White Sand Blues: An Ashley Grant Mystery

By Vicki Delany

When paramedic Ashley Grant finds her boyfriend in bed with another woman, she moves out of her house (okay, his house), quits her job and takes a new one in a tiny Caribbean country, the Victoria and Albert Islands. Ashley is thrown into the deep end when she arrives. Her new colleague picks her up at the airport in the island's only ambulance, which is called to the discovery of a body floating off the beach at the exclusive Club Louisa.

The body is that of a man vacationing with his daughter and glamorous new wife. Coincidentally, Sally, the daughter of the dead man, recognizes Ashley from high school. She is convinced that her stepmother killed her father and begs Ashley to help her prove it. Before she can even unpack her bags or enjoy the view from her ocean-side apartment, Ashley is unwittingly dragged into a murder investigation.

First in a new series from award-winning author Vicki Delany.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
• Release date: Oct 31, 2017
• ISBN: 9781459815377

Vicki Delany

Vicki Delany is one of Canada’s most prolific and varied crime writers and a national bestseller in the United States. She has written more than 30 books: from clever cozies to Gothic thrillers, gritty police procedurals to historical fiction and seven novellas in the Rapid Reads line. She writes the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series, the Year Round Christmas mysteries and under the pen name of Eva Gates, the Lighthouse Library series. Vicki is the past president of Crime Writers of Canada. Her work has been nominated for the Derringer, Bony Blithe, Golden Oak, and Arthur Ellis Awards. She lives in Prince Edward County, Ontario.

Book preview

ONE

ONE

YOU WANT ME TO DO WHAT?

Start work. Now. We have to get him. No one else is going to. Simon bent over. He began unlacing his boots.

He was wearing black steel-toed work boots. I had on sandals with two-inch heels and thin straps. This was the first time I’d worn them. They’d set me back two hundred bucks I could ill afford. I glanced around. I hoped to see someone, anyone, ready to help.

Curious faces stared back at me. Some of the faces were black or brown. Most were shiny white. More than a few were a hideous shade of pink. Only Simon and I and the hotel staff were wearing street clothes. Everyone else wore some sort of beach attire. One guy held a sweating glass full of slices of tropical fruit and a colorful umbrella. Cameras and cell phones were lifted. If anyone told me to smile, I’d smack them.

I looked out to sea. I hoped to see a rescue boat heading to my, well, rescue.

No such luck. The water, at least, was calm.

Ashley, Simon said. I couldn’t see his eyes behind his sunglasses, but his jaw was tense. This is the job. Can you do it or not? If not, there’s a flight to Miami leaving at six. I can tell Gord you changed your mind.

That sounded tempting, but I took a deep breath. Let’s do it. I hoped I sounded like a firefighter I’d once heard as he led his men into a burning building. They rescued two children and a cat that day.

My plane had landed on Grand Victoria Island less than an hour earlier. I’d been surprised to see that my new boss had sent an ambulance to meet me. I’d been even more surprised when a call came over the radio and the driver said we were to answer it.

I kicked off my sandals.

I couldn’t do much about the sundress. It also had set me back a pretty penny. I’d wanted to start my new life looking like a million bucks. Confident, in control. Dressed for success.

No one had suggested I’d be better in a uniform or hospital scrubs.

Simon didn’t look back to see if I followed. He waded into the surf.

I prefer to stay out of the water whenever possible. When I took this job I forgot that an island is surrounded by water. I took a deep breath and followed Simon. The sand beneath my feet was soft and deep. The water was clear. Tiny fish darted around my freshly painted toes.

I kept an eye out for sharks. No fins broke the surface of the sea. No ominous music played. Perhaps these fish were too small for sharks to concern themselves with. I hoped there was no blood. Didn’t blood attract sharks?

The sharks aren’t the only reason I hate the ocean. There’s the seaweed too. Nothing cleaner, my dad used to say when we vacationed on a lake in Ontario or the ocean in Nova Scotia. That did nothing to allay my fears. To me the long tendrils seemed like those of a sea monster, reaching out, eager to drag me into the dark depths. They still did.

I squeaked and tried to dodge a dangerous length of seaweed. My toe connected with a submerged rock. I felt a stabbing pain in my right foot. I yelped, jumped and started to fall forward into the water. My arms waved wildly as I fought to keep my footing. I was in no danger of drowning. The water was about fifteen centimeters deep at this point. I spat out salty water and fine grains of sand. As I stumbled to stand, I tried to regain a shred of dignity.

