Whitney has returned home to Santa Catalina Island after getting lost in corporate America and wanting a change of pace to help her brother take over the family glass bottom boat tour business from their grandparents. After a fancy excursion , that he was on, Jules Tisdale is found drowned with his tie around his neck under the boat by Whitney and her brother, Nick. Nick had a beef with Jules but won’t talk about it and is suspect number one. To complicate matters the diver and investigator just happens to be Whitney’s ex, Felix, who seems to still be interested in her. Whitney needs to clear her brother’s name and save the family business so she teams up reluctantly with Felix to do just that.

Much Ado failed to draw me into the world of Whitney and Santa Catalina. For a first book in a series, I don't think there was enough set up and character development. I'm not sure what purpose the character of Whitney's grandmother is supposed to provide. If humor, it wasn't there for me.

I did like some of the touches that established the setting such as the treasure maps.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this cozy mystery! It’s s the first in a series and I’m lost forward to future books. It’s set on Catalina Island of the coast of Southern California. I live in LA and have been to Catalina many times. It was so much fun to read about it, it’s a beautiful island and Avalon, the town, is a fun place to go to get away for the weekend.
The story and characters were well done, 4 stars.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I always enjoy a cozy mystery that takes place in a real location (as opposed to, say, a fictional small town somewhere). Much Ado About Nauticaling fits the bill, with the story located on Santa Catalina Island (sometimes called just Catalina Island) off the coast of southern California. Whit has recently returned to Catalina Island to help run her family’s glass-bottom boat tour company and is also opening a gift shop on the island. When her brother Nick becomes the main suspect in the murder of a prominent citizen, Whit decides she has to clear his name (the police don’t seem to want to look past Nick). The story is told by Whit, so we get inside her head a lot, while she leaps to one conclusion after another. I kept trying to guess who the culprit was, with good clues sprinkled throughout the book by the author.

The island atmosphere comes to life and I enjoyed all the talk about the golf carts (“autoettes”) that everybody on the island drives. And of course, there’s an adorable cat named Whiskers. Two other characters I really enjoyed were Whit and Nick’s grandparents, Pops and Goldy (she refuses to be called by any form of Grandma). It will be interesting to see where the author takes this new series, since Whit isn’t a typical amateur sleuth. She also has a potential love interest in former boyfriend Felix, who has moved to the island to try to make things work with Whit - so it will be interesting to see where that relationship goes in future books.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

While I received the eARC from NetGalley, I wound up listening to the published audiobook by Tantor Audio. The narrator, Marnye Young, did an excellent job with the many voices, both male and female.

The plot of the book was such a great page turner. The plot of the book was very well written. I truly cannot wait to read another wonderful book from this author. This was a truly great book by a new to me author.

A new Cozy mystery series is always something I am game to try. I am even considering making a standard format for the contents, that is, location, profession etc. If I did that, though, the aura of the off-beat jobs performed by these lead protagonists (mostly women) would be diminished, and the original 'unique small-town feel' would also go away. I might have talked myself out of making a standard presentation after all!
In this first book, we are introduced to Whitney Danger, running her family's tour boat with her brother. She is someone who has left the high flying city life behind to make something in her own corner of her island home. Along with her, at her suggestion, two different people moved at varying times. This is not something she wants to think too much about.
She is relatively happy on a successful day out, but the day ends with her finding one of the most influential men on the island floating under her boat. She is plunged into investigating because her brother behaves most inappropriately for the situation and half the narrative has her chasing him out of tight corners while she figures things out.
I guessed the solution quite early on but admit that the red herrings are rather well placed. Overall, it is a good start to a series in a colourful town with equally colourful vocations/occupations. The writing is just the right amount of descriptive to get a feel for everything that is unfolding in the tale.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience

A fun first in series! The protagonist has a unique occupation and I enjoyed getting to know her and her family. A well-planned mystery that kept me guessing until the very end. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series!

I enjoyed the first book in this new series and can see a lot of potential for future books. I liked the setting of Santa Catalina Island and the characters. This is an easy summer read that takes you on a journey around the island following clues and a list of suspects that seems to grow as time goes on. I love how Whitney believed in her brother's innocence regardless of what she heard from others on the island. The mystery kept me guessing until the end. Looking forward to more adventures on Santa Catalina Island.

I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

In this cozy mystery set on an island off the coast of California, Whitney must solve a murder when her brother becomes the prime suspect. Enjoyed the island setting and Whitney's grandparents, but overall, this one wasn't for me. The plotting felt a bit sporadic, and I didn't feel like a knew/liked the characters well enough by the end of the story to want to read the next in the series.

