I came for a stormy coastal mystery and left annoyed. The cliffside scream, the fireworks fake-out, and squad cars at the watch party create noise, not tension.
Mars is smart, sure, but the podcast obsession crowds every scene. Episode recaps, mic checks, timestamps, buzzwords. The case gets buried under production notes.
The rivalry with Rowan feels assigned by committee. One chapter they spar, the next they share a too-tidy clue exchange, and the spark never warms into anything believable.
The so-called curse could have been eerie, yet it turns into a chorus of repeated warnings. Sheriff Dune says "tragic fall" so many times that I started counting. Mood evaporated.
By the time the body on the rocks connects back to the club, I was exhausted instead of intrigued. There is a good story under the static, but it is smothered by overstuffed beats and tonal whiplash.