I thought the premise of this book was intriguing. I wanted to love it, but the historical fiction sense of it was lost on me. I did not enjoy the journal entries. On the flip side, I did enjoy the inclusion of Blackbeard.

I want to thank Netgalley & BooksGoSocial, Beaufort Books for an ARC of this book

The Seafarer's Secret was a nice mystery and I did like that it was set in NC. I liked the tie-in with Blackbeard. The ending fell flat for me, ended sort of abruptly but this was ultimately a solid mystery.

This book was a nice change of pace from my usual book that I read; however, I felt a little let down by the ending. There was a somewhat swift conclusion to the end of the book and the mystery although solved felt rather sudden. When Stefan was found out I feel like there was a lack of explanation how suddenly he just accepted that Eva knew, and how little drama there was to the reveal. After that there was so little suspense around William arresting him that I felt a little let down. Overall, the story was interesting, and I enjoyed the bits of history interspersed, I wasn't aware that Blackbeard was in fact an actual pirate and not just a tale from a pirate movie. I didn't see the twist coming until right before it was announced which I do enjoy that I couldn't fully predict it, but I wish it had been a little more drawn out to make the end a little more exciting.

The Seafarer's Secret combines history, murder, mystery, friendship, with a bit of a cozy vibe. The story is set in Eden, North Carolina in the Outer Banks. Police Chief William Templeton has been a widower for a year. His wife Catherine was found dead in a sand hole on the beach, determined to be an accident, with her alcohol content high. A year later, a woman is found on the beach, apparently drowned, also intoxicated. When they find a gold coin on her body, it is finally revealed that Catherine also had a coin when she was found. Catherine's death is reopened with the police believing both these women were killed and by the same man. The coins are brought to Eva Knightly, a local historian and Blackbeard expert. When two more coins are brought to Eva by a local pastor, things begin to heat up.

I enjoyed this story a lot. I love cozy mysteries, and although the police are investigation this one, Eva is doing a bit of her own investigating. I am also a huge history buff, so I was pulled in on both fronts. I really liked the characters in this book. William is torn. He is attracted to Eva, but still carries a lot of guilt over Catherine's death. He is a great detective and excellent at this job. He has stepped down as chief until the investigation into Catherine's death is solved. The foursome in the restaurant each morning sharing gossip are a wonderful addition to the story. I loved how they seemed to have information that others didn't have. Eva's friend Amelia, is her sidekick. She is also an amateur genealogist and is able to share some information with Eva. They have each other's backs and I loved their friendship. At the end of each chapter, there is a journal entry or a portion of a letter from either Blackbeard, his wife Mary or an unknown companion to Mary. The murderer had me stumped, and although there weren't any apparent suspects, I really liked who it was and how the ending played out. The setting was wonderful, the history of Blackbeard and the great characters pulled me in and held me captive from start to finish. The mystery had lots of suspense and some scary moments that kept me on the edge of my seat. I read the author's notes which share what is fiction and what parts of the Blackbeard story are based on historical facts. A wonderful story that I recommend to those who enjoy mystery, a great setting, some history and little bit of romance.

"The Seafarer's Secret" is an enjoyable tale of murder, mystery and pirates (namely, Blackbeard!).

Eva Knightly had fond memories of the last summer she was truly happy; the year she and her family had vacationed in the Outer Banks before her mother died. Now that she's an adult, she's chosen to live in the town that captured her heart and rekindle friendships with people from that summer long ago.

Her lifelong love of all things historical, but especially related to Blackbeard, makes her a prime candidate for working at the historical society, and when gold coins suddenly start showing up, she's as intrigued as everyone else to get to the bottom of things.

But she soon finds out, not everyone in town can be trusted, even when you've known them forever...

Thanks to Carol Ann Collins, BooksGoSocial, and NetGalley for the advance review copy.

Like pirates? Th is has Blackbeard! Like mysteries? This is full of them! Like intrigue and suspense and a wonderfully atmospheric book? This is is for you!

Murder, treasure and Blackbeard?! Yes, please!! I found this book to be thoroughly enjoyable. For me, it was a quick, entertaining read. 2 murders and a historical mystery thrown in as well, who could complain?!

I loved this book and the story of the gold.
The trail and the twist and turns trying to find the truth and the heir.

A group of elderly locals in Eden, North Carolina are overheard gossiping about local happenings in The Seafarer's Secret (2024) by Carol Ann Collins. When the drowning death of a local woman is linked to an earlier drowning (a gold coin is found on both bodies), an interesting crime mystery unfolds with pirate antecedents. Eva Knightly manages the local History Society, and the Coastal Carolina Museum, as well as the Annual Black Beard Pirate Festival. She teams up with the local sheriff who has been stood aside from the official investigation. The discovery of more gold coins by the local pastor along with his lies, creates complications. A slow burn cosy mystery with links to Blackbeard’s past and a budding romance makes for a three and a half stars rating. With thanks to Books Go Social and the author, for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own, freely given and without inducement.

