Welcome to the coastal paradise of Porthpella, where murder lurks among the dunes…
Late one night, a distraught young man knocks on the door of retired and recently widowed Ally Bright’s remote home on the Cornish coast. But before she can make sense of his confused words, he’s gone—not to be seen again until he’s found the next morning at the foot of the nearby cliffs.
In an instant, the peace of Ally’s beachcombing life is shattered. Feeling responsible for the young man’s fate, she wants to help find answers—as does ex-cop Jayden Weston, whom Ally meets at the scene. He shares her certainty that there’s more to the story than attempted suicide. When it emerges that the man is newly released ex-offender Lewis Pascoe, and that Helena, the wealthy new owner of his grandmother’s home, has subsequently disappeared, the tight-knit community of Porthpella is thrown into turmoil.
Driven by their need to know more, the duo decide to investigate the mystery together. Is there a connection between the Pascoe family’s tragic history and Helena’s disappearance? And if there is a killer stalking Porthpella, do Ally and Jayden have what it takes to catch them?
I'd like to thank Kashmini from FMcM Associates for inviting me to be a part of this blog tour and for my proof copy of The Shell House Detectives to review.
When I was contacted about reviewing The Shell House Detectives I was intrigued as the concept was so different from the authors previous books so I immediately said yes. And I'm so glad I did as I really enjoyed my first introduction to the beachside town of Porthpella and its residents, especially artist Ally Bright and ex-cop Jayden Weston.
Both Ally and Jayden have been feeling off-kilter as their lives as they knew it have changed over the last year. Ally's due to the death of her beloved husband Bill who was the local cop, and Jayden's because of a traumatic event he experienced on the job in Leeds which saw him quit the policeforce and move back to his wife's hometown in Cornwall for a change of scenery and a fresh start. But little do they know that an incident on the beach will bring them together and their curious nature and combined experiences will have them searching for clues as to what actually happened.
The mystery at the heart of the story revolves around Lewis who has returned to Porthpella not knowing his gran had sold her house and had recently died. The reasonings behind this are soon discovered and you can't help but feel sorry for Lewis who himself was trying to make a fresh start of things as he had promised his gran he would. His whole world has been turned upside down and you question whether his fate was a tragic family history or whether there was something more sinister at play. The more Ally and Jayden dig for clues, the more deeply hidden secrets they uncover and they realise that there is more at stake than they first realised.
Ally and Jayden made a great team although I'm not sure that the local police force and Jayden's wife were as keen for their involvement. But for both of them it gave them a renewed sense of purpose and they both really seemed to enjoy their adventures as they work together to follow the clues and put the pieces of the puzzle together to work out not only what happened in these recent tragic event but also to something that happened in the past.
The Shell House Detectives was a fabulous introduction to these characters, the town of Porthpella and its residents. I'm pleased to see that this is the first in a planned series with more books to follow including
The Harbour Lights Mystery which is due to be published later this year.
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