A Seaside Murder | Reading
Title: A Seaside Murder
Original Title: Death at Castle Cove
Series: The Isle of Wright Killings - #1
Author: Mary Grand
Genre: Mystery, Cozy Mystery
Published On: March 8, 2023
Publisher: Boldwood Books
Source: digital (Amazon Prime Reading)
Pages: 352
Island life suits Susan, and she can’t imagine ever moving from her beloved Isle of Wight. So it gives her real pleasure to see her young lodger Colette settle in to life by the sea, especially knowing that she has such a troubled past.
Susan’s days are comfortingly routine, starting every morning by exercising her beloved Rocco on Ventnor beach with her fellow dog walkers. The group may have bonded over their fondness for their canine companions, but over time their friendships have deepened.
So, when Colette dies in suspicious circumstances at Castle Cove, Susan is devastated to realise that the dog walking group were the last to see Colette alive, and one of her friends must have been responsible for her death.
And when Susan begins to suspect that the police are minded to put Colette’s death down to an accident, Susan decides she won’t rest until she solves the mystery and finds the murderer.
My Thoughts
This is the first time I’ve read anything by Mary Grand. I found this in the Prime Reading library of books. Prime Reading is a benefit of having an Amazon Prime Membership. I’ve started utilizing it more and have found several great reads. This is one of them.
The pacing was great, not a slow section in the entire story. The author is descriptive without being overly wordy and the development of both the main character’s Susan and Colette has me wanting to read the next books in the series. The secondary character development was refreshing with enough details to make each of the people in the dog walker’s group interesting. As for the plot, this mystery kept me guessing right up until the reveal. As for the setting, well I’m partial to UK based stories because I love village tales. This one is lovely because it’s set in a small village on the Isle of Wight which is located off the southern coast of England.
The thing that slightly irritated me: Susan suspects one of her friends in the dog-walking group of committing the murder, yet she shares all her insights with each and every one of them. She “informs” the police in a way through a friend-of-a-friend situation. And that friend is someone she suspects as well! It’s a bit of a reach even for an amateur sleuth. All sleuths get started somewhere right? The murder of her friend is that starting point for Susan. That’s why I can forgive the way she handles her “investigation” because she’s absolutely new at all of it.
A Seaside Murder is available on Amazon right now for $.99! That’s a steal for a great cozy murder mystery! This is a great cozy mystery and I look forward to reading the next books in the series!
Rating: 4.75/5
