Sand Dune Slaying

Sharpe & Steele Mystery #2

by Maisy Marple

Things are about to get really strange!

A young child abandoned on a crowded beach.
A finger without a body found in a sand dune.
A call from Casper Cove's chief of police.
This weekend is going to be wild.

Lucinda Sharpe and her inherited Boston Terrier, Steele, are back for round two in this follow up to bestselling clean mystery author Maisy Marple's new series!

190 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 9, 2022

Reviews

[Mike Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute, fun little read. Kept me reading and it was charming, to say the least. Lucinda is a very well written character, and her relationship Steele is too cute. Onto number three!

[Merry Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful cozy mystery with very likeable characters that makes you want more. The format uses short chapters which makes you keep turning pages to want more. Our main character Lucinda with her inherited dog Steele, is a private investigator who has become the bane of police chief, Stanard, who doesn't like PIs and thinks they are beneath him and of course her little dog Steele keeps nipping at the chief's ankles every time he sees him. But unfortunately, here comes a case where he needs Lucinda's help since he is short-handed. It is a two-fold case where a cute little 5 year old, Becca Bailey, has lost her parents at the beach. While the child goes looking for them she comes across a severed finger in the sand. With the help of her friends, Lucinda is on the case keeping Chief Stanard in the loop. Will she be able to find the girl's parents and the person with the missing finger? Why haven't the girl's parents reported the child missing to the police? Are they alive? Is the man with the missing finger alive? Is there a connection between the finger and the child's parents? Add to this, Lucinda's parents have sold their home up north and bought the house next door to Lucinda and they're on the way to Fl. Will her parents make the trip without problems? I really liked this second book in the series and definitely want to read more cases Lucinda helps solve. The characters are very likeable! I received and ARC of this book but the opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

[Teresa Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series. The books are always delightful, lite, and a quick read. I think my favorite character has to be Steele. I'm a dog lover from way back and he is adorable. There's not much physical action going on in this book but it's not boring or dull by any means. I would have liked to know more about the lost child's family and have gotten a better understanding of what the final outcome was. One surprising thing I did learn; in the first book, for some reason I got the impression that the police chief was a much older man. To discover that he is much younger than I thought and closer to Lucinda's age opens up new possibilities for her love life. I was also a little confused by the inclusion of Lucinda's parents' moving fiasco. There was no satisfying conclusion, but I'm sure it will be tied up in the next book. Which I can't wait to read, by the way.
I received a review copy from the author at my request and this is my honest opinion.

[Becky Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucinda Steele a private detective and her terrier Steele were asked to help the police solve a case. Becca Bailey was a five year and she had gotten separated from her parents while at the ocean and she stumbled across a severed finger in the sand. Stanard is the Chief of Police in Casper Cove that has asked her to help and he thinks she is below the police standard. Steele loves to nip at his ankles every time he is around. Lucinda really wants to find the parents as soon as possible for Becca’s sake. She has other people helping find the owner of the severed finger.
Then Lucinda’s parents have just sold their family home and heading to Casper Cove to live near Lucinda. The banter between them two is spot on when you get hangry!

I received this ARC from the author for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Adpa · Rating 5 out of 5]

An entertaining, easy-read cozy mystery in the likes of Mary Higgins Clark. Short chapters, you know what everyone is doing all in the same time frame. (I enjoy that!)
A little girl left alone on the beach by her parents and she makes a gruesome discovery; a police chief who seeks help from a PI who owns a dog that hates the chief. And the topping on the cake---parents are moving to Florida to be with their daughter, the PI.

The story has a lot of interesting characters, creating an enjoyable story. I can't wait for the next book! (This can be read as a stand-alone). I highly recommend this book.

I was provided a review copy, and this review is my opinion.

[Alison Hoeksema · Rating 5 out of 5]

Has the child been abandoned when she finds a severed finger at the beach, and whose finger is it?
I enjoyed reading this cozy mystery, and found the fast-moving story hard to put down, although the very short chapters did interrupt the flow of the story a bit. It is great to be involved with PI Lucinda Sharpe's life in Casper Cove, especially her precious dog Steele, and the interaction with the chief of police is interesting.

I received this ARC from the author for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[_JayyIsReading · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Nice fast paced cozy.

The parents in this story really sucked. How do you leave a 5 year old to play on the beach by herself and then not even go to the police when she turns up missing. Seems like more to the story than just a few drinks. They definitely shouldn’t be getting their child back.

For some odd reason, I love the parents in this story. They’re so cute lol.

