Beach Bodies

by David Healey

Ex-cop Nick Logan lives on a farm in the Maryland mountains and spends his days splitting cords of firewood by hand. When his college-age niece goes missing from her summer job in Rehoboth Beach, Nick is called in to find her. Just as he predicted, it turns out that his niece has run into nothing more sinister than a hot young lifeguard. Nick is ready to get back to splitting firewood, but his old friend and partner is now the Rehoboth Beach police chief, and he needs help. A deadly gang is stalking the boardwalk and beach trails of the nation’s summer capital, leaving bodies behind with their organs removed. Fear grips the beach resort, but the bad guys haven’t counted on Nick sticking around to work on his tan and turn the tide. He teams up with Detective Sarah Monahan to catch the killers, and soon finds that a beach romance can be as tricky to navigate as a murder investigation.

370 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2014

About the author

David Healey made his publishing debut with SHARPSHOOTER, a what-if historical thriller about an attempt to assassinate Union General Ulysses S. Grant during the Civil War, published by an imprint of Penguin Putnam. That novel was the result of years of research into the Civil War that included time as a reenactor at Gettysburg and other battlefields.

In its review, the Civil War News wrote: “SHARPSHOOTER has the feel of a techno-thriller, the kind offered by Tom Clancy or Dean Koontz ... SHARPSHOOTER moves quickly and is filled with all manner of intrigue."

Healey has brought that same passion for research and history to his World War II novels, GHOST SNIPER, ARDENNES SNIPER, and RED SNIPER. During a 21-year career as a journalist, he was fortunate enough to interview many veterans of the 29th Division who landed at Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944. Some of the events and characters in these novels were inspired by their stories.

He loves the idea of a character like Micajah Cole, a self-reliant backwoods hunter who turns out to be unrelenting and ruthless as a sniper, especially against a skilled adversary, in the pages of these books.

In addition to fiction, he has written books on regional history, including 1812: REDISCOVERING CHESAPEAKE BAY'S FORGOTTEN WAR and GREAT STORMS OF THE CHESAPEAKE.

A graduate of Washington College and the Stonecoast MFA program, he was recognized in 2011 as a Chaney Scholar in history by St. Mary’s College of Maryland. Visit him online at www.davidhealeyauthor.com or follow him at Facebook at facebook.com/david.healey.books

Reviews

[Hannah Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is book got some big bonus points for sentimental location and the MMC’s name is Nick. It takes place in Rehoboth Beach, DE and mentions lots of locations that we have frequented including staying at the golden sands, grottos pizza, the boardwalk, the Main Stage etc. It was a decent book, I wasn’t sure going into it but the story was concise and made sense, there’s a love interest but it’s not at all spicy just kind of part of the story. It did lose a few points for the character descriptions because I feel like in 2025 we could’ve come up with better descriptions than “the fat boy”. I think we can be a little more creative than that. I did genuinely like this book and story though, it does have a few ‘gory’ / violent parts but nothing too obscene. Has a lot of medical + police themes as well.
*note: READ this book the A.I. narration is awful

Characters: 4/5
Story: 4/5
Plot: 3/5
Spice: 0.5/5 (they kiss, that’s it)
Gore 2.5/5
Narration: 0/5 (fuck A.I)

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the premise of the book taking place in Rehoboth Beach, definitely nostalgia. Unfortunately for me that’s where it ended. I didn’t like the story and didn’t like the writing style. It really isn’t a mystery who dunnit book-everything is laid out for the reader. It does get ever so slightly graphic. The author threw in killing a kitten. That part wasn’t my jam and didn’t need to be in the story. It honestly felt like a quick gut grab thrown in for shock value. Nothing more.

Overall, I think the setting and the gritty nature of the store just didn’t work well.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read for people who like mystery with a little romance. If you are from the area of Rehobeth Beach, Delaware or vacation there, you know the places the action takes place. But even if you don't know the area David Healey writes with great descriptions that you feel like you are there watching the action unfold.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this mystery/thriller. Especially since it's set in Delaware - Rehoboth Beach. I live in the mid-Atlantic region and vacation at the beaches in Delaware. On top of that, the story is well written and interesting.

[Candy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this book because it was set pretty close to my home town and I thought that was neat. But it just went above the realm of believably. I understand it's fiction but really? I would not recommend this book.

[Adam M Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great police thriller in Delaware

The author deviates from his civil war series which are very good as well. The setting in Delaware intrigued me since I have family from Seaford. The plot develops quickly and keeps you captivated until the end. Look forward to reading more!

[Sarah Zschunke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad book, but certainly not incredible. Detectives investigating a case. A dime a dozen. Good beach read.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

*(I received a copy of this book from the author himself in June 2014; a fair and honest review was not expected or an obligation, only polite and respectful on my part)*

When I first saw this in the giveaway section on Goodreads, I thought it sounded promising. Being a Maryland girl and knowing firsthand of Rehoboth Beach, I just knew I had to read it. It's not all that often you read a story that's so close to home.

I really thought it'd have some promise. Other then a few laughs and a couple references that made me feel right at home - this was simply another mediocre read. I've been in a reading slump to begin with, but this book didn't help matters along the way either. It had the elements of a thriller, but everything was laid out in front of you. You know who is involved, what they're doing, and how they're doing it. Leaving you with absolutely no suspense, no mystery, nothing that screamed "why didn't I think of that?"

[Nancy H · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an excellent, page-turner of a book, although I don't know if you would want to read it at the beach! It is a good story of a set of criminals in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, who do everything from kill people for the purpose of harvesting and selling their kidneys to throwing Molotov cocktails into businesses to burn them down. Quite a crime spree, but solved by two interesting and unique detectives. I hope the author continues this series with these same two detectives, because it will be interesting to see where their lives and careers take them.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book!!!! Especially loved that the story takes place in Rehoboth Beach Delaware been their many times. This is a gripping story and could not put this book down. Wish they had a series of books taking place in Rehoboth Beach Delaware.Will have to read more of this author.

[Heather Blizzard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read!!

I would recommend this book to anyone. I really enjoyed all the local locations, being as I'm from Rehoboth Beach