Fake Out: A Long Beach Mystery by Faye Bayko
Reviewed by Katie Ingram
The idealized world of hippies, free love, and the notion of escape draws university student Sandy Chambers to Vancouver Island in 1968, specifically the area of Long Beach and Wickaninnish Inn around Tofino. While she gets all of that, she also experiences something she didn’t expect: finding a dead body.
This find sets into motion the multi-layered story of Fake Out: A Long Beach Mystery, one that author Faye Bayko expertly ties together.
After deciding to leave her university life behind, Sandy hitches a ride to Long Beach with Geoff, a surfer. While initially, they bond in more ways than one, Sandy realizes this free lifestyle might not be for her. She sets to leave, but instead of finding her belongings, she finds Geoff dead.
From there, she’s pulled into the murder investigation and not just as a witness. Unlike other mystery sleuths who seem to be nosy or feel they can do a better job than investigators, Sandy’s investigator role seems more organic, since she is part of the mystery herself. It’s slow, but it’s purposeful, and it fits with the novel’s pace. On the other side is RCMP Corporal David Moore, who is trying to figure out who murdered Geoff, if it’s connected to another murder and if all of this is part of something much bigger.
Along with Sandy and David, a rich supporting cast rounds out the novel, and the reader never knows whom to trust because, as with most mystery novels, almost everyone is a suspect.
At just over 500 pages, it might seem a bit long for a lot of mystery readers, but Fake Out: A Long Beach Mystery well worth the investment.
About the Author
Faye Bayko loves telling stories and has, on occasion, been paid to do so. Her latest project is the Long Beach Mystery series set on the west coast of Vancouver Island, with a nonfiction companion book to follow. www.fayebayko.ca
About the Reviewer
Katie Ingram is a freelance journalist and the author of Breaking Disaster: Newspaper Stories of the Halifax Explosion and The Undesirables: A History of Rockhead Prison. She’s also a part-time instructor with the University of King’s College School of Journalism, Writing and Publishing.
Book Details
Publisher : Tellwell Talent
Publication date : Nov. 26 2024
Language : English
Print length : 512 pages
ISBN-10 : 1779624786
ISBN-13 : 978-1779624789