Summary: Blood in the Water
Kaylani is spending the summer on Martha’s Vineyard with the Watson family, her family friends, after her dad is imprisoned for fraud. She’s understandably sad to be without her father, but her parents want her to have some fun and be a kid despite the ups and downs in their lives. But when Kaylani arrives, the Watson grandkids, Cassie, and especially Kaylani’s agemate London, are snooty and unwelcoming. Things get worse when a teen boy is murdered just two nights later. All eyes are on Cassie because of her history with Chadwick. Kaylani and her band of new friends are determined to uncover the sinister mystery behind Chadwick’s death, but someone doesn’t want them digging.
The Good
I LOVED this book and couldn’t stop reading it once I started. It’s gripping from the very first chapter. Readers will feel the tension in the air as soon as Kaylani arrives on Martha’s Vineyard, and it only gets tighter and tighter until the story’s climax.
Kaylani is an easy character to root for. She’s smart, a total Daddy’s girl who’s struggling with his absence in her life, and many characters will appreciate their bond. I loved that Jackson keeps adults out of most of the story without resorting to contrived storylines, allowing the mystery to unfold in a natural and believable way.
Of course, this is a mystery, so there’s only so much I can say without spoiling it, but I loved the interplay of sibling dynamics, unlikely friendships, father-daughter love, and Black history on Martha’s Vineyard, all wrapped up in under 300 fast-paced pages. I would totally return to Martha’s Vineyard with Kaylani and her crew. I can see middle schoolers and young high schoolers just flying through this one, especially with that terrific book trailer to build anticipation!
Blood in the Water
Blood in the Water is a suspenseful, edge-of-your-seat thriller — an absolute homerun for middle schoolers yearning for a murder mystery. Tiffany D. Jackson redefines the middle-grade thriller genre by writing a book for tweens with a high-stakes mystery, in which the protagonist’s life is actually in danger. I couldn’t believe how incredibly well-written, short, suspenseful, and middle-grade appropriate this book is (dare I say, young YA appropriate too). Fantastic!
Star Rating
Content Notes
Here are some specifics to know about the content.
Content Warnings
- Death: A teenage boy’s body is found washed up.
- Alcohol/substance abuse: None.
- Sexual content: None.
- Violence: None.
- Language: None.
Diversity
- Ethnic: The main characters are Black.
- Sexual orientation: None.
Recommended for ages: 10+
Good for tweens and teens who like:
- Murder mysteries
- Thrillers
- Stories set during the summer
- Books about father-daughter relationships
- From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks
Publisher Details
| Publisher details | Scholastic |
| Author | Tiffany D. Jackson |
| Illustrator | N/A |
| Publication date | July 1, 2025 |
| Audiobook? | Yes, Libro.Fm |
| Page count: | 272 |
| Cover artists | Designer: |
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