Amanda Parker has returned to the small seaside town where she lived for two years while in witness protection. Now that she has settled in and solved the murder she returned home to solve, she has decided to stay in Cutter’s Cove for an extended vacation. Of course it isn’t long before she stumbles across a surprising secret that will require the help of the entire gang to solve. Mac has … has returned to her job in California, but has promised to return as soon as she can wrap things up at work. Mom and Tucker are due to arrive for a visit in just a few days, and Trevor has indicated that he is ready and willing to do what it takes to help Amanda and her ghostly sidekick Alyson, figure out who killed the young woman buried on the bluff.
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Secrets By The Sea
Haunting By The Sea, Book #2
Kathi Daley
5 Stars
Synopsis:
Amanda Parker has returned to the small seaside town where she lived for two years while in witness protection. Now that she has settled in and solved the murder she returned home to solve, she has decided to stay in Cutter’s Cove for an extended vacation. Of course it isn’t long before she stumbles across a surprising secret that will require the help of the entire gang to solve.
Mac has returned to her job in California, but has promised to return as soon as she can wrap things up at work. Mom and Tucker are due to arrive for a visit in just a few days, and Trevor has indicated that he is ready and willing to do what it takes to help Amanda and her ghostly sidekick Alyson, figure out who killed the young woman buried on the bluff. (Goodreads)
Review:
When you read a book by this author, you know that you will always find certain things within the book. You know there will be great characters, a welcoming setting and a mystery worth solving. Secrets By The Sea is no different.
The characters are well rounded and well developed. All of our favorite characters are back, and it looks like they are staying in Cutter’s Cove for good. This is great news. They are once again trying to solve a murder, one that happened a long time of go. When Amanda starts having recurring dreams about a grave, she sets out to find the grave and who is buried in it. I really liked the fact that no one stumbled upon a dead body, which is what happens in most cozies that I read. This was refreshing.
The writing style flows smoothly and the book is a quick easy read. The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and she pulls you into the story with her written words. Although the mystery happened in the past, there are still enough suspects to consider and clues to sift through. I really enjoy the paranormal aspect of this book, it adds another level to the mystery. I have found that this author’s books are as much about the characters and their lives than they are about the mystery, and this is a great thing.
I would recommend this book, and series, to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy. If you are looking for a great read, you have found it.
This clean mystery has some romantic yearnings, and a few paranormal elements, but is all about a past mystery and discovering the truth. It continues the story of Amanda discovering more about herself and integrating her Alyson side but you can read this as a stand alone and very much enjoy it.
Three best friends from high school are now grown and have taken different paths in life. A tragic incident called them together (in the first book of this series) and once that was solved they could have gone back to their “new” ways but it felt so good and natural and RIGHT for them to be together again. Happily we discover their plans for the future.
Playing a role in keeping Amanda in Cutter’s Cover are recurring dreams she is having about a hidden grave. There is speculation about a girl who disappeared even before Amanda had ever been in Cutter’s Cove. Most people felt she had been abused, had enough and finally ran as far away as she could. Amanda is sure her dreams are related to this girl and that she must help her find peace.
Full of beautiful descriptions of sunrises and sunsets, and a lot of wine, we enjoy joining these friends as they figure out the mystery of Naomi and as they figure out the next steps in their own personal and professional lives. Despite an underlying sadness evident in a story of this type, this book does bring on a sense of peace about accepting and coming to terms with moving forward.
Cozy Mystery with Paranormal Aspects
Secrets by the Sea is the second novel in Kathi Daley’s Haunting by the Sea series. This series picks up ten years after the last book in Ms. Daley’s awesome Seacliff High series, but it isn’t necessary to have read the previous series before starting this one because sufficient character background is provided. The well-plotted mystery is intriguing and complex and the affable characters are well developed. This is a clean cozy mystery with paranormal activity.
Amanda Parker recently returned to Cutter’s Cove, Oregon after living in New York for ten years. Amanda, who was known as Alyson Prescott, and her mother first moved to the small seaside community twelve years ago while in the Witness Protection Program. She’s reconnected with her two best friends, Trevor Johnson and Mackenzie Reynolds, and worked closely with another friend, Officer Woody Baker, to solve the murder of her elderly friend, Rory Oswald, a/k/a Booker. When she arrived at the home she and her mother had lovingly renovated, she was shocked to find teenaged Alyson Prescott waiting for her. Chan, a friend who owns a magic shop and had helped her sort out mystical occurrences in the past, explained that she’d fragmented her psyche when she moved to New York, leaving the part of herself she didn’t think would fit in her life in New York in Cutter’s Cove. He also told her that the parts would merge, becoming one again, but only if she committed to staying in Cutter’s Cove. When Amanda/Alyson first moved to Cutter’s Cove, she learned she had the power to see and hear ghosts, who often appeared to her in dreams when they were seeking her help.
