Some storms don't roll in from the ocean... they rise from the past.

Trouble has a way of finding Clark Thomas, even when he's convinced life has finally settled down. After marrying former detective Gina Gomez, he imagines days filled with comfort, routine of running his bookstore, and the quiet rhythm of coastal living. But the peace they've worked for shatters when a friend from Clark's past is found murdered beside the pool at her Surfside Beach home, and her husband is nowhere to be found.

What first appears to be a burglary gone wrong quickly proves to be anything but. The couple weren't just old friends living a carefree beachside life. They were key researchers at OceanAi, a rising powerhouse in ocean-mapping technology whose breakthroughs have drawn attention from far outside the South Carolina coast. Rumors of stolen data and accelerating off-the-record interest spread through the Grand Strand, pulling Clark and Gomez into a dangerous web of secrets.

As they dig deeper, threads from the present begin tying themselves to long-forgotten crimes and buried motives that were never meant to resurface. Every clue opens a new question. Every discovery tightens the pressure. And every step forward reveals that the shadows surrounding the case reach far wider than anyone suspected.

Navigating shifting loyalties, hidden agendas, and threats coming from every direction, Clark and Gomez must rely on their instincts, their experience, and one another. What began as a simple attempt to help a friend soon becomes a race to uncover the truth before history repeats itself.

Set along the vibrant, sun-washed shores of Surfside Beach and the greater Grand Strand, Death in Surfside blends the warmth of coastal living with gripping suspense. Readers who enjoy clean thrillers, small-town crime, and character-driven mysteries will find themselves immersed in a world where every secret matters and every tide brings something new to the shore.