‘The Newcomer’ is a romance-mystery novel fit for any Floridian.
Courtesy of St. Martin’s Press
By Hadley Hiles
“The Newcomers” is a romance and mystery fiction novel by Mary Kay Andrews taking place in Treasure Island, Fla., located only 9 miles away from the University of South Florida’s St. Petersburg campus.
Andrew, famously known for writing romance beach reads, puts a spin on her usual writing style with the inclusion of a murder mystery plotline. This aspects makes “The Newcomers” stand out compared to the other books Andrew has written.
The book tells the story of a woman named Letty Carnahan who found her sister, Tanya Carnahan, dead on the floor of her townhome. Letty must take her niece, Maya, and run far away, according to her sister. The two run away from New York City to The Murmuring Surf Motel in the small beach town called Treasure Island.
Tanya’s murder unfolds throughout the book as well as various crimes from the past involving “treasure” in Treasure Island. As Letty and Maya navigate their new lives at the Murmuring Surf, Letty supports her niece in recovering from the death of her mom and the trauma from her father.
Joe DeCurtis, The Murmuring Surfs owner’s son and a local police detective is a person Letty tries to avoid because she doesn’t want him to find out the truth about her and Maya, and she also finds him dangerously attractive. The two are constantly fated together and are forced to get to know each other while Letty is trying to hide her secrets from him to avoid him putting her behind bars.
The setting is close to campus, with many mentions of locations near campus like Publix, Three Daughters Brewery, Downtown St. Pete, Sunset Vista Park, Madeira Beach, Redington, Indian Rocks Beach and many more local spots. Not only is it close to campus, but Joe went to USF to get his business degree and his sister plans to do the same.
Throughout this book, you get to experience Letty finding her newfound family and the love that her parents never gave her. The motel owner, Ava DeCurtis, becomes a mother figure to Letty, something she never had. Ava takes her under her wing and helps pave the way by giving her a job and a place to stay so Letty and Maya can start a new life in the small beach town.
This novel is full of romance and mystery and will keep you on the edge of your seat trying to solve the murder while laughing at mentions of Florida’s terrible traffic. The Newcomers is a book with features you may recognize as being so close to the location it is written about.
If you want a great beach read that has references to places around St. Pete; this book is for you. With the story taking place close to campus, the twists and turns of the plot will have you engaged the whole time wanting to know more.