Amanda’s latest unsettling dream involves a troubled sixteen-year-old girl named Naomi Collins, who was reported as missing by a teacher in April of 2002. Naomi lived in a dysfunctional home with her abusive and alcoholic father; her mother was institutionalized for a mental disorder not long before Naomi’s disappearance. Darwin Young, the original investigating officer, questioned a few people, but chocked the case up as a runaway situation since a body was never found. Amanda is convinced Naomi is a murder victim and works with Woody to develop a suspect list. Amanda and Trevor set out to find the location of the grave in her dream so she can make contact with Naomi, try to win her trust, and convince her that she’ll be set free once she shares what happened to her.
Amanda Parker has returned to Cutter’s Cove where she lived for two years while in Witness Protection. She has been having dreams of walking up a bluff and finding a grave. She and Trevor go out in search of the spot and find a grave with the skeleton of a young girl. It seems the girl is one who disappeared sixteen years earlier. Can Amanda and the gang find out who killed her. Amanda ghostly sidekick, Alyson, helps with the girl’s ghost.
I really enjoyed this book. it was a wonderful read from start to end. I love the interaction between the characters. I highly recommend both book and series. I do suggest you read this series in order and read the Seacliff High series first to have a better understanding of things.
Secrets by the Sea is the second book in the Haunting by the Sea series. This was another great book in this series. This story captivated me from the start. It was really good, and I definitely recommend it.
Love this series before, glad the writer brought it back even if 10 years later. All the characters have grown and evolved. Looking forward to the next book.
“Secret as by the Sea” earns 5/5 Dreams and Secrets Revealed…Fun!
Amanda has decided to remain in Cutter’s Cove for the remainder of her six-week vacation hoping that she can actually have a vacation sans any ghosts, disturbances, or investigations. However, the dream—foggy, tiring climb, a grave with a handmade wooden cross—brings to her attention a young girl who went missing sixteen years ago. The original investigating detective thought Naomi’s disappearance suspicious with several possible scenarios and one very obvious suspect, but no crime scene, no body, no case. Amanda and her BFFs, along with Deputy Baker, retrace some of the detective’s steps, interviewing key persons, but even when they find the grave displayed in her dream, it is clear that this investigation is not going to be easy.
I was one of the fans sorry to see the end of Kathi Daley’s Seacliff High series. Although they were in high school and the stories did refer to studying for tests, football games, and issues with fitting in, they were mature enough that their age was easy to overlook. When I learned Kathi was reimagining the series, I was so delighted. Kathi Daley does well incorporating the paranormal or supernatural in a way that it all seems real. I enjoy a little “ghost” or “ESP” in my cozy, but with Kathi Daley, it’s never juvenile hocus-pocus. It is an entertaining way to offer information, evidence, and maybe inject some fun or poignancy into her story. She also does well including every day experiences, life events, and personal interactions that engage the reader beyond the “cozy murder” theme. These events facilitate character development and make Kathi Daley’s characters well-defined and relatable. Add a clever mystery, detailed investigation often with the approval of law enforcement, and a satisfying conclusion, and you have another hit from Kathi Daley. You can start here without difficulty, but the first book is a must!
In this next book of the series Amanda has been having dreams and after doing some research she thinks they are related to a girl who went missing in 2002 at the age of sixteen. The cops think she ran away because of the quality of her home life, a drunken father and a mother who has mental issues. Naomi has never returned and a body was never found so the cops basically closed the case saying that she ran away. When Amanda is led to the girls grave through her dreams she knows she must investigate and figure out what happened to her so many years ago. Naomi lived a life of isolation and had no friends to speak of so who would have wanted her dead and why? Follow along as Amanda along with her friends look into Naomi’s life looking for clues to what could have happened so long ago. Along the way Amanda steps back into her friendship with Mac and Trevor, getting to know the people they are now. She also has to figure out what the next step for her life is going to be. Her job has been getting stale, her relationship isn’t exciting, and she didn’t realize how much she missed Cutter’s Cove. Will she be able to get everything settled in a way that she can be truly happy and find a murderer at the same time? This is such a great series that has evolved in an interesting way. It grabs you and pulls you in and you can’t wait to see what is going to happen next. The characters are easy to like and get to know and I look forward to seeing what mystery befalls them next.