hard time with change. Again, Delia treads lightly to help him understand what she is trying to do and to see that her ideas are good and will help the family business grow. Her mother has taken a break from her father and the island and is having an open-ended stay in Delia’s Manhattan apartment. Her Aunt Rennie and Uncle Brad seem to be at odds about everything, with her aunt even talking about divorce. Delia has reconnected with her high school sweetheart, but their past breakup hit her hard. Jack Morrison is now the island veterinarian, and with a dog that has adopted Delia and her son, she is going to have to see him at least professionally. Can she trust him with her heart again? All these characters develop well throughout the story with plenty of room to evolve as this series continues. They feel true to real life.
Delia lives in a Victorian house that has been in her grandmother, Helena’s, family home for almost one hundred years. With its steep roof, wrap-around porch, rounded turrets, and rooms for every purpose, including four bedrooms and a secret room, it is the perfect home base for a cozy mystery series and its resident ghost. The author’s detailed descriptions make readers feel right at home as we visit the place again and again.
The mystery is very well-plotted with secrets and suspects, clues to follow, and a red herring or two. A discovery is made that sends Delia’s son and his friend on a treasure hunt, which shakes up the mystery in several ways and has more people searching for treasure and the truth. The addition of Helena, the ghost, was wonderful. There was a learning curve for both Delia and Helena, with Delia finding some treasures of her own, which sometimes led to more questions than answers. Some of the answers were very interesting. I enjoyed the “better than Netflix” reveal and confession.
Death on Dickens Island has set off this series to a terrific start. A complex mystery with many moving parts, authentic characters that draw you into their stories, a clever canine that was just what Delia and Connor needed, set on a delightful island where friendships grew stronger, love gets a cautious second chance, and a ghost that will steal your heart as even some of her secrets are revealed. I am so excited for this series to continue. This Books on the Beach Mystery will be a hit for fans of Ms. Brook’s Haunted Library series and cozy mystery fans who love a little light paranormal in their stories.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.
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About Allison Brook
A former Spanish teacher, Marilyn Levinson writes mysteries, novels of suspense, and books for kids. Her books have received many accolades. As Allison Brook, she writes the Haunted Library series. Death Overdue, the first in the series, was an Agatha nominee for Best Contemporary Novel in 2018. Other mysteries include the Golden Age of Mystery Book Club series, the Twin Lakes series, and Giving Up the Ghost. Her suspense, Come Home to Death, was released in April 2024, and her suspense, Dangerous Relations, was republished in March 2025. Death on Dickens Island is the first book in her Books on the Beach series.
Marilyn’s juvenile novel, Rufus and Magic Run Amok, was an International Reading Association-Children’s Book Council Children’s Choice and has recently come out in a new edition. Rufus and the Witch’s Drudge, the second book in the series, has been released, and the third, Rufus and the Dark Side of Magic, will be out later this year. And Don’t Bring Jeremy was a nominee for six state awards. Her YA horror, The Devil’s Pawn, came out in a new edition in January 2024.
Marilyn lives on Long Island, where many of her books take place. She loves traveling, reading, doing crossword puzzles and Sudoku, chatting on FaceTime with her grandkids, and playing with her kittens, Romeo and Juliet.
Author Links
Website/Newsletter Sign Up Facebook Goodreads X BookBub – Marilyn BookBub – Allison Instagram
Purchase Links:
Great Escapes Praise for Death on Dickens Island: A Books on the Beach Mystery
by Allison Brook
Death on Dickens Island is the first book in the brand new Books on the Beach Mystery series. I really enjoyed the story, characters, and paranormal elements.
~Sapphyria’s Books
I enthusiastically recommend Death on Dickens Island for other cozy mystery readers. It has a charming small town, an intrepid amateur detective, a ghostly relative (who helps with and adds to the mystery), and even a secret room!
~View from the Birdhouse
I think fans of Allison Brook’s Haunted Library series will enjoy starting this brand new series with Death on Dickens Island. I enjoyed it, and I look forward to future Books on the Beach books.
~Christy’s Cozy Corners
A fun start to a new cozy mystery series, and this time with a grandmother as the resident ghost! Loved that!I’m a big fan of this author’s past work, so I’m happy to get a chance to be introduced to a new series!
~Sarah Can’t Stop Reading Books
TOUR PARTICIPANTS – Please visit all the stops.
October 21 – Ruff Drafts – AUTHOR GUEST POST
October 21 – Books1987 – SPOTLIGHT
October 21 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – REVIEW
October 22 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT
October 22 – Baroness Book Trove – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
October 22 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
October 23 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – REVIEW Coming soon!
October 23 – Wine Cellar Library – SPOTLIGHT
October 23 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
October 24 – View from the Birdhouse – REVIEW
October 24 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT
October 24 – Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT
October 25 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW
October 25 – Sarandipity’s – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
October 25 – Reading Is My SuperPower – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
October 26 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
October 26 – Christa Reads and Writes – SPOTLIGHT
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October 27 – Salty Inspirations – SPOTLIGHT
October 28 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
October 28 – Melina’s Book Blog – REVIEW
October 28 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” “As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.” I am also an affiliate of Bookshop.org and I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.” These funds are often used for gift cards and other giveaways.
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Sounds great.