Simon had turned around. He glared at me over the rims of his sunglasses. I could read his mind—hiring this one was a big mistake.

I gave him what I hoped was a confident grin and lumbered upright. I dug my bare toes into the sand to steady myself. Coming, I called.

The bottom of the sea sloped gently. They weren’t very far out, so we didn’t have to swim. A man waited for us. The water came up to his waist. He was tanned a nut brown and wore a blue T-shirt and shorts. I guessed he was a hotel employee.

The dead man bobbed gently on the surface.

Simon grunted greetings. He—the living man, that is—nodded, his face solemn.

My three-hundred-dollar linen dress with lace edging was being ruined by salt water. My two-hundred-dollar sandals were probably being pinched by a beach urchin with excellent taste. But my training took over as soon as we reached the body. He was lying faceup, staring into the sky. His face was blue, from death and immersion in the water. No doubt he’d been flipped over by the hotel employee.

Simon grabbed the dead man’s collar. I put my fingers to the neck. I felt for a pulse. Nothing. I glanced at Simon and shook my head. The dead man was white, in his sixties maybe. Belly like a nine-months-pregnant woman. His thick hair was so jet black that it had to have been dyed. His fingers were long, his nails manicured. A fat gold band encircled the third finger of his left hand. A ring with a big red stone decorated the pinky of his right. His stomach hung over a baggy, knee-length bathing suit. His feet were bare. He hadn’t been in the water for too long. Sea creatures hadn’t had time to begin making a meal out of his tender bits.

I led the way back to shore. Simon and the hotel employee followed. The body bobbed between them. I wondered where the police rescue boat was. Simon asked the man helping us, Mark, how his son

Reviews for White Sand Blues

[dianne47-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A quick read, very short. But the characters are well drawn and the plot moves along quickly. Paramedic Ashley Grant takes a job in the Caribbean. Her 1st day there she is involved with finding a drowning victim. Is it an accident or is it murder?

[19anne44 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I received this book to review for LibraryThing. It was certainly a Rapid Read, it took an hour at the most! In spite of its brevity Vicki Delany vividly sets the scene of life and death on a tropical island. The plot was exciting and the characters well developed. I have read a number of her other books including "Juba good" which is also the first in another Rapid Reads series. I look forward to reading more in both series. I think the Rapid Reads series would be very attractive to ESL and reluctant readers since they move fast, with interesting characters and a fairly limited vocabulary.

[clamato_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A quick and fun read! Sweeps you up and takes you away to a white beach tropical island and plunges the reader into a fast-paced murder mystery! Perfect read for the cottage or beach. Look forward to the next installment.

[kellyreeder · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A quick, fun read that provides the perfect amount of mystery that will keep you guessing until the end. I can't wait to read the next book in this series.

[thornton37814 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ashley Grant relocates from Canada to the Victoria and Albert Islands in the Caribbean following a failed relationship. En route to the hotel she is staying, she is dispatched to the scene of a man dead in the shallow part of the ocean. Ironically the man is father of an old classmate who is accusing her stepmother of murder. Although the solution to this one isn't terribly complicated, the setting is fun and the characters are ones worth revisiting. Reading the book is a pleasant way to spend a couple hours. This is a promising start for a new series Vicky Delany, author of the Constable Molly Smith series, delivers a promising debut for her Ashley Grant series, part of the Rapid Reads books.

[ffortsa · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I've read some of Delany's mysteries set in Canada, and they are basically a mix of police procedural and cosy. This book branches out into new territory, the Caribbean, with a medic escaping Toronto as her protagonist.This is a VERY light book, the kind my sister might read 'standing on one leg' as she once put it, in the bookstore. One quirk. Delany's character does not mention race or skin color until it's important to the denouement, 90 pages or more into the book (at least in the ER printing). All of a sudden people have different skin tones because it provides motive. One star for getting the words in the right order, and for a very easy read while waiting for your plane.

