Writer Sets New Mystery Series In Point Pleasant Beach

POINT PLEASANT BEACH, NJ — Lots of people love to read a good book when they go to the beach to relax. It's not often that the book they are reading is set at the Jersey Shore.

A new mystery by author J.T. Kunkel is changing that. "Under the Influence," which is set for release in March, is set in Point Pleasant Beach. It is the first in a mystery series Kunkel is writing starring main character Cordelia Corbett as the sleuth solving crimes.

Kunkel, who lives in central Pennsylvania, said he chose Point Pleasant Beach in part because he has come to the Jersey Shore many times over the years since he and his wife, Susan, were married.

"This is a cozy mystery series, and small towns make the perfect setting for those," Kunkel said, adding Point Pleasant Beach is "just a charming place."

The novel, his first attempt at fiction, features real-life businesses such as Kohr’s Frozen Custard, the Food Shack and the Little Point Book Store "to make it more relatable to those who live and visit there in the summer," Kunkel said.

In "Under the Influence," 30-year-old Cordelia Corbett returns to Point Pleasant Beach after 16 years away and rejoins her former boss at Kohr’s Frozen Custard. It's not long before they come across a crime scene on the boardwalk.

"Cordelia is drawn to a handsome stranger as they both lend a hand," the novel's plot description says. "Soon, love may be in the air between them, if they can stop butting heads long enough to let it grow. Or will Cordelia’s new obsession with crime-solving stand between them?"

Cordelia is "an unlikely heroine whose sass and wisdom work hand-in-hand to help her solve not only a mystery, but to deliver wisdom and social commentary on building friendships and community. A cozy mystery that entertains and has you cheering by the end!" a review of the book, by Jane Ver Mulm, reads.

Kunkel is a lifetime singer-songwriter whose day job is in finance. He tried his hand at professional songwriting, but chose to stay in the Northeast over moving to Nashville.

Writing a novel had been a dream, and after completing a memoir after a bout with a life-threatening illness, he decided to take a chance. "Under the Influence" is one of those efforts, he said.

It is set for a March 20 release from Fireship Press and is on sale now, Kunkel said.