Death by Bikini (Death By...) (Mass Market Paperback)

~ Linda Gerber (Author)
Key Phrases: taro patch, Plantation House, Elena Mulo, The Mole (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7–10—Aphra Behn Connolly lives on a tropical island at the resort her father owns. She misses her friends and mother back home in South Carolina, and has no chance to meet cute guys. Then a mysterious boy named Adam Smith and his parents arrive unannounced and without a reservation. The chemistry between Aphra and Adam is undeniable. However, her dad warns her to stay away from him. Soon after the Smiths arrive, a guest turns up dead on the beach, strangled with her own bikini top. Aphra does a little investigation into the Smiths' background and is surprised by what she finds. Readers will realize from the onset that the Smiths are on the run from something. This is a quick read, but teens who have any sleuthing skills will be able to figure out what is happening about halfway through the book.—Shannon Seglin, Patrick Henry Library, Vienna, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Sixteen-year-old Aphra enjoys an enviable life at the secluded tropical island resort her father runs, but she aches for her mom, who left without explanation four years earlier, and for friends her age. Then the mysterious Smith family arrives, and Aphra feels a strong attraction to their cute teenage son, Adam, even as she struggles with her father’s strange reaction to the family. After a hotel guest is strangled on the beach, Aphra’s questions about the Smiths intensify: What are they hiding? Is there some connection to Aphra’s mom? Is Adam’s dad a killer? Gerber, the author of several novels in the S.A.S.S. series, spins a suspenseful mystery that makes the most of its lush setting. A few plot points feel shaky (such as the killer’s motive for the beach attack), but the vividly described, adrenaline-flooded chases through the rain forest, the romantic tension between Aphra and Adam, and the revelation of Aphra’s family’s secrets will capture mystery fans. The open ending promises further Aphra Connolly adventures. Grades 7-10. --Gillian Engberg

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (May 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0142411175
• ISBN-13: 978-0142411179
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #87,654 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Meet Aphra Connolly, May 17, 2008

By	K. Coombs (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I enjoyed Linda Gerber's SASS books, but I got an even bigger kick out of seeing what she could do when cut loose from the constraints of an already-established publisher's series to really show her stuff. The result, Death by Bikini, is a terrific read--literally a beach read, but also simply a fun, fast-paced suspense story with a strong central character: Aphra Behn Connolly. Aphra's father owns and manages a private resort on a remote tropical island. Aphra is used to meeting rock stars, movie stars, politicians, and other celebrities who are trying to get away from their lives and scandals, but the guest who really attracts her attention is a boy who says his name is Adam.

It isn't long before an aging rocker's girlfriend is found strangled on the beach (by her bikini ties, natch). Aphra is already trying to find out Adam's true identity and why he's in hiding with his parents. Now she must also figure out who killed the blonde in the bikini. Another mystery, why Aphra's mother has vanished from her life without an explanation, turns out to be related to the first two puzzles.

Aphra is a curious and likable teen. She's far from perfect, yet she basically has her feet on the ground. She's more of a Mandy Moore type than one of those Paris Hilton clones who have been popping up in a lot of YA fiction lately to bicker about shoes with their best friends. The last decade or two has yet to produce a really good contemporary replacement for Nancy Drew, but Aphra Connolly is definitely in the running. According to a note at the back of the book, Aphra will be back soon in her next adventure, Death by Latte. I look forward to catching up with Gerber's heroine in Seattle!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Aphra is a bikini-clad Nancy Drew - you won't be able to resist her!, May 22, 2008

By	Erika Sorocco (Southern California, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Sixteen-year-old Aphra Behn Connolly leads a life that most teenage girls only dream about. But she would trade it in for something a little more conventional and normal in a heartbeat. Sure, her days are filled with gallivanting around the tropical island she calls home, and peeking into the lives of the rich and famous who stay at her father's paradise-like resort; but things aren't all peachy keen. For one, her mother abandoned the family when Aphra was just twelve-years-old; and two, she has absolutely no contact with people her own ages. While her best friend, Cami, is back in South Carolina, gearing up for prom, dating boys, and working towards attaining her driver's license, Aphra is stuck all by her lonesome in paradise. Of course, things aren't that bad. Until a suspicious family arrives on the island to shake things up, that is.

