The Ghost Fields by Elly Griffiths

March 3, 2023 By Leave a Comment


The Ghost Fields by Elly Griffiths
Publisher: Quercus Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Historical, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

The chilling discovery of a downed World War II plane with a body inside leads Ruth and DCI Nelson to uncover a wealthy family’s secrets in this Ruth Galloway mystery.

It’s a blazing hot summer in Norfolk when a construction crew unearths a downed American fighter plane from World War II with a body inside. Forensic archeologist Ruth Galloway determines that the skeleton couldn’t possibly be the pilot, and DNA tests identify the man as Fred Blackstock, a local aristocrat long presumed dead—news that seems to frighten his descendants. Events are further complicated by a TV company that wants to make a film about Norfolk’s deserted air force bases, the so-called ghost fields, which the Blackstocks have converted into a pig farm. As production begins, Ruth notices a mysterious man loitering at Fred Blackstock’s memorial service. Then human bones are found on the family’s pig farm and the weather quickly turns. Can the team outrace a looming flood to find the killer?

When a large field – previously used by planes in World War 2 – is dug up in preparation for a bunch of new apartments to be built an American WW2 aircraft is found, with a dead pilot inside. Nelson calls in Ruth to examine the site and the body and to see if this is a purely historical site or if something more sinister is going on. What secrets is the ghost field harboring?

I have been enjoying this series and really feel the author and characters are beginning to come into a strong place. Ruth and Nelson still have a lot of stuff to work out, but they’re finding a balance between Nelson’s wife and other children and where Ruth and Kate fit in amongst all that, and Ruth in particular to my mind seems to be hitting her stride when it comes to being both a mother and her career in archaeology. There are still ups and downs and plenty going on – but I really enjoyed this book and the feel that things were starting to get a rhythm and hit their stride.

I also really enjoyed how the author did a commendable job in my opinion on balancing the past and the present. There were no flashbacks (which I tend to find jarring and annoying more often than not) but the story clearly wove between what happened in the second world war and how it was relevant and still guiding the families and characters in the present day. Throw in a tv show, plenty of housing development money and ordinary greed/secrets into the various motives and this was a really strongly plotted and interesting murder mystery.

The plot is very well contained to just this story. Many of the secondary characters have quite a bit of history and while I don’t feel this weighs the book down or would be too annoying for readers who come to this story fresh, I really do feel that at least some of the previous books should have been read for the full enjoyment to be experienced. This is a great series so I feel it would be worthwhile to go and start at the beginning but admit this book totally can be picked up and enjoyed by itself.

Strongly plotted with interesting characters this book is an excellent blend of archaeology and present-day murder mystery and I really enjoyed it.

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In Harm’s Way by Viveca Sten

March 1, 2023 By Leave a Comment


In Harm’s Way by Viveca Sten
Publisher: Amazon Crossing
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

The body of world-famous journalist Jeanette Thiels is discovered the day after Christmas, frozen in a snow-covered garden just steps from her hotel on Sandhamn Island. Detective Thomas Andreasson finds it highly unlikely that it was some bizarre accident. After all, the relentless war-zone correspondent was no stranger to conflict and controversy—both professional and, of late, very personal. Who would want to see her dead is another story.

Enlisting the help of attorney Nora Linde, his longtime friend on holiday, Thomas is anxious for the answers. But he and Nora don’t have to look far. The clues are leading them closer to home than they imagined. Jeanette may have made a career out of exposing corruption at the highest levels of world power, but she was also a woman with secrets of her own, and they’re coming to light on Sandhamn. For Thomas and Nora, unearthing the deeply rooted deceptions behind Jeanette’s death could now put those closest to her in harm’s way, too.

When a famous Swedish journalist’s body is found just a short distance outside her hotel room, frozen in the Christmas snow, Detective Thomas Andreasson’s own festive season is suddenly cut short. As they investigate the work and private life surrounding the journalist a number of different theories quickly show the woman lived a brave – almost reckless – life. Can they work out who wanted this journalist dead enough to do something about it so callously?

This is an excellent addition to the series, and I found myself really enjoying this book. While it’s a number of stories into the series I strongly feel this book can stand very well alone on its own and readers new to this author shouldn’t be shy about picking it up. I thought the author did an excellent job very briefly explaining the relationships and various situations surrounding the main characters and how they all interact. I really enjoyed how that didn’t bog down the story or flow of the plot.

