Every month, Fresh Fiction readers look forward to Amazon First Reads selections, searching for stories that offer something truly memorable, books that linger long after the final page. Fresh Fiction also helps readers connect directly to bookstores so they can easily find and enjoy the titles we feature. This June, bestselling author Mary Burton delivers exactly that with THE SKY BENEATH HER, a gripping blend of historical mystery, family secrets, and emotional discovery set against the haunting beauty of North Carolina’s Outer Banks.
Selected as an Amazon First Reads pick, THE SKY BENEATH HER is available to Amazon Prime members as part of the June First Reads lineup a full month before its official release. It’s an ideal pick for readers looking to start their summer with an immersive, atmospheric read.
A First Reads Pick with Heart and Mystery
At its core, THE SKY BENEATH HER balances emotional depth with suspenseful storytelling. Mary Burton weaves together past and present in a way that draws readers into a mystery shaped by grief, memory, and long-buried truths.
Uncovering a Story Buried by Time
The story unfolds across two timelines separated by more than eighty years.
In the present day, Tula Cassidy returns to the Outer Banks still carrying the weight of grief after losing her mother in a tragic diving accident. Searching for answers and a sense of direction, she discovers a mysterious manuscript that pulls her into a forgotten story from World War II.
In 1942, Gertrude is crossing the Atlantic aboard the passenger ship Oceanus, carrying secrets of her own as danger lurks beneath the waves. As Tula begins to uncover fragments of the past, she realizes the truth she’s been searching for may have been hidden decades before her own story began.
An Atmospheric Journey to the Outer Banks
This dual timeline novel delivers everything readers love about historical fiction, richly drawn characters, unfolding mysteries, and emotional threads that connect generations. Burton captures the rugged beauty and layered history of the Outer Banks, weaving in shipwreck lore and coastal atmosphere that makes the setting feel as compelling as the story itself.
Praise for Mary Burton’s Latest Novel
Early readers are already responding to its emotional depth and suspenseful storytelling:
“A haunting Outer Banks mystery layered with family secrets and emotional suspense.” — Yeni
“Dual timelines, emotional depth, and unforgettable characters.” — Debbie
“A compelling blend of historical mystery and emotional discovery.” — Pamela
Whether you’re a longtime Fresh Fiction reader or discovering Mary Burton for the first time, THE SKY BENEATH HER offers an immersive reading experience filled with mystery, resilience, and the enduring ties between past and present.
If you’re choosing your Amazon First Reads selection this June, Fresh Fiction encourages you to explore this standout title and find it through your preferred bookstore or retailer.
THE SKY BENEATH HER by Mary Ellen Taylor
Narrator: Sarah Naughton
An unforgettable tale of lost love and buried truths, where the mysteries of a famous shipwreck hold the key to one woman’s future—and the truth of her mother’s final days.
It’s been seven years since a tragic diving accident took her mother’s life, leaving Tula Cassidy with a crushing fear of the sea. The ocean she once loved is no longer a part of her. And she can’t imagine it ever will be again.
Until her return to the Outer Banks changes everything.
While clearing out an old beach house, Tula receives a mysterious manuscript about the Oceanus. The passenger ship’s final voyage ended in disaster in 1942, and its underwater wreckage ultimately became her mother’s final resting place.
As Tula unravels the ship’s haunting history, she uncovers not only an unexpected family connection, but also a story of survival that helps her understand her own journey toward healing.
With help from Nathan, the charming dive instructor she left behind years ago, Tula faces her deepest fears to unloc
Women’s Fiction Contemporary [ Montlake, On Sale: July 1, 2026, Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9781662530142 / ]
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About Mary Ellen Taylor
Timeless Women’s Fiction
A southerner by birth, Mary Ellen Taylor’s love of her home state, Virginia, is evident in her contemporary women’s fiction, including Winter Cottage, Spring House and Honeysuckle Season, and her latest The Words We Whisper. She’s also celebrated the city of Alexandria and its storied history in her books The Union Street Bakery, Sweet Expectations, At the Corner of King Street, and The View from Prince Street.
As do so many people, her protagonists search for their place in the world, exploring issues of family, home, love, and belonging. Inevitably, Mary Ellen’s stories entwine with those of the places in which they’re set, and the mysteries at their core span past and present.
Mary Ellen is also known nationally as New York Times and USA Today bestselling suspense novelist Mary Burton. Together, they have published forty-five novels and five novellas.
When not traveling or holed up writing, Mary Ellen spends time with her husband enjoying their empty nest and spoiling their miniature dachshunds, Buddy, Bella and Tiki.
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