Aphra Connolly isn't exposed to cute boys that often. As the youngest employee and resident of a fancy tropical resort, Aphra simply knows how to keep the visitors happy, and stay out of their business. But that doesn't mean that she doesn't know a cute boy when she sees one. And Seth Mulo is one cute boy. Unfortunately, he's accompanied by a suspicious man and woman who give Aphra "imposter" vibes. Apparently these are his parents. Aphra can see the resemblance, but it doesn't keep her from being suspicious. But Aphra is willing to toss her suspicions to the wayside to stay friendly with Seth - the first guy she has ever found herself completely drawn to. When one of the other visitors - a female - however, turns up dead, strangled by her bikini, Aphra knows that something sinister is at work. For four years this island has Aphra's home, and it has been anything but dangerous. Now Seth's family has brought along some sort of sinister secret with them, and has put the whole island at risk. It's obvious that Seth and his parents are hiding something. They're also hiding from someone. Aphra doesn't know what, or who, but she's determined to find out. But she can't do it alone. Aphra will need Seth's help to learn the truth, and to save all of the people she loves. But if she's not quick, the truth may come too late; and the tropical paradise she has grown to know and love, may just turn into a place of evil.

Linda Gerber's precision and skill in writing captured my attention a little over a year ago when I read her contribution to the S.A.S.S. series, NOW AND ZEN. At that time, I didn't feel that she could ever top that bit of writing. I was wrong; for she has done just that with DEATH BY BIKINI. Aphra is relatable from the get-go. Her typical teenage concerns and paranoia's have been felt by teenage girls the world over, even though her situation may be a bit more unconventional. Aphra is fast-talking, quick witted, fiery, spunky, and a whole lot of fun. Seth, on the other hand, is the resident heartthrob. He possesses hunk status, yet he has a sensitive side that will instantly make readers fall head over heels from him. The two of them make a dynamic duo, and the chemistry between both Aphra and Seth just radiates from them whenever they share a scene.

Aside from Bennett Madison's now-defunct LULU DARK series, there are so few mystery books on the market geared directly to teens. Gerber is breathing life into a dying breed of books. Through Aphra and her many misadventures, Gerber is resurrecting the teen mystery genre. Combining elements of I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER, and INDIANA JONES, with ROMANCING THE STONE, and NANCY DREW, Gerber makes mystery fun, playful, and a complete necessity to the teen lit world. Aphra is a bikini-clad Nancy Drew - you won't be able to resist her!

Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Compulsive Reader's Reviews, May 15, 2008

By	The Compulsive Reader (Big Rapids, MI, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Anyone would love Aphra Behn's life. She lives on an isolated island, home to a cushy resort owned by her father. Her days are filled with attending to the guests, taking long swims in the ocean, and exploring the lush island. The only hitch? She's always alone.

So when the Smiths arrive with their teenage son, she's ecstatic. Maybe she can actually make a friend. But the circumstances surrounding the Smiths' arrival don't add up. Why did her dad put them in the villa under renovation? Why didn't he check them in? And how did they even get on the island? And when another guest washes up from the ocean dead, strangled by her bikini strings, Aphra is convinced that no one will be safe until the Smiths are off her island.

This suspenseful novel moves at lightening fast speed. Gerber cunningly draws readers into Aphra's paradise-esque life that anyone would envy. Her character is made intriguing by dropping sly hints about her past periodically throughout the book. But Gerber's delivery ensures that's not the only thing to keep readers going as the strange mystery unravels into something big that can't be resolved easily. Pay close attention, because this is one novel that doesn't slow down a bit, and will assuredly be the start of a fresh, fun, and exhilarating new mystery series for teens.