I feel that Lucinda should lay off of the tech guy, Jay. He seems quite disinterested in her and only looking for business endeavors.

[Sharmani Jayaram · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucinda Sharpe is called in by the Chief of Police Standrd of Casper Cove for some strange cases. A little girl is found abandoned on a crowded beach. She finds a.finger without a body on the sand dunes. With the help of Robin and Jay her investigators Lucinda is able to solve these cases.Then she has her parents making a stopover. There is a lot of humor and it is a very enjoyable read. I am.on the ARC team and I leave a honest review. I recommend this book to other readers.

[Paula Corregan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable read with personable characters and plenty of action. Lucinda Sharpe, in her capacity as a private eye, helps the police solve two mysteries, the whereabouts of a five year old girl's parents and the ownership of a severed finger found on the beach. I highly recommend this book to other mystery readers. I received this book as an ARC, and the above opinion is strictly my own.

[Faith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book full of adventure with a sprinkle of humor as well. I'm loving this author though I am a relatively new reader of her books. Sharpe and Steele are wonderful characters as are all the others as well. This is cliffhanger so be prepared to hang on until you get the next book! Great read! And clean all the way through!

I received this book from the author as an ARC and am voluntarily leaving my honest review.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this through the Kindle app and really enjoyed it. Lucinda is a PI and hasn't had many cases under her belt but she has the chief of police standard who has to ask for her help on a couple cases which he detests but Lucinda has the cases covered and her crew on top of it but how do you find a hand without a finger or a couple of missing parents who haven't reported their child. Good dialouge, believable characters, suspenseful story line ready for next book.

[Jodi Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lucinda gets the surprise of her life from the Sheriff. This was a fast read and fun as always. It did leave quite a few cliff hangers. The missing finger investigation ended rather suddenly. These are fast paced books and well written.

[Jo Ann Elmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lost child and lost finger

Parents of a young child let her go down to
the beach on a busy weekend. She looked around no parents. As she tried to go find parents, she came upon a finger in s sand dune.
Everything turned out great..

[Lee Brothers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so good and intriguing. I just have a feeling there’s more to this guy with the missing finger. Because it definitely just dropped off. Can’t wait to read the next book. Hopefully the relationship between Lucinda and Stanard improve. Neither one is a kewpie doll.

[Beth Helm · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It had so many twists and turns. This book kept me on the edge of my seat and turning the pages.

[Charlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

a wonderful witty read~ filled with interesting complex characters and lots of unpredictable twists and turns making this a real page turner and a must read.

[Isabel Thomson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful book. Very interesting plot . A very enjoyable read
I highly recommend ir

[Karin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A guy with a missing finger and a little girl with missing parents??? Lucinda stepped in though, didn’t she??? I enjoyed this story and recommend the book.

[Charlene Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short

I wish these books were a little longer. Its like they just abruptly end. Fast read, perfect for lunch breaks, appointments fun and cute

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lucinda and Steele are on the case again, this time helping a child. Good characters and a quick story with a few twists and quick end. I received an ARC and this is my honest opinion.

[Linda Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and sweet

As usual, Lucinda does a great job of her PI work. I'm looking forward to seeing what becomes of her and Jay. I'm enjoying these short stories, so much!

[Rita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sand Dune Skating (3)

This is a great reading mystery! This series is basically just getting started. I liked this story but am excited to be getting book 4 very soon!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were a few dumb characters in this one! Love the dog and the writing is well done. Will read the next one to see how the relationship with the sheriff and Lucinda ends up!

[Helen Drake · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I read it in one sitting as I couldn’t wait to see what happened next.

The characters were interesting and quirky enough for me. I definitely need to read the first book in this series as I can see there are some interesting back stories.

[Northern Light · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of all this is the second book in the series but it's not needed to have read the first one
It starts with a child finding a finger on the beach. She then realises she can't find her parents
In comes the police but they're short staffed so call on a private investigator who goes about with her dog.
There follows a fun little story of the advent they get into trying to solve both mysteries.
Worth reading this clean fun read.
I received this book for free and the views expressed are entirely my own.

[Rose Mcclarin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little girl lost on the beach, missing parents and a bloody finger led to the Chief of Police actually hiring Lucinda for help finding the parents and the owner of the missing finger. The adventure begins with the unlikely couple working together along with friends trying to find the little girl's parents and solving the mystery of the missing finger. After a few unexpected twists and turns and with the help of her friends the parents are located and a man with a missing finger is found. Lucinda and the Chief work together to solve that mystery with a very surprising ending.