Much Ado About Nauticaling by Gabby Allan combines so many of my favorite things! From the quaint setting to the dry humor and relatable characters, I definitely want to spend more time in this world. The mystery will keep you on your toes & I had fun tagging along on the case solving adventures. There’s even a bit of romance to satisfy my swoon factor. A fun start to a charming new series!

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)

Much Ado About Nauticaling: A Whit and Whisker Mystery
By Gabby Allan
Kensington
August 2021

Review by Cynthia Chow

It’s only been a month since Whitney Dagnar moved twenty miles back to California’s Catalina Island to take over her family’s company Nautically Yours. As their grandparents adjust to retirement, Whitney and her brother Nick balance the duties between running glass-bottom boat tours on the Sea Bounder and her gift shop the Dame of the Sea. While Whit must tolerate negative Yelp reviews for those furious they weren’t able to see whales, she didn’t expect to give her clients the sight of the Chamber of Commerce Person of the Year floating by under the glass floor.

While Whit was never a fan of the wealthy Jules Tisdale, Nick has a more appreciative view of Jules’s much younger wife Tracy. As a result of an earlier aggressive confrontation between Jules and Nick, not to mention a non-existent alibi, Nick is quickly brought in for questioning and assumed by most everyone to be a top suspect. As shocked as Whit is to see her brother get hauled in for questioning, that doesn’t compare to seeing the man from the sheriff’s department who is doing the hauling. Whit has last seen Felix Ramirez when she not-seriously-but-seriously suggested his moving to Catalina Island with her, and his lack of an answer had her assuming that she was being ghosted. Her hurt feelings aren’t as important as proving her brother’s innocence though, especially when Nick goes underground and stops answering her calls. As Whit discovers the black widow’s numerous plans to buy out businesses, contending heirs, and another competing goldigger, the protective sister is helped by her grandparents Goldy and Pops. Their extensive town connections will be as vital to her off-the-books investigation as visits to the local spa and salon, the most reliable source for gossip and a lot of eavesdropping.

This first in the series by the author (who also writes charming mysteries under the name Misty Simon), introduces readers to the eclectic, golf-cart filled, tourist-driven town of Catalina Island. Whit has strong family ties to the island and its residents, but that doesn’t mean that people haven’t changed or tried to escape. Having been abandoned by their father when she was six and by her mother after high school, Whit has an understandable fragileness and self-protecting instinct to reject before she herself is rejected. Thankfully, the initial miscommunication between Whit and Felix is resolved relatively early, but that doesn’t mean that she is willing to lower her defenses and risk being hurt again. Readers will be much more welcoming to Felix, whose dry humor and go-with-Whit’s-flow-attitude makes him immediately likable and appealing. Whit’s own investigation has her spying from an increasingly large number of closets, and her best friend being a police dispatcher gives her another heads-up on the status of the murder. Whit has to prove her brother’s innocence, find the culprit before all of her suspects are themselves murdered, and keep her business afloat before her actual grand opening. The final reveal and surprising resolution will have readers eagerly waiting for their next tour with Whit and explore her locally-sourced gift shop.

Loved this book! Much Ado about Nauticaling is the first installment of the new Whit and Whiskers Mystery series from Gabby Allan. I enjoyed the main character, Whit, and the setting of Santa Catalina. I am excited to see where this series goes.

This was a really fun book to read. Set on Catalina Island, it focuses on siblings who run a glass-bottom boat tour company. When a body is found floating beneath the boat one evening, one of the siblings becomes the main suspect while his sister tries to prove his innocence. She's assisted by their quirky grandparents, as well as her police dispatcher roommate and an ex-boyfriend. The characters in this book are really unique, providing lots of interest as well as several suspects. And the descriptive of the setting makes me want to plan a trip there. I'd have liked to see a more in-depth conclusion to the book, but it does make one want to read the next book in the series.

Much Ado About Nautically is the first book in the Whit and Whiskers Mystery series by Gabby Allan, and I look forward to reading more and returning to Catalina Island. We meet quite a cast of characters throughout the book, but Whitney and her cat, Whiskers, were center stage, along with her brother Nick.

Jules, a prominent and wealthy member of the community, is murdered. Since those in the police department have Nick as their only suspect, Whitney tries to solve the mystery before locking Nick up for a crime he didn’t commit.