[gypsysmom_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a Rapid Reads selection from Orca Books so it was a quick read. This line of books is designed to be read by adults who are learning to read English. I think it would be very appropriate for that audience.Canadian paramedic Ashley Grant has taken a one-year contract on a tiny Caribbean island. She gets thrown in from the beginning when her ride from the airport has to go to the scene of a drowning death. The dead man's daughter is a former classmate of Ashley's and she is convinced that her stepmother killed her father. She asks Ashley to help her prove it.

[eadieb-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

White Sand Blues by Vicki Delany is an excellent debut to the Ashley Grant Mystery series. Ashley Grant is a paramedic from Canada who takes a job on the Victoria and Albert Islands in the Caribbean. She is picked up at the airport by Simon, the driver, in a red ambulance and is taken to the beach where a man is found floating in the waters at the Club Louisa Hotel. Sally, the daughter of the dead man, recognizes Ashley from high school. She is convinced that her stepmother killed her father and begs Ashley to help her prove it. Ashley has suddenly become involved in a murder investigation before she even has time to unpack her bags.I found this book to be a very humorous, fast and easy read. I could picture all the unique characters from Vicki Delany's colorful descriptions. Her sense of place allowed me to feel the warm ocean breezes of the island on which everyone knows everything about everybody who lives there. The storyline was interesting and the killer was a surprise to me. I look forward to reading the next installment and I would highly recommend this book to those who like cozy mysteries with a bit of humor and romance. It is classified as adult fiction for ages 16+ on the back of the book.

[cbl_tn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Canadian paramedic Ashley Grant has just taken a new job on a tiny Caribbean island after breaking up with her boyfriend. She is met at the airport by the island's only ambulance, which is called to the scene of an accidental death before Ashley has a chance to settle in to her new home. The death appears to be an accidental drowning, but the man's daughter thinks otherwise. She is convinced her stepmother had a hand in the death, and she persuades Ashley to help her investigate.This book is the first in a new Rapid Reads series by a seasoned mystery author. Rapid Reads books are geared for ESL or low literacy readers, but they will appeal to any reader looking for a quick and absorbing read. The characters, the exotic island setting, and the satisfactory plot will appeal to readers who enjoy short story mysteries.This review is based on an advance reading copy provided by the publisher through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program.

[cougargirl1967 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great mystery, short enough for an afternoon read. I'm looking forward to reading more about Ashley Grant.

[newsieq · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Ashley Grant, on the rebound from a broken romance, finds her way to the Caribbean to the Victoria and Albert Islands, where she takes a new job as an emergency medical technician. Before she can unpack, she and the man who picked her up from the airport are thrust into the case of Julian Hunt. Turns out that his daughter Sally and Ashley were school acquaintances – and Sally believes her young stepmother killed Julian and wants Ashley to help her prove it. This is a very odd, little book. It’s 138 pages of VERY large type. It’s more a short story than a novel and took me less than an hour to read at a not very fast pace. I don’t mind short stories, but the text was written in very short sentences, giving it the feeling of a primer. I didn’t calculate the reading level, but I’m guessing it’s 5th grade or less. I would recommend the book for adults who are learning to read. It would be perfect!PS: I just look up "Rapid Reads" and learned they ARE designed for ESL or literacy programs students. Great that an author of Vicki Delany's caliber is writing for that audience!

[drebbles · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

After breaking up with her cheating boyfriend, Ashley Grant takes a job as a paramedic on Victoria and Albert Islands. She has barely landed there when she goes on her first case - a dead man floating in the water. It seems like a simple case of drowning but Sally Hunt, the dead man's daughter, insists her stepmother Christina killed her father. Sally wants Ashley to help prove that Christina is a murderer but will doing so put Ashley in danger?“White Sand Blues” is a slim, light but very enjoyable cozy mystery by Vicki Delany. For me the best part of the book was the setting - Delany does an excellent job with it. I felt like I was right beside Ashley as she worked, as she sat by the pool, as she rode around the island in a taxicab, as she went out to eat. I could picture the ocean, feel the sun on my back, feel the sand between my toes. Ashley is a nice main character - rebuilding her life after a devastating breakup, starting a new job far from home, quick to make friends, and perhaps a bit too quick to trust other people. As for the mystery, this is a short book - a novella really - so the mystery isn't all that developed. Astute readers will figure out early on what is happening. Still, this is a fun book to read - not a bad way to kill (pardon the pun!) a few hours.“White Sand Blues” is a good, quick, and fun to read cozy mystery.