by N.C. Lewis
Unusual for a freebie from the Kindle shop, this one was not the 1st, but 2nd in a series. Not knowing the 1st book wasn't a problem, though, since all that the reader needs to understand for this story is explained.
Fenella Sallow is an Inspector living and working in the coastal area of Cumbria, so the sound of waves and the sight of the sky above the beach are frequent features. She and her husband share a house with her mother; her five grown-up children are sometimes mentioned but never seen in this book.
Years ago, Fenella's sister disappeared under mysterious circumstances, and this underlying storyline probably spans the whole series.
The current case starts with a grizzly murder on a footbridge across the beck that, according to legend, centuries ago washed the bones of King Arthur into the Sea, making the beck and its immediate surroundings cursed. (The story has nothing supernatural, but the legend is brought up a few times from locals during questioning.)
Everyone in the village seems to have something to hide, except for the village gossip who is a willing witness - but how much of what she says can the investigating team trust to be true?
A serial killer Fenella helped to put behind bars has escaped, and he appears to be behind the murder - which doesn't remain the only death in the course of the story. But is he really? And how many more people have to die before Fenella and her team find the murderer?
From my short description, it sounds more gruesome than it is; of course the murders are horrible, but the book does not go into all the gory detail. The overall feeling at the end for me was sadness more than anything.
I liked the setting and some of the characters, but many of them were so nasty with each other that I wanted to shout at them. Some "dark" secrets are revealed as perfectly good explanations of people's behaviour, and I quite liked that. I also liked Fenella's home life and how she treated her team.
Not a series I am going to buy, but a book that kept me guessing and entertained.
The author was unknown to me, and his website does not give much information about him, but you can also find him on facebook and on the usual platforms such as Goodreads.com.
I looked up the website and just the concept of all the similar titles (and no detailed info about any of them) gives me the feeling of "mass production"...
ReplyDeleteWell, the book that I read did not feel all that "mass produced", but I find it unusual that the author says as good as nothing about himself.
DeleteNot at my library. Right now I am reading some books by Elly Griffiths that I haven't read yet. I enjoy her books very much.
ReplyDeleteI do know the name, but a quick check of my blog shows me that apparently I have not yet read anythiing by Elly Griffiths. Thank you for the recommendation, I will have a look.
DeleteYou probably know the name from my blog, Meike... I've reviewed a lot of her books!
DeleteYes, that‘s it, Monica. Thanks!
DeleteI know it is a bit off topic, but I do think Fenella Sallow is a really horrible name, and, although it makes me sound very pernickety, I don't think I'd want to read the book because the name would bother me every time it occurred. (I thought about why this is, and realised that "Fenella" makes me think of a large bulb of fennel, and "sallow" is an adjective I associate pejoratively with a pasty, unhealthy yellowish complexion. So it keeps making me think of a wilting head of fennel which ought to go into the dustbin. Oh, dear , I apologise to anyone who is really called Fenella Sallow!
ReplyDeleteJenny, I can see why you don‘t like the name because of what you associate with it. Although I know the words sallow and fennel, I never thought of them while reading the book. Fenella is a name that sounds unusual to German ears, and I don‘t think I have ever met anyone by that name, neither in England nor in Germany.
DeleteI have known a couple of people called Fenella in the past, it is a rather "posh" sort of name though and possibly rather old fashioned now. Sallow bushes are actually rather pretty and welcome in the grey early Spring days. But if used as an adjective, (usually in books) it is almost always associated with a villain, or an unfortunate or unhealthy person.
DeleteYes, I know the meaning of the adjective sallow but didn't know there are sallow bushes! The character named Fenella in the book is in her 50s, so that would fit with the name being a bit on the old fashioned side.
Delete