I could understand if some readers feel like the main thrust of the plot started off a little slow – but personally I enjoyed that we got to see a bit of the journalist and her character and circumstances before she was killed. I felt this added quite a bit to the atmosphere and actually kept me guessing as to what, exactly, had happened in the lead up to her death. I thought seeing things from her perspective (and not the killer’s) meant while the reader was witness to much of the main death, I found it kept a lot of the secrets and mystery intact and helped with the vibe of the whole situation.

Readers looking for a heavily action orientated story might find this book is somewhat lacking – this is more of a police procedural style of story and uncovering all the secrets and the various character’s motives bit by bit and not in a rush. I also enjoyed that the plotline surrounding Nora – Thomas’ long-term friend and the other main character – was very well handled and meshed well to my mind with the main murder mystery.

I feel this is a very well-paced and well written murder mystery with an interesting set of characters and a solid plot. I enjoyed the police procedural aspect to the story and loved all the Scandinavian details. A good book, and a series I am enjoying.

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Blood Trail by David J. Gatward

February 28, 2023 By Leave a Comment


Blood Trail by David J. Gatward
Publisher: Weirdstone Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

A gruesome tradition, a blood-spattered crime scene, and a killer hiding in plain sight.

Detective Harry Grimm is a worried man. When a group of vigilante locals start patrolling the Dales in response to a recent spate of crimes, he is forced to warn them off. Things only get more complicated when he is called out to multiple crime scenes – each with plenty of blood but no bodies.

Very soon, though, body parts start turning up. Delivered in a way that echoes a local poem and an old-but-grisly village ceremony. Faced with the bloody evidence in front of him, Grimm soon realises that his worst fears have come true: someone has already taken the law into their own hands.

With an ancient tradition being used to commit modern-day murder, can this battle-scarred detective stop the lanes of the Dales running red with blood?

A group of locals from the Dales have formed a group, patrolling their farms and streets, determined to eke out their own brand of justice after a string of local petty crimes. DCI Harry Grimm is very worried, not just because of the increase in crime, but he’s seen how very quickly – and violently – such well-meaning assistance can spiral out of hand. Soon, a few crimes scenes are drenched in blood – but where are the bodies? When pieces begin to turn up, Harry knows that he needs to solve this and fast.

I’ve been really enjoying this series and found this book to be an excellent addition. Well into the Harry Grimm series I feel readers will get a fuller understanding if they have read at least a few of the previous books – but that’s not strictly necessary as the main characters and certainly the plot and mystery are very well explained and well contained within this story. Much of the links and camaraderie between particularly Harry’s team and the forensic technicians, however, come from the previous cases and the characters all working together and sharing so much history.

One of the things I really like with this series is just how relatable and “normal” the crimes and plotlines are. This isn’t some organized crime or street gang style deeply convoluted mystery plot. It’s a bunch of local – fairly normal – people being somewhat hot headed and misled. I felt this was a very relatable plot and something most readers should be able to associate with. Equally, I liked how none of the main characters are perfect, Matt is over-tired from being a new father, Harry has a bit of a temper, Rebecca is going stir-crazy on sick leave and jumps the gun getting back to work – they are not picture-perfect characters who never put a foot wrong. I feel this really helps not only keep my interest, but also lets me feel like the characters are more human.

Readers looking for a thoroughly enjoyable police procedural style of murder mystery set in the Dales countryside should find this (and all the other books in this series) a strong and lovely read.

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A Minute To Midnight by David Baldacci

February 27, 2023 By Leave a Comment


A Minute To Midnight by David Baldacci
Publisher: Pan Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

FBI Agent Atlee Pine’s life was never the same after her twin sister Mercy was kidnapped — and likely killed — thirty years ago. After a lifetime of torturous uncertainty, Atlee’s unresolved anger finally gets the better of her on the job, and she finds she has to deal with the demons of her past if she wants to remain with the FBI.

Atlee and her assistant Carol Blum head back to Atlee’s rural hometown in Georgia to see what they can uncover about the traumatic night Mercy was taken and Pine was almost killed. But soon after Atlee begins her investigation, a local woman is found ritualistically murdered, her face covered with a wedding veil — and the first killing is quickly followed by a second bizarre murder.