Whitney and Nick run the family’s glass-bottom boat tourism business, and she also owns a gift shop on the island. Her roommate, Maribel, works for the police as a dispatcher, and Whitney’s former boyfriend, Felix, is a part-time diver for the police. Whitney had no idea that Felix followed her to the island several months later, hoping to get back together with her, but that seems to be a story for another day since it only gets slightly touched upon here.

Whit’s focus is all about clearing her brother’s name along with their family name since their grandparents, Goldy and Pops, still live on the island.

I liked Whit’s relationship with her grandparents, and Goldy is a hoot. We get to know the characters, the small businesses, and the town a little at a time. But everyone seems to have secrets when Whit tries to ferret out information and clues the best to her amateur abilities.

Jules, the victim, seems to have bankrolled many of the local businesses. Enter his young widow, Tracy, who is trying to get the money returned but doesn’t go about it in the best of ways.

Whit starts to put the clues together while running or driving her golf cart all over the island, but all fingers seem to point to the wrong suspect until she figures out whodunnit and saves the day at the last minute.

Though the story was choppy in places, Ms. Allan penned beautiful descriptions that transported me to those locals.

As with many mysteries, there are injuries, lies, deception, and lots of cryptic comments. Ms. Allan wrapped up the story nicely with the mystery solved, though the ending was very abrupt to me.

The title is clever, and I loved the colorfulness and whimsical feel of the cover, which was spot on.

Ms. Allan made a good start to this new series with Much Ado About Nautically. She has me in love with Catalina Island, the characters, and we have gotten to know Whitney, Nick, Felix, Maribel, and the endearing grandparents. With the nice teaser chapter at the end of this book, I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series, Something Fishy This Way Comes.

I rated the book 3.5 stars but rounded to 4 stars here and on other sites.

This fun new cozy mystery series was pretty good. I really liked the main character and I loved the setting. I also thought the boat tour business was a really great unique idea. But I didn't love the actions of some of the characters, parts seemed over dramatic to me. I do think it has a lot of potential though and it will make a great series. I hope there is more of the cat in the book too!

Much Ado about Nauticaling is the first book in the fun and brand new Whit and Whiskers Mystery series. Set on Santa Catalina Island, this series centers on Whitney Dagner along with her family and friends.

Whitney, or Whit as she's known by friends and family, has recently returned home after living the crazy-paced life in Los Angeles. Now she's living the island life helping her brother run the family's glass-bottom boat tours and working at her gift shop selling locally crafted items. Island life is calm, relaxing....until a body floats under the glass-bottom boat while Whit and her brother Nick are aboard. And when Nick becomes the prime suspect in the murder, things take a turn from calm to crazy! Since Whit knows her brother would never murder anyone, she sets out to find the real killer!

I really enjoyed getting to know the characters in Much Ado About Nauticaling. First books in series are often difficult since you don't know anything about the characters. However, it was easy to get to know the characters in this book. I love Whit's grandparents who previously ran the boat business. They're so much fun, and you're going to love them. Her grandmother...but don't call her that...has a larger than life personality. Whit's roommate, her ex-boyfriend, and various town members make up the rest of the characters that make this book so enjoyable. And let's not forget Whiskers. Just like life, books are made better when they include a cat!

Of course, the setting is a huge plus. The author's descriptive language really brings the island to life. Who wouldn't love to live on an island with it's locally owned businesses and eateries where it's nice and warm, and you can see the ocean every day? That's the life for me...minus the murder, of course!

I was able to figure out who the murderer was pretty early on in the book, but I watch murder shows every single day! And, obviously, I read mysteries every day too. I mean I'm practically MI-5/SIS/CIA/FBI/PI ready. Much Ado About Nauticaling contains many red herrings that did give me pause. However, I channeled my beloved British detectives and put my little grey cells to work and stuck to my original suspect.

Cozy mystery lovers are really going to enjoy this new series. I'm looking forward to finding out what mystery Whit and friends encounter next!

Dollycas’s Thoughts

In this first Whit and Whiskers Mystery, we meet Whitney Dagner, her cat Whiskers, and her brother Nick. She has left her high-pressure job and returned to Santa Catalina Island to help Nick in the family business Nautically Yours. Their business offers glass-bottom boat tours so tourists can view fantastic underwater sights. Whitney is also opening a gift shop selling all kinds of souvenir-type items, including treasure maps and puzzles. She is just getting her sea legs back when she looks through the glass bottom of the boat and sees a dead body. OMG, Jules Tisdale, the self-proclaimed “Master of the Island,” is dead and it definitely was not due to natural causes. The police quickly decide Nick is their prime suspect. Whitney knows her brother is innocent, she just needs to prove it and she receives help from an unwanted source . . . her ex-boyfriend, Felix Ramirez. He not only wants to help her investigate, but he would also be really happy to give their relationship a second chance.

