Beach, Breeze, Bloodshed

July 24, 2017
Keyse-Walker’s entertaining sequel to 2016’s Sun, Sand, Murder begins when the remains of a young woman, evidently the victim of a shark attack, wash up on the Caribbean island of Virgin Gorda. Constable Teddy Creque takes on the task of killing the offending shark, whom onlookers on the beach have spotted. The beast is soon strung up on a dock, where Teddy slits its belly, which contains more body parts. Teddy and other police officials set out to find anyone who might be able to identify the woman. Teddy has an amusing encounter with attractive Jeanne Trengrouse and her scarlet macaw, Sir Winston Churchill, who repeats the suspicious words (e.g., “de fuzz”) of his less-than-law-abiding previous owners. Jeanne’s shy eight-year-old son puts Teddy on a trail that leads him to suspect that the woman—eventually identified as Michele Konnerth, a cancer researcher at Duke University who came to Virgin Gorda as part of her work—was the victim of a crime. Keyse-Walker effortlessly conveys the balmy charm of island life. Agent: Danielle Burby, Nelson Literary Agency.

August 1, 2017
Teddy Creque (Sun, Sand, Murder, 2015) continues his Caribbean crime-fighting career by investigating the death of a doctor on Virgin Gorda.It's his fishing prowess, not his police valor, that persuades Royal Virgin Islands Police Force deputy commissioner Howard Lane to detail Teddy to Virgin Gorda to dispatch Dr. Michele Konnerth's killer, a 100-plus-pound bull shark. But now that Teddy's been promoted to constable and awarded the Queen's Police Medal to boot, Lane is more inclined to listen to his subordinate's concerns. So when Teddy offers the opinion that the shark had a human accomplice, the deputy commissioner gives Teddy a week away from his post on tiny Anegada to investigate what may or may not be a crime. It takes Virgin Gorda's "belongers" a little time to warm to Teddy, but soon he and his Anegadian pal Anthony Wedderburn are supping on Mrs. Scatliffe's excellent fish stew alongside Constable Tybee George and Station Sgt. Isaac Chalwell at the Virgin Gorda nick. Young Jemmy Jim Trengrouse is a different story. Unlike his garrulous parrot, Sir Winston Churchill, who greets Teddy with a raucous "It de fuzz," and "Hide de kali," the atypical 8-year-old offers only a few words a day, taking a walk each morning and spending the rest of the day sequestered in his room creating elaborate Lego replicas of famous landmarks. Getting Jemmy to warm to him is a matter of some urgency to Teddy, who's convinced the boy has seen something on one of his morning rambles that will help solve the Konnerth murder. The slow progress of Teddy's relationship with Jemmy and his quicker-paced courtship of Jemmy's mother, Jeanne, are among the pleasures of Keyse-Walker's second Caribbean excursion. Although not as spectacular as his debut, the hero's first outing as a full-fledged constable offers more than its share of adventure.

COPYRIGHT(2017) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 1, 2017
It's not like you can put a shark on trial. So Constable Teddy Creque expects his first case back after being injured investigating a crime on his home island of Anegada to be drama-free. The woman who was eaten off the coast of the neighboring British Virgin Island of Virgin Gorda, however, had made some enemies on land. Could an autistic boy have seen something that points to foul play? How can Teddy help the boy communicate what he knows? An intriguing look at island life with a likable hero whom readers will want to get to know better. Keyse-Walker won the Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award for the series debut, Sun, Sand, Murder (2016)(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

Starred review from September 1, 2017

Constable Teddy Creque scarcely survived his previous British Virgin Islands investigation (Sun, Sand, Murder), for which he received a medal of honor and promotion. When body parts showing signs of a shark attack wash ashore, Teddy uses his fishing skills to capture the fish and retrieve the rest of the corpse. Teddy believes the death of Dr. Michele Konnerth wasn't accidental, and that the shark was intended as a murder weapon. Despite resistance from the locals, Teddy forges ahead with his investigation with the help of tantalizing Jeanne Trengrouse, her unorthodox son Jemmy, garrulous and foul-mouthed scarier macaw Sir Winston Churchill, and Anegadian friend Anthony Wedderburn. VERDICT This sophomore effort is another winner with plenty of action, entertaining and appealing characters, and colorful depictions of island life. A solid read-alike of Agatha Christie's A Caribbean Mystery and Bob Morris's "Zack Chasteen" series.--ACT

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.