Channel Lights

Loved channel lights! I was swept away by the cast of characters and Smith’s uncanny ability to capture Rhode Island summer! It has everything you might like in a novel: spice, thrill, beach read, mystery, coming of age. No spoilers here - get this book and start planning your trip to block island you’ll want to see Smith’s world for yourself!

What an amazing beach read ! Or a read for a time when you’re missing the feeling of the warm summer sun on your skin. The characters are so well thought out and inviting, you can’t put the book down. As someone who has worked in a RI beach town in the summer of my early 20s , this book is spot on. The complexity of emotion from fear , excitement, intrigue and of course a little bit of mystery. I can’t wait to see what happens next with Ryland and the gang.

Set in a quintessential New England city, this book perfectly blends the nostalgia of summer with a heartwarming story of love and friendship. It starts with a question many of us have faced: what do you do when your career path hits a dead end? From there, the author takes us on a wild ride through mystery and treasure hunting. The characters feel so real they could be your own friends. I truly loved this book and can’t wait to see what the author writes next!

WOW! The book jacket says it all! Absolutely charming and delightfully mysterious. Even if you don't love all things Block Island , as I do, you will be thoroughly captivated. And surely, you will want to visit. A must beach read, or anytime of year, for that matter! We want more - Mattie Henry Smith!

Matthew Henry Smith’s Channel Lights was such a breath of fresh air. The story follows two best friends who retreat to Block Island for the summer after losing their jobs. While the murder mystery kept me hooked, it was the characters and the unexpected LGBT inclusive romantic element that truly made the book for me. What I loved most was how down-to-earth and relatable the protagonists are. Unlike Poirot or Miss Marple, they aren’t "super-sleuths" with uncanny, all-knowing powers of observation, and they aren't written with the hyper-fixated traits often seen in modern detectives. They just feel like regular people trying to navigate a messy situation with common sense and intuition. It made the stakes feel much higher because they were learning as they went, just like the reader. The heart of the book is definitely the community. I was really moved by the friends they made on the island and how those people stepped up to help them solve the mystery. Seeing that "found family" dynamic play out and watching a genuine romance blossom amidst the chaos added a layer of hope and warmth that you don't always find in a thriller. If you want a mystery that feels grounded in reality, with characters you’d actually want to hang out with at a beach bonfire, Channel Lights is a fantastic choice. It’s a polished, heartfelt, and very human story that perfectly balances suspense with a touch of romance.