Atlee is determined to continue her search for answers, but now she must also set her sights on finding a potential serial killer before another victim is claimed. But in a small town full of secrets — some of which could answer the questions that have plagued Atlee her entire life — and digging deeper into the past could be more dangerous than she realizes . . .

Special Agent Atlee Pine is forced into taking some downtime after she loses control rescuing a small girl from her kidnapper. With her friend and assistant, Pine decides to use this time to return to the small town where everything began for her – the place where her twin sister Mercy was kidnapped and probably murdered. Pine and Blum start to ask questions and many of the folk in the town still recall Atlee from her youth. Only then murders begin to happen in this small, sleepy little town with virtually no crime. Can they get to the bottom of what’s really happening?

This is the second book featuring Agent Atlee Pine and I thought it was a good addition to the series. The main plot arc through this series definitely appears to be Atlee Pine discovering what happened to her twin sister that day many years ago and while the story is absolutely convoluted, I feel there definitely was some progress to it. The many threads to this plot, however, does tend to make the story as a whole feel slower paced and more meandering than I’m used to in action/thrillers and most mystery books – particularly since it spans over a number of books and obviously can’t be resolved within just the one story. While I can understand the appeal of this, I also can see why some readers might feel this slows the pace a bit more than they’d like.

I thought the author had a good balance between giving a significant amount of time to the plot of Mercy and what happened all those year ago, but equally the investigation into the recent murder and the plot of the newer killer. This is quite a large book and so I thought while the plots were both pretty large, they both added significantly to the story. I also thought the newer murders helped the book not feel too bogged down in the past. The history tended to make the story feel slower and I definitely thought the fresher murders helped inject some action and quicker pace into the story as a whole.

Readers looking for a fast paced, action type of thriller might not find this story suits quite what they’re after. I also feel that while this story can be read as a standalone enough headway was made in Atlee investigating her sister’s kidnapping this book will be critical for those wanting to move forward with the rest of the series. Readers who enjoy a convoluted plot and multiple strong storylines all running concurrently likely will feel this is a solid mystery and well worth their time.

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Borderlands by LJ Ross

February 20, 2023 By Leave a Comment


Borderlands by LJ Ross
Publisher: Dark Skies Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

When the gods made man, they made a weapon…

After uncovering a fresh wave of corruption within the ranks of Northumbria CID, Detective Chief Inspector Ryan was looking forward to an uneventful summer. But, when a young woman is shot dead on the remote army ranges of the Northumberland National Park, Ryan is called in to investigate.

Meanwhile, violent crimes are being committed across sites of historic importance in the North East, the perpetrator leaving only a graffitied symbol as their calling card. As the body count rises, Ryan and his team must unravel the mystery behind its meaning – before it’s too late…

Murder and mystery are peppered with romance and humour in this fast-paced crime whodunnit set amidst the spectacular Northumbrian landscape.

DCI Ryan is called out to a tragic accident in the remote army ranges inside the Northumberland National Park. A woman has been shot during the night-time training sessions and they need to work out who she is and how she came to be so far out in the countryside. Meanwhile Jack and the newly promoted Mel remain back in town struggling to discover the group responsible for a series of arson attacks that appear to be motivated only to stir up hatred and fear. Can they solve both these cases before more people are killed?

I found this to be an interesting and well-paced mystery story. While there are two separate main plotlines running, I felt the author did a good job handling them equally and not letting one of the other take over too much of the story. I was also pleased we got a little bit more insight and movement in Ryan and Anna’s personal relationship which I felt was well-needed after the last few books where the plot – and Frank and Denise’s relationship – has taken more of the front seat.

Readers who haven’t read any of the previous book in this series should still be able to enjoy the two main murder plotlines. I feel they might struggle a little more with all the history and friendship between the main characters – as that has been well established over the last 14 books and so there’s that ease and familiarity that exists between them. That said, the plot and mystery is very well explained and unique to this book – so there’s no prior history needed for that. But readers might not have quite the emotional attachment to the characters if this is the first book they’re trying in this series.

Readers looking for an enjoyable British police procedural style of mystery novel should find this hits the spot. While there’s not a super fast plotline – more of a ‘who done it’ type of mystery and not an action or thriller with a fast pace – this is a solid story and I found it enjoyable.

