Kate Galway stopped to catch her breath and stretch out her tight muscles. As a woman of a certain age with a waistline that was expanding at an alarming rate, she'd decided to walk from her cottage to the other side of the island...
The Blurb
Kate Galway is looking forward to a quiet summer working on her latest novel at her home on Meredith Island. For a place hardly anyone has heard of, her sleepy Welsh island is attracting a lot of visitors, including a conman posing as a psychic and group of archaeology students who believe they've unearthed evidence of a Roman temple. Part-way through the dig, however, the students make an even more startling discovery: a body ritualistically laid out in their trench. While intrigued by the murder, amateur sleuth Kate decides to leave this investigation to the professionals. However, when she learns that both the island mechanic and her university friend's son are prime suspects, she and hedonistic artist Siobhan Fitzgerald feel they have no choice but to get involved.
My Review
When I was asked if I would review this book, I could not have been more pleased. I have previously read and reviewed the first book in this series, Secrets in the Water, which I had really enjoyed. You can read my review by clicking here. However, this book works very well as a standalone novel.
Set on a Welsh island, there lives a small, tight-knit community. It is a place where everyone knows each other and what is going on. The main character, Kate Galway, is a retired teacher who seems to have taught most of the younger people on the island at some point, and therefore, knows them all well. Nowadays, she is writing a novel whilst being an amateur sleuth alongside her friend, Siobhan.
There are a group of archaeology students and their lecturers on the island who discover evidence of a Roman settlement. Add into the mix a suspicious psychic who is visiting the island along with his PA Willow, and we have the perfect melting pot for murderous crime and for Kate to become involved in its solution.
I enjoyed this book very much. There were sufficient twists and turns to keep me gripped to the story. I also enjoyed getting to know the characters. I was already familiar with Kate from the previous book, and I was very happy to spend more time with her in this novel. The author has done a fantastic job in creating her character, and she is utterly believable and easy to engage with.
Equally, the secondary characters are also well portrayed. The islanders are a quirky group of people who are all familiar with one another. It was great having some new characters join this story too in the form of the students, teachers and the psychic. They all came together very well and made this a brilliant story to read.
The island setting was beautifully depicted. Add to that a strong and riveting plot, a group of engaging characters with secrets, and the result is this brilliant addition to the cosy crime genre.
I very much hope that there will be more books in this series that I can enjoy as much as I did this one.
Book Details
ISBN: 978 1988754628
Publisher: Stonehouse Publishing
Formats: e-book and paperback
No. of Pages: 300 (paperback)
Series: A Meredith Island Mystery Book 2
Purchase Links
About the Author
Alice Fitzpatrick has contributed various short stories to literary magazines and anthologies and has recently retired from teaching in order to devote herself to writing full-time. She is a fearless champion of singing, cats, all things Welsh, and the Oxford comma. Her summers spent with her Welsh family in Pembrokeshire inspired the creation of Meredith Island. The traditional mystery appeals to her keen interest in psychology as she is intrigued by what makes seemingly ordinary people commit murder.
Alice lives in Toronto but dreams of a cottage on the Welsh coast.
You can also find Alice at:
(book and media courtesy of the publicist)
(all opinions are my own)
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