On December 22, 2023 Rachel Roberts returns to action in Huron Nights, the highly-anticipated sequel to Huron Breeze from author Landon Beach.
A big hit after its release last December, Huron Breeze kicked off Beach’s exciting new series about a famous author who turns to real-life crime-solving in order to inspire her own fiction writing. That book, which just won Best Thriller Books‘ “Best Mystery of the Year” award, earned rave reviews from New York Times bestsellers Catherine Coulter and Lisa Black, among others. Now, Rachel is back—and this time around, she’s once again on the hunt for a killer.
On top of learning more about Rachel Roberts, who writes under the pen name Riley Cannon, and her background, readers should expect “a classic murder-mystery novel that will have them guessing whodunnit right up until the final pages,” Beach tells The Real Book Spy in an exclusive statement. “All of the classic murder-mystery elements that were present in book 1 are also in book 2. But, Huron Nights dives deeper into my main character’s backstory—why she is the way she is, why she keeps her distance from people, and what drives her.”
Nights is also noteworthy due to the fact that it’s Beach’s first true direct sequel, giving the author—who is best known for his Great Lakes Saga and standalone thriller Narrator—a bonafide series for the first time.
“It was more fun than I expected,” said Beach when asked about his experience developing and writing his first sequel. “When I wrote Huron Breeze a few years ago, I wrote it to be a stand-alone novel like my other works and had no plans to continue the story. However, probably buried somewhere deep in my subconscious, I had unknowingly left a structure in place for more books. Then, the questions and comments from readers started to pour in after Huron Breeze was released: ‘Have you considered writing a sequel? You must write a sequel. You have to turn this into a series. Why do you only write stand-alone novels?’ and so forth.
“I had never written a sequel before but had always thought that the detective/P.I. novel was the best candidate for a series. Crime A happens on Monday, and Detective X is assigned the case and solves it by Wednesday. Crime B happens on Friday, and Detective X is assigned the case and solves it by Sunday. And on and on. A career for a detective or P.I. isn’t just one case, and this is why occupations like those make for believable series characters. So, I gave the idea some thought, realized that I had a path forward to continue the story of the unlikely duo of Rachel Roberts and Obadiah Ben-David, and decided to commit to writing two more novels and a novella in that world.”
Having scored an advance copy of Huron Nights for review, let me just say that fans are in for a real treat. Plus, more fun is just ahead with at least one more full-length book and a novella on the way.
Check out all the plot details and cover art below!
THE STUNNING SEQUEL TO THE AWARD-WINNING MYSTERY NOVEL HURON BREEZE.
Labor Day Weekend—one last taste of summer.
In the quiet, sunrise-side town of Hampstead, Michigan, Rachel Roberts descends the stairs in her beach house, ready to sit on the back deck, have a glass of wine, and feel the Huron breezes come in from the water as the stars start to glow in the night sky above.
But everything changes when she sees headlights coming down her driveway. As the vehicle approaches, she becomes both excited and puzzled. Excited, because the vehicle belongs to her friend, retired Hampstead P.I. Obadiah Ben-David. Puzzled, because she has no idea why he is paying her an evening visit.
She soon learns that death has returned to Hampstead.
There has been an apparent murder-suicide involving the dazzling, socialite couple Artie and Misty Jensen in their mansion located in the posh, gated, beach-side neighborhood of Falcon Crest, and Ben-David has been asked to lend a hand as Hampstead’s new P.I. has been called away to deal with a family emergency. Ben-David is confident that it will be a quick visit to Falcon Crest. Whereas the murder case last summer was mystifying and treacherous, this one seems to be straightforward. Nevertheless, he would like for Rachel to be a second set of eyes for him when he examines the crime scene.
She accepts.
She shouldn’t have.
For when the final days of summer arrive, the temperatures begin to cool . . . and the Huron nights heat up.
Landon was born and raised in Michigan but now lives in the Sunshine State with his wife, two children, and their golden retriever. He previously served as a Naval Officer and was an educator for fifteen years before becoming a full-time writer. Find out more at landonbeachbooks.com.
Readers excited to pre-order Huron Nights can place orders for the Kindle version here, though it’ll also be available in paperback and audiobook.
Praised as “One of the hardest working, most thoughtful, and fairest reviewers out there” by #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Scottoline, Ryan Steck has “quickly established himself as the authority on mysteries and thrillers” (Author A.J. Tata). Steck also works full-time as a freelance editor and is building a growing community on Twitch. His debut thriller, FIELDS OF FIRE, which #1 New York Times bestselling author Jack Carr says “will leave you speechless and begging for more,” is now available. For more information, be sure to follow him on Twitter and Facebook. And to take part in free, exclusive BOOK CLUBS each month, join The Real Book Spy on Discord.