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Dead And Buried by John Carson

February 15, 2023 By Leave a Comment


Dead And Buried by John Carson
Publisher: Vellum
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Fern

Sometimes, the past is better left behind…

Detective Chief Inspector Harry McNeil had found himself back in CID after a leave of absence saw his team disbanded. Now he’s been temporarily assigned to an existing Major Investigation team, working alongside his old friend, Detective Inspector Frank Miller, after Miller’s DCI dies suddenly.

A body is found in the city centre, torn to pieces. It’s reminiscent of a cold case from years ago and the victim is quickly identified, bringing the old murder enquiry back front and centre.

There’s new management in the Edinburgh police division, and old friends have been replaced by new enemies. Not everybody wants to see Harry McNeil succeed.

But that’s not going to stop him and Frank Miller from tackling the cold case head on, with help from a couple of Glasgow detectives.

But nothing is what it seems. Starting with the death of Miller’s DCI.

Harry and the team find out that some cold cases were meant to be left alone, and that sometimes the past should be left dead and buried…

It’s been months since DCI Harry McNeil lost his wife Alex, and while he’s recovered from some time away to get over the initial shock, things haven’t settled down too much just yet. His old team has been disbanded and Harry has been temporarily assigned to an existing Major Investigations team. When one of DI Frank Miller’s CIs dies unexpectedly Frank and Harry find themselves working together to solve a new case. But they find that some old friends have been replaced by new enemies and not everyone wants to see Harry – or Frank – succeed in finding justice.

I was pleased to find this book was quite a bit longer than a number of others in this series. With the cast of well-known secondary characters growing and the world of both Harry and Frank growing larger I was glad to see the length of the story has equally grown in size. I felt quite a bit of sympathy for Harry – he’s had a pretty rough time of it in the last few months and with his team disbanded – and the loss of the emotional and working comforts that provided – added to the loss of his wife and previous professional partner there’s been some major upheavals for Harry and getting his new rhythm hasn’t been easy. In some respects, this has to have added to Harry’s burden, but I found it also cleared the slate a lot for readers who might not have read all (or many) of the previous books. Harry is starting out with a bunch of new colleagues and the crimes and criminals are all quite new – so much of the backstory and weight of the previous books in the series isn’t there and won’t be a deterrent to readers new to the series.

That said there are still plenty of friendly faces and characters the readers should know and there’s plenty of support for Harry as well. I found these new cases were well plotted and interesting enough to keep me eagerly turning the pages trying to solve what was going on before Harry and his team could. Readers who enjoy a lot of banter and wit along with their Scottish Police procedural style of crime novels should definitely find this an enjoyable and well-paced story.

A solid book with plenty of twists and turns and a stack of interesting characters (both good and bad) this is a fun and enjoyable Scottish police procedural style of mystery/suspense story and well worth a read. Recommended.

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One Bad Turn by David J. Gatward

February 10, 2023 By Leave a Comment


One Bad Turn by David J. Gatward
Publisher: Weirdstone Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

A murderous puzzle.

A compromised crime scene.

One DCI whose determination to nail the killer could cost him his life …

Detective Harry Grimm can’t catch a break. When his much-needed vacation is interrupted by a call reporting a decomposed corpse, he races home to examine the gruesome remains. Learning the young woman was tortured, he’s stunned when the peaceful countryside site explodes, destroying evidence and causing more death.

Uncovering clues from the victim’s car, Grimm struggles to keep up with a cunning killer when he discovers yet another body. But when the seasoned DCI examines the grisly murder and compares forensics, he’s alarmed when the patterns match those of a brutal drug dealer he put behind bars years back.

Can this hardened cop nab a wily crook before his own blood stains the picturesque dales?

One Bad Turn is the ninth book in the gripping Harry Grimm police procedural series. If you like high-stakes drama, wounded heroes, and unexpected twists, then you’ll love David J. Gatward’s thrilling cat-and-mouse chase.

DCI Harry Grimm is called back from a brief vacation when what appears at first to be an ordinary missing person case quickly spirals out of control. With a number of casualties and members of his own team in harms way once again Harry is more determined than ever to uncover what’s going on and return their little section of the Dales to regular life.

I found this book to be an excellent addition into the series. While the team and characters are all working very well together as a cohesive unit, I strongly feel that readers can pick this book up without any of the prior stories and follow along very easily. The characters and their relationships are quickly and simply explained, the central plotline is very well detailed and readers should be able to fully grasp what’s happening with no prior knowledge.

