From Publishers Weekly
Ph.D. and soon-to-be English professor Sarah Deane reluctantly returns to sleuthing in this assured contemporary cozy by veteran Borthwick (Coup de Grƒce, etc.). Sarah's in-laws, Elspeth and John McKenzie, have left the academic world of Cambridge, Mass., to live in the new, perfectly planned and designed Maine community of Ocean Tide. With bike trails, golf course, pool, beach and a breathtaking view of Penobscot Bay, the place should be perfect for the couple, but John is having trouble adjusting. John's son, Alex, and Sarah hope that he'll eventually fit in, but his misgivings prove to be well founded. The discovery of a dead body (delicately depicted on the dust jacket with no traces of violence) on the pristine golf course is just the first in a series of catastrophic events that soon affect the whole family. Sarah, known for her past crime-solving experience, promises herself that she won't get involved in the investigation. As the family becomes more entangled, she remains resolute until circumstances lead her into personal danger. While the reader may be as frustrated as Sarah by her vow to remain aloof, her doing so helps us better understand the lovable, realistic McKenzie family. Their down-to-earth personalities provide a vivid contrast to the Disneyland-like community and its driven director and staff. From the fog that sometimes engulfs the land to the crystal clear Maine days, this novel will delight existing Borthwick fans and should attract new ones. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
On the golf course of a retirement community on the coast of Maine, a dead body is discovered. In the latest Sarah Deane mystery, the recently out-of-work English professor and amateur sleuth looks into the mysterious goings-on at the development called Ocean Tide. Another body promptly turns up, and Sarah discovers that there are secrets among some of the community's residents. Like the previous entries in the series, this is a gentle novel with a stately pace and comfortable characters. (Think Murder, She Wrote without Jessica Fletcher.) The story is told in the classic whodunit format, bringing together a large cast of characters, all of whom are suspects in a drawing-room mystery (this time without the drawing room). Readers are encouraged to settle in, get to know the players, soak up the cozy ambience, and see if they can figure out the solution. Those who favor past-paced plots, hard-edged dialogue, and plenty of action may find this novel a tad lethargic, but one reader's lethargy is another's cozy. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Review
"We can recognize cozy country when we sink our sensible walking shoes in it...
Borthwick does this sort of thing beautifully in her durable series."--The New York Times Book Review

"Just when you figured she couldn't get much better, Borthwick kick[s] it up another notch."-Rockland (ME) Courier-Gazette

"From the fog that sometimes engulfs the land to the crystal clear Maine days, this novel will delight existing Borthwick fans and should attract new ones."-Publishers Weekly

"[Borthwick] has a sharp eye for character and setting."-Chicago Tribune



Book Description
After weeks of relentless rain and fog, summer graces the Maine coast. Sarah Deane wants only to help her in-laws adjust to living in Ocean Tide, an "architect-designed home-town community," and enjoy the warm weather before she returns to teaching in the fall. She absolutely does not want to become embroiled in another murder investigation. Even when police find the body of an 18 year-old on Ocean Tide's golf course, Sarah vows not to let it sidetrack her from an agenda of rest and relaxation. But after a frightened boy causes her to discover a second murder victim, her curiosity-and protective impulses toward a child who may have seen too much-overpower her better judgment. Tiptoeing into territory better left to the authorities, Sarah unearths disturbing family ties and a lethal secret hidden just beneath Ocean Tide's veneer of squeaky clean community values...



Inside Flap Copy
Critical Acclaim for the Mysteries of J.S. Borthwick

Coup De Grace
"Borthwick spins another enjoyable, literate tale."-Chicago Tribune

"Borthwick's easy style and charming characters make this a first-rate fireside read."-Publishers Weekly

"The campus humor is pointed and the idiosyncratic characters are saturated with enough color to brighten the dark side of academic life."-New York Times Book Review

"Go and get your copy--this one's a must-read."-Courier-Gazette (Rockland, ME)

"Stylish, sharp, satiric, this is a mystery in the best traditional vein."-The Poisoned Pen

My Body Lies Over the Ocean
"More engaging work from a proven author."-Library Journal

