Scenes from Grand Strand will appear in new mystery book written by local author

Locals can expect to see familiar sights in the fourth installment of a Myrtle Beach-inspired mystery book series, set to release in May.

“Death on the Causeway,” written by local award-winning author Caleb Wygal, will release on May 9. It picks up several months after the events of book three, “Death on the Golden Mile.”

Wygal moved with his family to the Myrtle Beach area in 2019. His inspiration for a mystery series came during a quiet time in the car driving up and down Ocean Boulevard with his son in the back, Wygal said.

“I pitched it to my publisher, and they loved it,” Wygal said. “They told me to stop what I was working on then, and it worked out.”

Each story follows a specific theme in Myrtle Beach, such as entertainment, fine arts and the hospitality industry. “Death on the Causeway” explores the Myrtle Beach restaurant scene.

Main character Clark Thomas goes on a chase up and down the Grand Strand as he tries to help a young restaurant food vlogger who is separated from her fiancé.

Some familiar sights locals can expect to see are the Marshwalk, Barefoot Landing, the Boardwalk and Johnny D’s in Surfside Beach.

“My wife and I consider ourselves to be amateur foodies,” Wygal said in release about the book. “We even run a Myrtle Beach Foodie Instagram account together. When thinking of a theme for this book, exploring restaurants through the lens of a Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives type couple seemed like a natural and fun environment in which to tell a captivating story.”

Wygal is currently working on the fifth book in the series, “Death at Tidal Creek.” This book is inspired by Tidal Creek Brewhouse in Market Common.

“Death on the Causeway,” is available for pre-order at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Books-A-Million in paperback for $14.99, hardcover for $19.99, and on Amazon’s Kindle for $3.99, according to the release.

Wygal will be on a book tour around the Grand Strand promoting the book. Here are some upcoming events.

• 11 a.m. May 2, Litchfield Books in Pawleys Island will host Wygal at Piccolo Café
• 3:30 p.m. May 7, Back Again Bookshop will hold a launch party, introducing the book with themed food and a drawing to spend an afternoon with Wygal and his family at a Myrtle Beach Pelicans Game.
  
  
• Noon to 4 p.m. May 13, Barnes and Noble will hold a book signing event for “Death on the Causeway.”

You can find more information about the mystery series on Wygal’s website.