Personally, I really enjoy Grimm’s character and leadership of the local team. Many of the small hitches and awkwardness of getting into a routine and people getting to know each other has long ago smoothed out and the camaraderie and genuine caring has solidified between the team members which to me personally makes for excellent reading. I also was pretty interested right from the beginning in the plot and learning more about the victim. The fact a few unusual things happening near the start of the discovery of the crime scene just made me more eager to find out what was happening, and I felt the pace and action in the plotline was very well handled by the author.

An interesting British murder mystery I feel this book has a lot going for it with strong, layered characters, a good plot with plenty of action and a decent pace that a reader can keep engrossed in. I’m very happy with this story and will definitely be reading more in the series. Recommended.

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Down Among The Dead by Damien Boyd

February 6, 2023 By Leave a Comment


Down Among The Dead by Damien Boyd
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Somerset’s bloody past meets a dangerous present in this thriller from the bestselling DI Nick Dixon crime series.

When a badly decomposed body is discovered during an archaeological dig on the Sedgemoor battlefield, Avon and Somerset police are notified immediately. The remains are recent, and Detective Chief Inspector Peter Lewis knows exactly who they have found.

A single stab wound from a curved blade implicates convicted serial killer Daniel Parker, who Lewis arrested fifteen years ago.

With Parker’s appeal hearing imminent, Lewis comes under intense pressure to pin this new murder on him quickly and quietly. It’s an open and shut case—and Lewis should know—so why then does he insist on assigning it to DI Nick Dixon?

As Dixon starts to re-examine the original investigation, shocking revelations come in from the forensics team. And just as Dixon’s worst fears begin to surface, another body is found…

Fifteen years ago, DCI Lewis was just an underling who happened to be in the right place at the right time for a major arrest – that of a notorious serial killer. Only, in his gut, Lewis never felt the conviction was right and he hasn’t enjoyed an easy sleep since what he felt might be the wrong man was imprisoned. Now, as a new body is discovered on the very cusp of this prisoner having his appeal heard, there is only one man Lewis can trust to do the investigation right and not bow to any pressure – no matter how high up it comes from.

This is an interesting and enjoyable British police procedural murder mystery. There is a tiny bit of archeology and historical re-enactment that I thoroughly enjoyed, and I thought added well to the plot. I also was glad the author did an excellent job of laying out the groundwork for a few moving parts of the plot including both the victims and police working both in the past and present. I felt this was a well plotted story and it absolutely kept my attention right from the beginning.

I was also pretty relieved that a number of the more regular members of DI Nick Dixon’s team were back in play. The last few books Dixon has been working with a few other divisions and officers and while his regular team has always remained in the background, I was pleased to see the team come back together and I greatly enjoyed the familiarity and smooth way they all meshed back together and worked as a team. I strongly feel this added to the appeal I had for this story. I also was pleased Dixon’s fiancé – and her half-sister – added to the storyline. I was pleased the author seemed to be returning Dixon back to his roots a bit more.

Readers looking for a heavily action base plot or something really fast paced won’t find that here. I definitely felt the investigation moved at a decent clip, but this was solidly a police procedural and smaller town type of murder mystery – no massive car chases or helicopters or movie style of shenanigans here. This was a well written and very well plotted British police mystery and exactly what I was hoping for.

A good story in a great series I definitely enjoy.

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Penshaw by LJ Ross

February 1, 2023 By Leave a Comment


Penshaw by LJ Ross
Publisher: Dark Skies Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Fern

When you sell your soul, the devil gives no refunds…

When an old man is burned alive in a sleepy ex-mining village, Detective Chief Inspector Ryan is called in to investigate. He soon discovers that, beneath the facade of a close-knit community, the burn from decades-old betrayal still smoulders. When everyone had a motive, can he unravel the secrets of the past before the killer strikes again?

Meanwhile, back at Northumbria CID, trouble is brewing with rumours of a mole in Ryan’s department. With everyone under suspicion, can he count on anybody but himself?

Murder and mystery are peppered with romance and humour in this fast-paced crime whodunnit set amidst the spectacular Northumbrian landscape.

When an old man is burned alive in his small, village home DCI Ryan first things it should be a fairly simple case. Only he quickly discovers there is plenty of decades-old tension simmering just under the surface and a number of old grudges and betrayals that have never really been put to rest. Also, with a number of the police divisions merging together – lines are blurring, and DCI Ryan’s team are no longer exactly who is trustworthy and who might have sinister other agendas.

