Blood in the Water

Kaylani McKinnon doesn't want to leave Brooklyn for a summer visit to Martha's Vineyard. Her father is in prison for embezzling from his employer, and Kaylani knows he's innocent. She has an offer to live in a mansion on the island with the wealthy Watson family, her father's former employers. Once on the island, a murder occurs, and Kaylani is swept into figuring out what really happened. Little by little, Kaylani finds not all is what it seems, including the family she's staying with. Her investigation starts turning up things that might have links to not only the murder but also her father's imprisonment. But if she's not careful, she might be next.

What worked: Engaging diverse mystery, suspense set on Martha's Vineyard. I'm a huge fan of Tiffany Jackson's YA novels, and her latest middle-grade novel doesn't disappoint!

Kaylani wants to be a lawyer when she's older, and it's those skills she uses to help find out who murdered Chadwick, someone who used to date Cassie Watson, the daughter of the family Kaylani is staying with. Kaylani senses something isn't right, and with the help of Miles, Chadwick's younger brother, she searches for what really happened.

There's many clues woven throughout and a cast of characters that are multi-layered in their complexity. London and Kaylani were best friends when they were younger, and the 'new' London is a bit of a snub. But there are cracks in her armor when she is around Kaylani. I liked Miles and Kaylani working together. Their friendship helps Kaylani, especially after all her family went through when her father was put in prison.

I 'get' why Kaylani wouldn't want to go to the island, even if it meant going to a mansion for the summer. Her father's imprisonment is something she knows is wrong. Once on the island, though, she uses her sharp mind to put pieces of a murder mystery together.

I also liked some of the history of Blacks in Martha's Vineyard. I wanted to know more!

Loved the cover, which is evocative and gives a middle-grade Jordan Peele meets Goosebumps horror feel.

Great summer, Who Done It, with a diverse cast of characters.

Kaylani doesn't want to leave her mother or her Brooklyn home to go spend a month with family friends, the Watsons, on Martha's Vinyard, but she isn't given much of a choice. She'd rather stay home and work on her father's appeal, since he is spending time in prison after being framed for embezzling funds while working at the Mercer Hedge Fund. The Watsons are big supporters of her father, having helped him go to college, so they want to allow Kaylani to have a vacation to take her mind off her troubles. Sadly, since their granddaughter London, and her older sister Cassie, aren't too thrilled to have Kaylani around, it's not that appealing a break. The girls go to an elite private school in Connecticut, and won't even hang out with the local residents. They are a bit enamored of Chadwick, whom Cassie dated last year, but it's an uneasy relationship. For his part, Chadwick is very kind to Kaylani, and even gives her a tour of the Watson's house and its history, and suggests that she looks into the life of the previous owner, Alice McBride. When London demands to tag along to a late night beach party with Cassie, the girls meet Chadwick's young brother, Miles, and also talk to Jaden, who works for the Watsons. There is bad blood between Jaden and Chadwick, and when the two get into an altercation, Cassie has Jaden drive the younger girls home while she sees if Chadwick is okay. The next day, Chadwick is missing, and his body is later found near the bridge that was featured in the movie Jaws that the teens all jump from. There seems to be a shark bite to his body, and there is a lot of blood in the water. Chadwick's death hits the community hard, but even when it is determined to be a homicide, the kids all still hang out at the beach. Miles wants to investigate, and asks Kaylani for help in finding his brother's phone. Kaylani would like to help, and has found the local history to be very interesting, but because of issues with London and the Watsons, would really just like to go home.