Reviewed by Rosetta Diane Hoessli, Author
**** (Four Stars)
WASHED UP AT SEA OATS BEACH, by Karen C. Whalen, due to be released April 14, 2025, is the second book in her new SEA OATS BEACH SERIES. Although I enjoyed this story a great deal, I believe I should’ve read her first novel of the series, MURDER AT SEA OATS BEACH, first – just to get a better feel for the backstory and supporting characters. So, my lack of connection with some of her ‘people’ may have been due to that.
However, the main character, Breanna Hart, with whom I felt a personal kinship, comes to life early on, and she grew on me throughout the book. Originally from Chicago, Breanna has moved to a tiny touristy town in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, where she seems to be hiding out because of her social anxiety, and has volunteered at the local animal shelter – not only because she loves animals, but because she prefers them to people (which I totally get). When she and her ‘surfer dude’ buddy, Roscoe Blue, discover a dead woman on the beach, then see a large dog bobbing on a surfboard out in the ocean, the story truly begins.
The traumatized canine – named Milo by Breanna – is a Golden Retriever that becomes one of the main catalysts in the solving of what becomes a ‘local’ murder - a murder with which Breanna becomes obsessed because she’s so concerned about the welfare of the dog. She agrees to foster Milo while the shelter tries to find his family, but, of course, becomes more than attached to him.
My only complaint about this cozy mystery is that the Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) from which Breanna Hart suffers is in direct conflict with one or two of Whalen’s most important and transitional scenes.
On the other hand, Breanna’s social awkwardness is endearing and something with which I believe most of us can relate. Her close friend, Emma, is a southern staple, using ‘Bless your heart,’ and ‘Give me some sugar,’ as she greets the patrons in her bait shop every morning. Ty Whitaker, a policeman that Breanna has a crush on, is handsome and looks terrific without a shirt on, but doesn’t seem incredibly astute other than that. Entrepreneur Roscoe Blue, a blond, curly-haired surfer ‘dude’ who clearly has a thing for her, is obnoxious in a 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High' sort of way, and I truly hope that relationship doesn’t go anywhere.
My favorite character, other than Breanna herself – and, honestly, the best defined – is her brother, Flynn, an unstable, former drug addict that she's wracked with guilt about, and, typically, feels obligated to take care of.
WASHED UP AT SEA OATS BEACH is touted as a cozy mystery, and it is. To be honest, I appreciated its lack of steamy love scenes and graphic violence, and Whalen’s focus on the beauty and isolation of the Outer Banks beaches of North Carolina is a joy to read. Cozies are all about innocence and a desire to step away from the Helter Skelter Vibes of the Real World, and this book does that. In spades.
I’m very happy to give WASHED UP AT SEA OATS BEACH 4-Stars.