Review: The Newcomer by Mary Kay Andrews
What do you get when you mix part women’s fiction, mystery and a little bit of a thriller set in Florida? You get The Newcomer by Mary Kay Andrews!
In trouble and on the run…After she discovers her sister Tanya dead on the floor of her fashionable New York City townhouse, Letty Carnahan is certain she knows who did it: Tanya’s ex; sleazy real estate entrepreneur Evan Wingfield. Even in the grip of grief and panic Letty heeds her late sister’s warnings: “If anything bad happens to me—it’s Evan. Promise me you’ll take Maya and run. Promise me.”
With a trunkful of emotional baggage…So Letty grabs her sister’s Mercedes and hits the road with her wailing four-year-old niece Maya. Letty is determined to out-run Evan and the law, but run to where? Tanya, a woman with a past shrouded in secrets, left behind a “go-bag” of cash and a big honking diamond ring—but only one clue: a faded magazine story about a sleepy mom-and-pop motel in a Florida beach town with the improbable name of Treasure Island. She sheds her old life and checks into an uncertain future at The Murmuring Surf Motel.
The No Vacancy sign is flashing & the sharks are circling…And that’s the good news. Because The Surf, as the regulars call it, is the winter home of a close-knit flock of retirees and snowbirds who regard this odd-duck newcomer with suspicion and down-right hostility. As Letty settles into the motel’s former storage room, she tries to heal Maya’s heartache and unravel the key to her sister’s shady past, all while dodging the attention of the owner’s dangerously attractive son Joe, who just happens to be a local police detective. Can Letty find romance as well as a room at the inn—or will Joe betray her secrets and put her behind bars? With danger closing in, it’s a race to find the truth and right the wrongs of the past.
The Good
A big thank you to St. Martin’s Press for sending me a physical copy of this ARC – I was not expecting it and it was a complete surprise when it landed in my mailbox! My very first book swag! Also, thank you to Macmillan Audio for supplying a copy of the audiobook for me to listen to! I went back and forth from audio to reading, and it was a huge help with fitting this into my schedule that way.
It took some time to find my footing with the cast of characters that The Newcomer has. I noticed as Letty settled into The Murmuring Surf Motel, I did as well. The mystery of Tanya’s past, how Letty would prove that Evan murdered her, and why Tanya had the magazine clipping of The Murmuring Surf in her bag kept me turning the pages. I wanted to see how this all would play out.
There were chapters that would flash back to when Letty was living in New York, how she met Evan and how Tanya met Evan. They worked quite well in the story, and did not confuse you as you read as to where in the timeline you were. The POV would also change from Letty, to Joe, Vicki, and sometimes Letty’s friend Zoe.
The cast of characters that stayed at The Murmuring Surf were entertaining to read about, although I must say that this is the first beach read I read that did not have me wanting to move my life to Florida and start running a motel! Most of the characters were of the older generation, and could be classified by today’s standards as “Karen’s” and “Ken’s” as they are always complaining if they do not get their way.
Maya is Letty’s 4 year old niece, and Mary Kay Andrews did a great job in portraying just how 4 year olds can be. Maya fit into the story seamlessly and was well thought out in all interactions with everyone at the motel, and with her dad. The picture I posted above will make much more sense after reading about Maya at the end of the story!
The Not-So-Good
There were a couple of things that kept me from absolutely loving this story though. I have to warn you that while I did enjoy the story, it is very lengthy and can be very slow at times. I did put the book down to start another book for my book club, and struggled to pick it back up again. As I mentioned before, it took some time for me to really fall into Letty’s world, and I hope this will not discourage some readers.
There is also a plot line of romance between Letty and Joe, the cop who happens to be the motel owner’s son. This plot line really confused me, as Letty went from being an irritation to Joe to all of a sudden being his love interest. If a man ever pursued me the way he did with Letty, I think I would run the other way. I also didn’t really believe that Letty had fallen for him, as her whole time was spent worrying about Maya or Evan, and trying to plan her next move. Then, poof! She would be batting her eyes at Joe. It just felt a bit disjointed for me.
As for the audiobook, I did like this narrator a lot, and she kept me from turning it off and focusing on the print book. My only irritation was her voice for Maya, as any adult imitating a child irks me to no end. Luckily, Maya doesn’t have too many lines in the story, so I was able to overlook it and enjoy the rest of the story.
The Newcomer Is Out Now!
The Newcomer is out now on both audiobook and in bookstores! Will you be giving this one a try?