I found this to be an interesting and decently plotted police procedural type of mystery story. There is a bit of romance in the sidelines between some of the main characters – two sets of very well-established couples and Jack and Mel are trying to sort out will they or won’t they take that plunge. I found the two main mystery plots to be very well written and solid additions to the story but found myself a bit disappointed with the whole Jack/Mel situation. Without giving too much away I found them both to act a bit immaturely – with Mel throwing a number of Jack’s previous mistakes in his face during an argument and Jack knowing he was in a bit over his head and refusing to reach out to Frank or Ryan to even get their advice – let alone ask for help. While each problem is excusable, it really felt to me like they were both showing how immature and not sensible they were being, particularly considering the fact they’ve each been in similar situations before and clearly not learned anything from it. It soured me a little on them both which was a shame.

That said I thought the arson investigation was a solidly written plot and I enjoyed the way the author linked the small mining town back to the past and really captured the feeling of both the residents in a small village like that and the way wounds can fester over time. I also thought the tensions and inter-office conflict with a number of the various police forces coming together and needing to work together as a unit was exceptionally well handled. With so many different groups – all having worked in their own divisions and teams for so long – and so many different dynamics and ego’s all being crammed together and suddenly needing to share and co-exist the drama and issues really felt well-handled and realistic. It added a lot of conflict and drama to the interactions and story without feeling as if plot devices were being dragged around the regular team and dynamics and things being added just to create tension. I thought it was a good idea and will be interested to see how it unfolds in the next few books.

This is a good story with two solid plots. While I feel it could be picked up without the reader having read any of the previous books, I don’t feel this is a good book to try that with. Personally, I’d read at least a few of the previous installments as many of the characters, history and teamwork that so strongly ties them together would need some explanation prior to this story. Having at least some idea on how the team works together and a general grasp of their history together is fairly important to fully enjoy this story I feel. But it’s a great British mystery and police procedural style of plot and well worth the investment.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , ,

Fool Me Twice by JM Dalgliesh

January 30, 2023 By Leave a Comment


Fool Me Twice by JM Dalgliesh
Publisher: Hamilton Press
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Fern

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool Me Twice, shame on me…

When the body of a high-profile, semi-retired barrister is found brutally murdered at his Norfolk home, DI Tom Janssen and the team must work to uncover who killed him and why.

With a glittering career, spanning several decades representing the privileged and the wealthy, behind him the focus of the investigation inevitably turns toward cases and clients past and present, but was his death linked to his work or is there another, darker and far more sinister motive at play?

No matter how successful, privileged or elevated in society one person can be, one universal rule applies… we all bleed the same…

Set within the mysterious beauty of coastal Norfolk, this fast-paced British detective novel is a dark murder mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end when the final shocking twist is revealed.

DI Tom Janssen is called out to work a particularly brutal beating and murder of a little-known local barrister. With such a long career behind him and so few strong ties in the community it takes a while for Tom and his team to piece together what might have happened. But when another murder happens things become murkier, and the team can’t even be sure the two cases are linked until things finally begin to unwind.

I’ve been enjoying this series and while this book was a little slower in pace than I usually enjoy I have to admit I like that there was ample time spent with the various characters and allowing them to grow and flourish a little. This is not heavily action-based plot so readers looking for something fast paced or really thrilling might not find this satisfies them. That said I thought the plot was quite well thought out and well linked. I only put a few pieces of the puzzle together before it all started to unfurl in the last quarter of the book and while there were bits I did guess there was still plenty that caught me pleasantly by surprise.

I was especially pleased that Tom’s partner, Alice, and Alice’s young daughter played a strong – but not overwhelming – part in the story and I’m pleased they are both becoming more prominent in the series. I’m also keen to learn a bit more about Eric and his wife and young son – I feel there’s still plenty of growth and exploration that can happen with his character too.

Readers looking for a small-town type of coastal, British based mystery series should find this book really fits the bill. While it’s a little slow in paces the mystery moves well and is plot-heavy which I really enjoyed and even though this is well into the series I feel it can definitely be read as a standalone as the plot is quite independent and not linked to previous books. The team has a strong history, but they are all very well explained in my opinion, and I feel readers picking this up without having read any prior books should still thoroughly enjoy this story.

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