Return to Breakneck Island by Tom Ryan: Book Review

Return to Breakneck Island is the second book in The Treasure Hunters Club series by Canadian author Tom Ryan. Expected to be released on October 6, 2026, it takes readers back to Maple Bay, Nova Scotia. One night in 1932, the lighthouse keeper and his family disappeared without a trace, but stories of a treasure remained. Almost 100 years later, Peter, Cass, and Dandy find themselves drawn to Breakneck Island. Can they solve the mystery of the missing family and find the treasure? Or will they just become part of the island’s legacy?

I want to thank Simon & Schuster Canada and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Return to Breakneck Island. All opinions presented here are my own.

Synopsis from Goodreads

Breakneck nestled precariously off the coast of Maple Bay, the lighthouse atop this rocky outcrop is all that stands between safe passage and nautical disaster.

For generations, the MacLeary family lived on Breakneck Island in an isolated and physically-demanding existence. One night in 1932, after a ruthless storm battered all of Maple Bay, the MacLearys disappeared without a trace, leaving behind only whispers of a missing fortune.

Nearly a century later, three people are drawn to Breakneck Island and its perplexing Peter Barnett, a recent Maple Bay transplant who’s piecing his life back together and possibly catching feelings for a charming professor; Dandy Feltzen, a wistful teenage girl searching for new beginnings while juggling the arrival of an unexpected visitor; and Cass Jones, a successful author given a cryptic tip for a haunting new story.

As Peter, Dandy, and Cass are drawn into the orbit of one of Maple Bay’s darkest mysteries, dangers past and present collide on the rocky shores of Breakneck Island, and the real story of the MacLearys finally comes into focus. But if the island is to reveal its oldest secrets, it may demand fresh bodies in return.

My Opinions

I added Return to Breakneck Island to my TBR when I learned it was being released. Why? Because I read the first book in the series, The Treasure Hunters Club, a couple of years ago and loved it. You can find my review for that here.

Return to Breakneck Island is told through a dual timeline and features multiple POVs. Because of the multiple timelines and POVs, it can be confusing at times. Each chapter is labeled with the name of the character whose POV we are getting. If it is a POV from the past, the year is also included. But with so many POVs, it can be a bit confusing.

I will admit I enjoyed the parts set in the past a tad more than the parts set in the present. There was more drama and tension in 1932. That’s not to say there isn’t any drama or tension in the present, because there definitely is. But the past was a bit tenser.

Overall, I enjoyed my return visit to Maple Bay, and am looking forward to returning. I only ask that it not take two years.

Who will enjoy reading Return to Breakneck Island? Obviously, anyone who has read The Treasure Hunters Club, as I recommend reading it first so you understand some of the events in this book. Who will enjoy reading The Treasure Hunters Club? Anyone who enjoys reading mysteries with some action. The first book was compared to the movie The Goonies, and that is a fairly accurate description of this series.

Are you looking for some more books to read? Check out my bookish lists, book reviews, and monthly reading wrap-ups.