"Always witty, sometimes farcical, full of wonderfully arcane allusions to old movies, this novel succeeds as a tightly controlled and unflagging thriller."-Publishers Weekly

Dolly Is Dead
"[Borthwick's] plots are more intricate than most in this genre...[and] best of all, the literacy level is high enough to support the odd bookish quip. Is the wind up yet? This is perfect fireside reading." -The New York Times Book Review

The Bridled Groom
"The smashing finale of a murderer on horseback is hair-raising."-Houston Post

"Engaging and literate."-Publishers Weekly

"Riveting, and suspense-filled, generously seasoned with good humor and a touch of the macabre...[a] deftly crafted thriller."-Bangor Sentinel

"The characterizations are well done, and the storyline is smooth and interesting...Good interplay between the characters...The author keeps your interest."-Mystery News

Bodies of Water
"A terrific yarn...The setting is perfect and the plot will keep you guessing all the way. Borthwick just gets better and better as her hand gets surer."-The Courier-Gazette (Rockland, ME)



Back Cover Copy
"Just when you figured she couldn't get much better, Borthwick kick[s] it up another notch."-Rockland (ME) Courier-Gazette

After weeks of relentless rain and fog, summer graces the Maine coast. Sarah Deane wants only to help her in-laws adjust to living in Ocean Tide, an "architect-designed home-town community," and enjoy the warm weather before she returns to teaching in the fall. She absolutely does not want to become embroiled in another murder investigation. Even when police find the body of an 18 year-old on Ocean Tide's golf course, Sarah vows not to let it sidetrack her from an agenda of rest and relaxation. But after a frightened boy causes her to discover a second murder victim, her curiosity-and protective impulses toward a child who may have seen too much-overpower her better judgment. Tiptoeing into territory better left to the authorities, Sarah unearths disturbing family ties and a lethal secret hidden just beneath Ocean Tide's veneer of squeaky clean community values...

"From the fog that sometimes engulfs the land to the crystal clear Maine days, this novel will delight existing Borthwick fans and should attract new ones."-Publishers Weekly

"[Borthwick] has a sharp eye for character and setting."-Chicago Tribune



About the Author
J.S. Borthwick lives with her family on the Maine coast, where many of her mysteries are set.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"During an especially cold, rainy May, three families move to the recently opened Ocean Tide community on the coast of Maine. Not long after their arrival, a decaying corpse is found lying in the rough of their beautifully manicured golf course, disrupting the idyllic community." "When a second body is discovered in a fertilizer shed just yards away from the seventeenth green, the local authorities are puzzled over the sudden rash of dead bodies and their link to Ocean Tide's newest arrivals." Despite her own misgivings and her husband Alex's warnings, Sarah Deane, an English professor and sometime amateur sleuth, becomes entangled in the investigation. What she uncovers promises to rock the very foundation of the Ocean Tide community.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Ph.D. and soon-to-be English professor Sarah Deane reluctantly returns to sleuthing in this assured contemporary cozy by veteran Borthwick (Coup de Gr ce, etc.). Sarah's in-laws, Elspeth and John McKenzie, have left the academic world of Cambridge, Mass., to live in the new, perfectly planned and designed Maine community of Ocean Tide. With bike trails, golf course, pool, beach and a breathtaking view of Penobscot Bay, the place should be perfect for the couple, but John is having trouble adjusting. John's son, Alex, and Sarah hope that he'll eventually fit in, but his misgivings prove to be well founded. The discovery of a dead body (delicately depicted on the dust jacket with no traces of violence) on the pristine golf course is just the first in a series of catastrophic events that soon affect the whole family. Sarah, known for her past crime-solving experience, promises herself that she won't get involved in the investigation. As the family becomes more entangled, she remains resolute until circumstances lead her into personal danger. While the reader may be as frustrated as Sarah by her vow to remain aloof, her doing so helps us better understand the lovable, realistic McKenzie family. Their down-to-earth personalities provide a vivid contrast to the Disneyland-like community and its driven director and staff. From the fog that sometimes engulfs the land to the crystal clear Maine days, this novel will delight existing Borthwick fans and should attract new ones. (Mar. 25) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews