Murder at Amapas Beach (An Amanda Pennyworth Mystery) by James Gilbert is a splendid meld of sleuth, crime, and mystery. Amanda Pennyworth just wanted to have a romantic moment with her boyfriend Romero Morelos on Amapas Beach in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. But all the fun she has planned to have is marred when Danielle Maglin, a woman who has been with Amanda and her friends on the same boat is found brutally murdered. Back in the US, things take another turn when, Terry Blanchard, one of the last people to see Danielle alive is found dead. What seems like suicide is another murder, and Amanda has a long list of people with a motive. Can she solve the mystery and unveil the face of the killer where police forensics have failed?

James Gilbert has created a mind-blowing mystery around murder, creating a situation in which anyone can become a suspect and this keeps the story hugely interesting as readers follow each character curious about what will become of them. The plotting is deft; the writing is classy, and the setting is richly imagined and intelligently crafted. Characters like Sol and Marcie Spiegel are stunningly imagined and well-written. Amanda is an intelligent detective and it will be easy for readers to love her. Murder at Amapas Beach (An Amanda Pennyworth Mystery) is an intriguing entry in the Amanda Pennyworth Mystery and a clever, completely original whodunit. The author has crafted an entrancing murder mystery with all the elements of a page-turner.