Sixteen-year-old Aphra Behn Connolly investigates why her father let an unknown family stay at their exclusive tropical island resort, who strangled a famous rock star's girlfriend with her own bikini top, and what a smoldering teenaged guest is hiding.

When Aphra was a 10 years old, her father moved to an island to start a resort, and Aphra came with her. The only thing left behind was her mother. Almost every day new visitors come to the island, and Aphra helps them with there needs like everyone else, but when Seth comes to the island disguised as someone else, Aphra falls head over heals. The same day that Seth and his family come to the island, a strange foreign lady comes as well. She is very nice to Aphra and the rest of the staff, but under that thick skin of hers, is a face full of fury.

I recommend reading this book to anyone who likes the feeling of suspense. Throughout the entire book, you can feel something bad is going to happen. Events that lead up to the breathtaking ending make you want to flip the page over and over. I read this book so quickly, but it was not an easy read. Anything that highly peaks my interest makes me want to read as much as I can.

Story Synopsis of Death by Bikini: Aphra is a 16 year old who, with her father, runs an exclusive resort on the Atlantic Ocean. One of her many talents is the ability to ‘pick up’ languages, allowing her to speak a few fluently and several conversationally. For this reason, she is sent to greet a lovely Asian lady guest. Her excellent relationship with her father begins to erode with the surprise arrival of a family with whom she is warned not to interact. Tension gathers as murder and attempted murder mar her island paradise.

Story Synopsis of Death by Latte: Although she thought she was abandoned by her mother years earlier, Aphra learns that was not the case and sets out to confront her. Upon arriving in the city where her mother is hiding, she is once again pulled into the world of espionage and confronted by the family she met at the resort.

Story Synopsis of Death by Denim: Aphra’s abilities with languages support her as she must navigate through France and Italy in search of the man who is threatening her and her mother. Again, she is unsure who to trust and takes great pains to avoid entrapment by the ‘good guys’ who may not be so good.

Review: These books were great fun. Although designed for young adults, the snappy dialog, the realistic settings, and never knowing who the real ‘good guys’ are until the end of the trilogy make for enjoyable reading. The characters ring true through their actions and their interactions. I’m hoping this series will continue. ( )

I enjoyed Death By Bikini from the minute I started it. Linda Gerber did a great job expressing the murder into the story and the meaning of it even though it wasn't the main focus of the plot. She incorporated suspense, love, happiness, and thrill all in one book, and she amazed me. Gerber surprised me till the very last chapter of Death By Bikini with tragic and heartbreaking moments. I never knew what was coming next so it was incredibly hard to stop reading.
The events that go on with the main characters, Aphra and Seth, are so unbelievable and jaw dropping that the only author that could and did portray them to their full potential is Linda Gerber. Between Aphra’s sick dad, Seth’s supposedly dead family, and a maniac killer on the loose, I can’t imagine how two teenagers can handle it all and regain all that was lost and left behind. And to find out what is going to come out of this experience with Aphra and Seth will be expertly revealed in Gerber’s next two mysteries, Death By Latte and Death By Denim!