Review of A Sonny Day at the Beach

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Mbrooks2518
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Review of A Sonny Day at the Beach

Post by Mbrooks2518 »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "A Sonny Day at the Beach" by Alan M. Blank.]
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4 out of 4 stars
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In A Sonny Day at the Beach: A Sonny Knight Adventure, the fourth in this series by Alan M. Blank, Private Investigator Sonny Knight and his girlfriend, Dr. Brooke Lynne Lane, head to the beach for a relaxing vacation. But after settling into their beach chairs, Sonny can’t help but notice the odd behavior of some of the other beach-goers, and he begins to suspect that the men are targeting someone. Can he figure out who they are after and stop them? Other events throughout the day lead to them also becoming involved in two other murder cases. Can Sonny, with help from Brooke Lynne, solve these cases?

At 100 pages, this was a quick read with great writing. The wonderful descriptions of the beach Sonny and Brooke Lynne were on made me want to go to the beach too. There was also a good amount of humor and funny moments throughout the story, which kept the tone of the book light.

One thing I wasn’t a fan of was the times that the story wandered away from the main plot. Some of the scenes did end up tying into other events later in the story, but they slowed down the pace in the first part of the book.

However, while I didn’t like the slower pace caused by these scenes, I did like that they helped me get to know Sonny’s personality really well. How much I was able to get to know Sonny, and to a lesser extent Brooke Lynne, was actually my favorite thing about this book because usually when I read a book that takes place later in a series, I end up feeling like I am missing aspects of the characters’ personalities and reasons for doing certain things.

My least favorite thing about the book was the way that characters who had just met Sonny and didn’t know about him being a private investigator were so willing to talk to him and give him information. It just seemed unrealistic and it bothered me.

Overall, I did enjoy reading this book, and I only found three minor editing errors, so I believe it was professionally edited. The two issues I had with the story are more personal preference, so I am giving this book 4 out of 4 stars. I recommend it to anyone who likes mysteries, and the short length makes it a good weekend read. There is one use of the word damn but no other profanity or sexual situations.

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A Sonny Day at the Beach
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Astral Magi
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Post by Astral Magi »

I love crime and suspense. Pity about the slower pace. Thanks for a great review.
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Post by Ntombifuthi Londi »

I may be mistaken, but based on the review, the plot appears to be all over the place. Without a defined storyline, getting to know the characters doesn't seem to pique my interest. Despite the fact that the reviewer noticed minor typos, I believe the book may benefit from some re-editing.
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Post by Chinaza Nnabuenyi »

This book will be fascinating to read, considering the setting of the novel on a beach, the author did a great job. Good review.
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Post by RHD »

A vacation turned into an investigation - sounds interesting. It's true sometimes adventure and mystery finds you in the least expected places. Great review, Mbrooks👍
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Post by Jedidiah39 »

A very interesting and adventurous vacation indeed. Nice plot
Mbrooks2518
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Post by Mbrooks2518 »

Niens Now wrote: 29 Sep 2021, 04:57 I love crime and suspense. Pity about the slower pace. Thanks for a great review.
Jedidiah39 wrote: 03 Oct 2021, 21:59 A very interesting and adventurous vacation indeed. Nice plot
RHD wrote: 03 Oct 2021, 16:22 A vacation turned into an investigation - sounds interesting. It's true sometimes adventure and mystery finds you in the least expected places. Great review, Mbrooks👍
Nazzy_ wrote: 29 Sep 2021, 17:53 This book will be fascinating to read, considering the setting of the novel on a beach, the author did a great job. Good review.
Thanks for reading and commenting!
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Post by Mbrooks2518 »

Ntombifuthi Londi wrote: 29 Sep 2021, 09:01 I may be mistaken, but based on the review, the plot appears to be all over the place. Without a defined storyline, getting to know the characters doesn't seem to pique my interest. Despite the fact that the reviewer noticed minor typos, I believe the book may benefit from some re-editing.
It is a little bit. It's set up like a series of events that happen throughout the day. If I remember right, it's the fourth book in the series, so people who have read the others and already know the characters probably wouldn't be bothered by it. And I liked it despite not having read the others.
Thanks for commenting!
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Post by Ogugua Obinna Stephen »

I am beginning to fall in love with crime novel these days. It is interesting and funny to see a vacation turned into an investigation.
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Post by NetMassimo »

This seems like a mystery you can read quickly and, despite the flaws you pointed out, seems engaging. I'll look into this series. Thank you for your great review!
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Mbrooks2518
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Post by Mbrooks2518 »

Obinna9058 wrote: 04 Oct 2021, 10:09 I am beginning to fall in love with crime novel these days. It is interesting and funny to see a vacation turned into an investigation.
NetMassimo wrote: 05 Oct 2021, 10:28 This seems like a mystery you can read quickly and, despite the flaws you pointed out, seems engaging. I'll look into this series. Thank you for your great review!
Thanks for reading and commenting!
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Post by Edit_or »

I guess I love the book already. I love the review too. Thank you
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Post by Sou Hi »

Thanks for your informative review. The main character, Sonny Knight, sure has an interesting name. It sounds like Sunny Knight, and I wonder if his personality is similar to his name :).
Mbrooks2518
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Post by Mbrooks2518 »

Edit_or wrote: 07 Oct 2021, 16:50 I guess I love the book already. I love the review too. Thank you
Sou Hi wrote: 07 Oct 2021, 22:28 Thanks for your informative review. The main character, Sonny Knight, sure has an interesting name. It sounds like Sunny Knight, and I wonder if his personality is similar to his name :).
Thanks for reading and commenting!
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Post by Adelle v »

This sounds like a nice relaxing mystery to read on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Great review.
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