What a good book! It has a good mystery surrounding the murder of two women. There’s also a hunt for Blackbeard’s treasure. It’s a hard to put down book that keeps you guessing to the end.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

Murder, treasure, and mystery combine for an interesting story. William's drawn in when the death of his wife a year ago gets tied into a more recent death, and Eva by the appearance of some very old coins believed to be part of a pirate treasure. Eva was William's wife's friend before she died, so she also has a bit of a personal stake in solving the mystery, although her historical knowledge is what sets her on the case. Collins did a great job of building tension, and dropping clues that keep you turning pages trying to solve the mystery along with William and Eva. It wasn't obvious from the start what the solution was, but all the loose ends were tied up in the end. If you enjoy mysteries, you're going to want to grab this!

This was slow to start with it detailing William and Eve’s personal life both past and present which if I’m honest I enjoyed reading about, this sets the scene nicely for what was to come.

William’s wife Catherine ( also Eve’s friend) died a year previously, it was ruled an accident but now a year later another body is found also ruled an accident but both bodies had a mysterious gold coin on them.

I really enjoyed this story it was something a little different with the Pirate/Blackbeard element but it still had the gritty crime plot that everyone including me loves too.

I particularly enjoyed the Outer Banks setting which had the Small Town mystery Vibe which is my absolute favourite in these types of books.

I’ll definitely look out for more from this author.

The Seafarer's Secret by Carol Ann Collins is a thriller with a historical mystery that is deeply intertwined with the present. This book is full of romance and adventure and historical legends like Blackbeard. I think this book would appeal to readers of many genres. It was definitely fun to read. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

A quick easy mystery read. This wasn’t shocking or twisty but it was a decent plot line. The side characters were the best and there’s a pirate mystery.

The Seafarer's Secret is a cute mystery set on the North Carolina coast. I loved the accuracy of what living on the NC coast is like and all of the references to the pirate, Blackbeard who was known to frequent the NC barrier islands. The story brings the question, is Blackbeard's curse wreaking havoc on the town of Eden or is it something more sinister?!

I recommend this book to those looking to read a lighter hearted thriller with a splash of historical fiction!

Thank you @beaufortbooks for allowing me to read this book ahead of publication in exchange for my honest review.

(This same review was shared on the Barnes & Noble website)

This book gave me coastal small town Gilmore Girls vibes, but with mystery and pirates. I really enjoyed the murder mystery interwoven with the (somewhat fictional) historical mystery surrounding Blackbeard. The characters were fun and intriguing, and I immediately preordered this book as a gift when I finished reading it. I highly recommend checking it out when it releases in March!

A small-town mystery involving the death of a local woman found washed ashore with a gold coin in her pocket. Her friend tells Police Chief William Templeton hat she couldn’t have drowned, as she was deathly afraid of water. He soon learns that his estranged wife, who died a year earlier, was also found with a gold coin. Are the two cases connected and if so, how? He will get assistance from Eva Knightly, a close friend, a local historian and an expert on everything Blackbeard. Eva contacts an expert that she knows, to authenticate the coins. William had been told that the death of his estranged wife was accidental, but now he wonders if she was also murdered. When two more coins are found in the local church, the mystery deepens. When Eva’s life is in danger, will they find and stop the killer in time? The story was a bit slow in the beginning, but moved along as I became more aware of the characters and their history. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (paytonpuppy)

about pirates, treasure ,mystery even about Blackbeard the pirate. It took me so long to finish it not because I was a bad book but I couldn’t catch up with the Rythm. Is a well written story and for me a solid 3.5 stars.

(3.5 stars rounded up to 4)

This was a lovely, enjoyable mystery! Dare I say, it was almost borderline cozy mystery-esque for me? Maybe that's because I read a lot of thrillers that are grittier and darker. If you're looking for a mystery without the violent/gory/bloody details, or if you're a history buff, then I'd definitely recommend this one.

I went into this book blindly, and it was quite serendipitous that just weeks ago, I watched a documentary on the History Channel about Blackbeard. As such, some of the details were familiar to me, and I loved the way in which Collins created a fictitious diary and happenings with regards to Mary and their child. The idea of descendants of Blackbeard was so cool!

The gossiping quartet of seniors at the local dinner was quite funny and so representative of small-town living. There are some poignant moments surrounding grief and loss, and they were seamlessly intertwined with the mysterious deaths.

A good story about pirates, treasure ,mystery and murder.
Even some history on Blackbeard the pirate.
Drama, twists, suspense.
Liked the characters and story.
Voluntarily reviewed.