Once Upon a Seaside Murder by Maggie Blackburn

This book was picked exclusively for its cover. I’m a lighthouse-lover & cozy mystery enjoyer, so I thought why not?

Guys let’s be so real… some older author cannot write young people. I am NOT trying to be ageist; it’s more of a lack of cultural context or research. My girl Maggie Blackburn did not know how to write Summer as a mid-to-late-thirties woman. I’m sorry. I’m sorry!! Maybe that’s what young people were like in the 50s, but as an almost-30 year old I don’t think Summer was a natural characterization.

Overall, I liked the setting and premise. But also…. the writing was not great. Things progressed weirdly fast? In a strangely disjointed way? I did not like the potential romance. Maybe this is because I am petty but I would never be interested in getting back with someone who left me at the altar (or whom I left at the altar). That is not romantic to me.

My other callout: the baking seemed contrived. It felt thrown-in because lots of cozy mysteries have baking. It did not fit Summer’s vibe or vision at all. Just saying “and I stress-baked these cookies” does not add any narrative interest or character growth.

The mystery itself is fun! Who doesn’t love a rich family with a lot of secrets? And the twist… pretty solid!

The atmosphere didn’t feel right to me - it was too sad to be cozy, yet not noir enough to be not-cozy. It sat in this strange in-between space of vibe/genre.

And y’all… we won’t be talking about the spiders. And the sleeping mask thing. Or the voodoo stuff. No way. That was a little too much for me.

Would I recommend this? No. Do I regret reading it? Not really, I breezed through it.