After reading this book, I want to plan a vacation to Santa Catalina. It sounds like an idyllic place sans the murder, of course. A tour in a glass-bottom boat, enjoying several restaurants, and relaxing on the beach sounds wonderful to me. The author does an excellent job of bringing her setting to life.

We are introduced to several characters in this story. In addition to Whitney and Nick, we meet their grandparents, Pops and Goldy. The kids visited their grandparents every summer while growing up and the place just feels like home. I love Goldy. She is a confident woman who knows what she wants and how to get it. The woman takes her wardrobe very seriously as well as her make-up. It is not unusual to see Goldy walking around town in a swimsuit, cover-up, and high heels so she can soak up the sunshine rays as often as she can. I would love her life. Pops is well suited to her. He brings the calm to hectic situations and knows how to handle his wife. They have left the business to Nick and Whitney but are there quickly to help in a pinch. We also meet Whitney’s roommate, Maribel, and her ex, Felix but I think we have just scratched the surface of the characters’ pasts and current situations. The is a lot of room for character development in future books.

The mystery is pretty standard but boy, Whitney really needs to work on her investigative skills if she is going to shine as an amateur sleuth. She needs to be more focused. She is all over the place with her theories, and readers are treated to thoughts as she tries to bring the clues together to pin down the killer. There are several suspects and Nick isn’t really a big help. I really like that her cat plays a key role throughout the story. The mystery had a nice slow build which I enjoyed but then the pace picked up and the ending felt a little rushed. It did leave some subplots and questions open making me excited for the next book in the series.

Much Ado about Nauticaling is setting this series off to a great start. I hope the main characters are more fleshed out as the series continues. I want to get to know them better.

Alexa, play "Yacht Rock." 🛥

This was one of the first things I thought of while reading this book. It's a new cozy mystery series set on Catalina Island where the MC's family runs a boat tour business and gift shop.

One night while closing up shop the MC (Whitney) & her brother find a dead body floating under their boat. Then calamity ensues and Whitney's brother is questioned & becomes the number one suspect. This is all on top of her ex suddenly appearing in town and her grandparents running amok. Whitney & her ex, Felix, then take it among themselves to clear her brother's name & solve the mystery.

This was a really cute story and as with most cozy mysteries the author kind of leaves it off so the characters' stories can build. Because I definitely would have loved to see more romance between Whitney & her ex. Overall, I'll probably still read the next one in the series.

Thanks to @kensingtonbooks @netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. Much Ado About Nauticaling by Gabby Allan came out on on 7/27 so grab your copy today!

I adored the seaside setting of this book. I enjoyed the characters and their personalities. However, I felt this book was a bit too frenetic and we didn't get enough of the rom-com feel that was marketed. This was a solid entry in a promising new series.

Whitney Dagner has left behind a dull corporate desk job in mainland California for a more laidback existence running a gift shop and giving tours on her family's glass bottom boat in Santa Catalina Island. It's anything but smooth sailing, however, when Whit finds herself adding sleuthing to her job description after her brother becomes the prime suspect in the murder of a local businessman.

Jules Tisdale, the self-styled business guru and island bigwig who has just been named Person of the Year by the local Chamber of Commerce, celebrates his accomplishments with a group tour on The Sea Bounder, the Dagners' glass bottom boat. Mere hours after disembarking, Whitney and her brother Nick find Tisdale's lifeless body floating beneath their boat. Is this a tragic accident, or is foul play involved? Nick's evasiveness and lack of alibi make him the lead--and only--suspect when Jules's death is ruled a homicide.

Who killed Jules? Whitney knows her brother isn't responsible, despite a recent altercation between the victim and suspect over a contentious business deal. Whit learns through the gossip mill that other island business owners have tangled relationships with Jules, and she is determined to convince the police to expand their investigation and suspect list, especially after a second victim is discovered. As Whitney delves deeper, she finds herself in the killer's crosshairs. Will the police find the guilty party before Whitney becomes the next victim?


Much Ado About Nauticaling is a captivating caper with an amusing cast of characters whose ties to the murder victim ensure an engaging read, as does the picturesque island setting, where locals zip around on golf carts. Author Gabby Allan has created a nice sense of community centering around Whitney, her best friend Maribel, her brother Nick, and their grandparents Goldy and Pops. And the return of Whitney's old flame Felix adds another layer of storyline to unfold as the series continues. The Whit and Whiskers mystery series is off to a very good start indeed.