THE GRIPPING LOCKED-ISLAND MYSTERY # 5
‘An absolute master of pace, plotting and character’ ELLY GRIFFITHS
A MISSING CHILD
St Martin’s is shrouded in bitterly cold fog when Jade Minear and her twin brother, Ethan, are attacked in a field, late at night. Ethan manages to return home but the shocking events of Jade’s disappearance have rendered him mute.
A LONG-HELD GRUDGE
On a small island where there are few places a child can hide, DI Ben Kitto must battle the elements to search for Jade. When his investigation reveals that the Minear family have many enemies on the island, Kitto grows increasingly worried that Jade is in danger.
A KILLER HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT . . .
Meanwhile, someone on the island knows exactly where the girl is. Someone with a deep-seated hatred of Jade’s family. To find the truth, Kitto must investigate the lives of the people he has known all of his life. Because one of them is lying – and it isn’t long until a body is found . . .
Having read all 4 of the other Hell Bay DI Ben Kitto series, I was so looking forward to finding out more about Ben and the next adventure in the Scilly Isles, I was not to be disappointed!
Firstly let’s talk about Maps in Books! I personally love a map in the beginning of a book, it really makes the story so much more tangible when you can see where it’s based. Kates books in this series are all based on the Isles of Scilly just off the coast of Cornwall, and her maps are always brilliantly illustrated. More maps in books please Authors!
The beginning of the book is a brilliant depiction of something bad happening in a beautiful setting, and from the first page I was totally gripped by Devils Table, devouring it in 2 days and reading deep into the night!
Imagine a locked room mystery but on a small Island and you have the premise of the story. The setting is just sublime and the way Kate writes, I could feel the oppressive setting with the fog pressing down on me! Kates writing about the Scilly Isles is almost poetic at times and her love of them shines thru with each chapter!
The lead character DI Ben Kitto is brilliant, he is a gentle giant with a complex personality due to a tragedy in his youth, but above all he is a fearless Police Detective, who is fair minded and won’t give up the hunt for a killer until he has caught them! His trusty sidekick Shadow the dog, just adds to his story and I love Ben as a written character so much!
As always I never give the plot away, that’s for you to find out by reading the book! But I will say that it kept me invested with every page and I did not guess who the perpetrator was! Thats a great book right there when the reader is kept in the dark! Kate Rhodes is a master of writing a genuinely great storyline and her characters just jump off the page at you!
So I must give Devils Table a 5⭐️ read, as it was everything I hoped it would be! I’m so looking forward to finding out what’s in store for Ben in the next book!
Kate Rhodes is a crime novelist and award winning poet. Kate was born in south London, but now lives in Cambridge with her family. She studied English at university, and did a wide range of jobs including working in bars, being a theatre usherette, and teaching at a liberal arts college in Florida, before focusing on her writing.
Her latest crime novels are the acclaimed HELL BAY series set in the Isles of Scilly. Kate has been passionate about the islands since holidaying there as a child, and still returns for regular visits. Books in the series include HELL BAY, RUIN BEACH, and BURNT ISLAND.
Kate’s bestselling ALICE QUENTIN series includes CROSSBONES YARD, A KILLING OF ANGELS, THE WINTER FOUNDLINGS, RIVER OF SOULS, BLOOD SYMMETRY and FATAL HARMONY
Kates Simon & Schuster profile is HERE
Kate is on Twitter @K_RhodesWriter
Instagram @katerhodeswriter
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