Gnarly New Year
Corsario Cove Cozy Mystery, #2
By Anna Celeste Burke
ISBN: 1530845785
Author’s Website: desertcitiesmystery.com
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra
Summary
The honeymoon’s not over yet! Kim and Brien’s excellent adventure at the swanky Sanctuary Resort & Spa continues when an unwelcome visitor drops in on New Year’s Eve. An elusive marine GPS device found and lost again, unleashes another wave of murder and mayhem in Corsario Cove! What is it about that thing? Will the secret be revealed when they visit the chamber of heinousness? Stooges, Krugerrands, and monks-oh my! Is it going to be a Gnarly New Year for Kim and Brien?
Review
Gnarly New Year is another fun read by Anna Celeste Burke. This second book in the Corsario Cove Cozy Mystery series delightfully showcases why Kim and Brien work so well together as a team. While still at the Sanctuary Resort & Spa enjoying the tail end of their honeymoon, they are yet again ensconced in another murder investigation. Talk about a busy honeymoon!
Previously, I read a review with the following sentiment – which expresses my sentiment as well – This title is like the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew meet the Three Stooges. Generally, Brien comes off as a typical “surfer dude” – a guy without a care in the world, not necessarily the brightest and just happy to catch a wave. Yet that isn’t all there is to Brien. He is a very sweet guy, who would do anything for his new wife and of course a “surfer dude” 🙂 He works well with his smart and a wee bit cynical wife, Kim.
I felt sorry for Kim and Brien – could they not just have a quiet, surfing filled honeymoon without any drama? Of course – then there would be no story so…Kim and Brien quickly become entrenched in a new mystery as a result of a friend (Mick) showing up looking worse for the wear and having had his bag taken (with the GPS). So starts the journey to recover the bag and all the twists and turns that entails. The reader is taken on an interesting and fun filled (with a bit of nail biting thrown in) journey, which I hope you will enjoy as much as I did!
A chuckle worthy (though kind of loveable) side of Brien is his quirkiness and his ability to try very hard to get sayings correct but missing the mark by the slightest of margins. For example, Brien said the following:
“…You’re right, though, that Mitchum doesn’t supper fools.”
“What?” I asked interrupting Brien. I stared at Brien as blankly as Mick did, still in hoot-owl mode.
“You know, put with fools-like we do. Feed them, even.” Brien’s face and voice radiated that struggling-to-communicate ardor. I melted at the sight and tried to address his misstatement in a gentle way.
“Suffer fools, Brien, not supper them.”
One thing I really liked was how the story evoked such powerful visuals of the surrounding countryside:
“What I saw this morning held me spellbound. Stunning black cliffs cast against the golden glow of rolling waves tinted by the sun as it sits on the horizon.”
All I can say is, another fine addition to the Corsario Cove Cozy Mystery series. I cannot wait until I read the next book, Heinous Habits!, to see where this series takes this reader with the antics of Kim and Brien. Thank you Ms. Burke for writing such entertaining and engaging cozy mysteries.
