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The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
EDITORIAL REVIEW
26th September 2025
TITLE: DAY DRINKERS

AUTHOR: KITTY TURNER

Star Rating: 4


“A strongly paced, adventure-filled drama with a cast of memorable, larger than life characters.” The Wishing Shelf

REVIEW
An interesting mix this novel. Partly adventure, partly thriller, partly philosophical – and I'd say, for the most part, it works well. It's the story of Gemma who's, well, bored. So she sets off on the good ship, Mariposa (named after Gemma's Grandmother) to an island of ill-repute owned by a music legend. There, she ends up getting involved in drug trafficking, the CIA, and a lot of powerful and greedy men. The result: a suspense-filled adventure with a 'nautical' feel to it in and around the waters of the Caribbean.
There's a lot to enjoy here. The pacing (after a bit of a slow start) is spot on, and the author works hard to develop her often over the top, larger than life characters. There's plenty of suspense too – particularly in the second half, and the author's not shy of putting Gemma's thoughts and feeling to paper. I also loved the Mariposa and Kitty Turner's knowledge of all things nautical and of that part of the world. I check out her bio and I see she's spent a lot of time in the Caribbean – well, it shows! ?
So, if you enjoy a little adventure, exotic settings, and getting to know memorable characters, this book is for you. It's a little gritty in parts, but there's humour too – and the plot is always unpredictable. I think most readers will like Gemma, and they'll be rooting for her to find what's she's looking for – a bright, exciting future. I wouldn't mind a bit of that myself.

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