5 local beach reads you need this summer

There’s nothing like enjoying a good book while soaking up the sun
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Beach reads

Photograph by Tropico Photo

If you like. . . Gothic thrillers
The Weight of Lies by Emily Carpenter (Lake Union Publishing)
At age 24 Meg Ashley can’t escape the shadow of her narcissistic mother, an acclaimed horror novelist. When a literary agent asks Meg to write a memoir about her childhood, she heads to a crumbling Georgia resort, where she begins unearthing the truth about the murder case that inspired her mother’s breakout book. Cue the goosebumps! Tray Butler

If you like. . . Small town mysteries
The Night the Lights Went Out by Karen White (Berkley)
Recently divorced Merilee Talbot Dunlap and her two kids begin a new life in picture-perfect Sweet Apple, Georgia, where she rents a cottage from prickly town matriarch Sugar Prescott. But as Merilee soon discovers, Sugar is fighting to keep family secrets buried, and the people of Sweet Apple are not as warm and welcoming as they seem.Anjali Enjeti

If you like. . . Unconventional Southern stories
The Almost Sisters by Joshilyn Jackson (William Morrow)
Shocked to find herself pregnant after a one-night fling, Leia Birch Briggs gets even more world-rocking news when she learns that Birchie, her 90-year-old grandmother, has dementia, a diagnosis she’s managed to keep hidden from nearly everyone. Stricken, Leia packs her bags for Birchie’s small Alabama town, where another explosive secret awaits. Jennifer Rainey Marquez

If you like. . . Suspenseful crime fiction
No Easy Target by Iris Johansen (St. Martin’s Press)
Mind Game, the 22nd entry in the popular Eve Duncan series, may not arrive until October, but suspense addicts can get a temporary heroine fix via Johansen’s latest. The standalone adventure lands animal clairvoyant Margaret Douglas in a risky cat-and-mouse game between a Jamaican drug lord and a handsome Silicon Valley zillionaire. Tray Butler

If you like. . . YA rom-coms
The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli (Balzer + Bray)
Seventeen-year-old Molly Peskin-Suso is a self-proclaimed “fat girl” from the D.C. suburbs who’s had 26 unrequited crushes. When she meets a charming hipster, she wonders if she can finally break her curse. Molly’s candid perspective and the book’s diverse cast of characters offer authenticity and appeal for teens and adults alike. Tess Malone

This article originally appeared in our July 2017 issue.

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