I really enjoy this series. In this one Teddy is back in the police force on Anegada when he is summoned to Virgin Gorda about a possible shark attack. Teddy is not sure it is as simple and he sets out to investigate. I really enjoy the characters and the setting. The author does a very good job with capturing the flavor of the islands. The mystery was good and there were plenty of suspects. This is the second book in the series and it should be read in order. I am looking forward to more Teddy adventures. Enjoy

Great idea for a book and really well executed. A thoroughly good read. Highly recommended. .

Beach, Breeze, Bloodshed
Teddy Creque Mysteries #2
John Keyse-Walker
Minotaur Books, September 2017
ISBN 978-1-250-14847-6
Hardcover

Constable Teddy Creque returns in Beach, Breeze, Bloodshed, the second book in a series set in the British Virgin Islands. The setting of these books alone makes them worth reading in the Winter. This time, readers get to go with Teddy to Virgin Gorda.

With a beach covered with fine white sand and clear aqua blue water, the section of the island known as The Baths is beautiful. Tourists with cash in hand flock to Virgin Gorda because of the beautiful beaches, so the last thing the island needs is a shark attack. But Constable Creque has been assigned to deal with just that thing. The trunk of a woman’s body has washed up onto the beach. Teddy’s assignment is to find the shark responsible and kill it. With a multitude of people watching, Teddy goes out to track sharks and find the one responsible. A shark is caught and killed and when cut open, a human hand rolls out of its belly. But soon Teddy begins to suspect that it was not the shark that caused the woman’s death. As one would expect, not everyone is happy to see Teddy nosing around.

Constable Creque has grown into his role since the first book in the series, Sand, Sun, Murder. While he seems to have an innate ability for solving crimes, his methods are a bit unorthodox at times. Since his first case when he was nearly killed, Teddy has learned a bit more of what is expected of a good officer including how to get along with his bosses. Still, situations come up that are not in any manual and can’t fit into standard policing. Such is the case with this murder when Teddy’s only apparent witness is a young child who is mute. Again, Teddy figures out a way to work through the problem.

This book is, in my opinion, a much better book than the first book in the series. The protagonist has grown into his job a bit more. The plot is well done leaving a trail of clues without giving too much away for readers to puzzle over. The entire book just seems to fit together better.

One of the best things in the first book that continues in this book is the excellent descriptions of the various places. Reading this during a bleak week of raw weather, it was a bit like taking a breezy warm vacation to the islands. If you are feeling a bit beaten down by the winter that won’t give up, let me suggest a quick trip to the British Virgin Islands.

Reviewed by guest reviewer Caryn St. Clair, March 2018, for Buried Under Books.

I read this book some time ago and for whatever reason never got around to writing up a proper review. Although I still have my notes there are specifics of the novel that escape me so this will be more of a review about general impressions I had from reading the book. At some point in the not too distant future I will read it again and update my review accordingly.

I recall that I enjoyed the book quite a bit even though it wasn't quite what I had expected. I read a lot of hardboiled, often violent, crime fiction and periodically I will pick up something more along the lines of a cozy or traditional locked room mystery as sort of a mental palate cleanser... something different to reset my mind before jumping back into the harder stuff.

I requested 'Beach, Breeze, Bloodshed (A Teddy Creque Mystery #2)' thinking it would be something along the lines of a BBC-style mystery. Exotic Island locale with terribly civilized people getting involved in oh so inconvenient murders while lounging around with cocktails and whatnot... I was greatly mistaken (and not at all disappointed)!

This book is told more from the perspective of the regular folk, the island people, as seen through the eyes of Constable Teddy Creque of The Royal Virgin Islands Police Force. The characters are rich, fully developed people far from the rote caricatures I had expected. The story is closer to hardboiled (though it really isn't hardboiled) than it is to a cozy. A real good book.

***Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this title. With my most sincere apology for having taken so long to post a review.

Like others when I saw the cover and read the description on Netgalley I assumed it was a cozy mystery. After so many bland nonstarters lately I proceeded with caution. It also had been awhile since I read a tale starring a leading male detective. My mystery reading as of late has been filled with cozies featuring amateur female detectives.

The writing is very descriptive and the characters easily draw you in having all the components of a classic mystery. The British Virgin Islands setting makes for a unique experience full of colorful characters and splashes of local culture. Had I not checked Goodreads I would not even have known this was the second in a series. The story stands well on its own. As times reading it felt like watching Death in Paradise which is a series I enjoy.

Our main character Teddy is investigating a shark attack off the coast of Virgin Gorda. He believes the cause of death was more than just a shark attack and insists on doing further investigation much to the commissioner's chagrin

A remarkable new murder mystery set in the Virgin Islands in the Caribbean.
This is a very different kind of mystery novel. The writing style is verbose and interspersed with literary quotations from British classics, in contrast to the powerful crime plot which is quite dark in places with some gore.
I didn't believe the romance subplot which was used by the author as a device to lure the killers, but the local background and pace of the novel carrys you along.

Thanks St. Martin's Press and netgalley for this ARC.

I liked this new addition to the series. It's great to be taken out of the usual and hum drum - this is way out there. It's a great mystery and you'll never guess what's coming.

It is rather sobering to write this review in the days following Hurricane Irma's destruction of the two islands-- Anegada and Virgin Gorda-- that figure so prominently in Beach, Breeze, Bloodshed. John Keyse-Walker writes eloquently of island life and culture. It's so easy to visualize the scenes that take place on the islands or out on the water and diving on the coral reefs.

Teddy Creque has done a lot of growing since the first book in the series, both mentally and emotionally. He's learned quite a bit about what being a good police officer entails, and he's very aware that his education has just begun. He has a natural aptitude for investigation, and he's even improved his skills in working with his superior officers. This character growth really impressed me, and certainly makes me eager for more books in the series.

The mystery in Beach, Breeze, Bloodshed features some excellent misdirection, exciting action sequences, and a romantic interest for Teddy that no-romance-in-my-books me didn't turn my nose up at. Bring on the next book; I'm ready for another trip to the Caribbean!

Teddy Creque, a constable, is on leave after a violent death and is sent to kill a bull shark in the Virgin Islands. This shark attacked and killed a woman. But was the woman killed by the shark or by someone? Can Teddy figure out who the victim is?

If you enjoy a who-dun-it murder mystery, including the investigation, the chase, and following the clues, you’ll enjoy this story told in first person. Can you follow the clues? A witness who won’t talk, a superior who doesn’t want him to investigate, can Teddy beat the odds again and solve the case?

The cover made me think this would be more in line with a cozy mystery, but that is not the case, with the descriptive dialogue and actions of the characters. I did enjoy the parts about hunting for the suspected shark of the attack and the journey to finding to the killer.

I received a free copy from Net Galley in the hope that I would post reviews. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Did not realize this was book 2 would have prefered to read bk 1 first. Still a good read.

Very good beach read for mystery lovers! It's a nice break from the romance reads.

What a nice surprise! Really enjoyed this book (and wish I'd read the first one, too). New, interesting characters, a great setting, and a multi-layered mystery. Beautifully written, sweeter and sadder than I expected (I didn't know what to expect). I loved reading about each aspect in turn--the crystal-clear water, the fish/sharks/diving, each of the islands, and all the different inhabitants. Feels like the author understands the real, and diverse, life of the islands. I would recommend this book. I look forward to reading the next one, and following these characters forward.