📖 Book Review ~ Pulpit Rock by Kate Rhodes #TeamScilly

Simon & Schuster
2020

DI Ben Kitto #4

My thanks to the publisher and Tracy at Compulsive Readers for my copy of this book

AN ISLAND ON LOCKDOWN. A KILLER ON THE LOOSE 

As the scorching summer sun covers the small Scilly island of St Mary’s, DI Ben Kitto and his team are training for the annual Swimathon. But their morning session comes to a climactic end when they discover a body hanging from Pulpit Rock. The victim has been dressed up in a bridal gown, and Ben quickly realises that a dark and sinister killer is at large on the island.

To prevent the killer from escaping, Ben has no choice but to lock down St Mary’s, yet in doing so he is unwillingly trapping the killer’s next victim. When another woman is attacked, Ben gathers the island’s at-risk residents inside the local hotel for safety, but the killer is already watching and remains one step ahead . . .

Everyone is a suspect. No one is safe.

📖 My Review..

Pulpit Rock is the fourth book in the DI Ben Kitto series of crime novels and sees a welcome return to the Isles of Scilly, a beautiful place, which Ben, together with his dog, Shadow, calls home. Whilst in training for the annual swimathon, Ben makes a chilling discovery with the sight of a young woman's body hanging precariously from Pulpit Rock. With sinister, and macabre undertones, this discovery leads Ben and his small team of investigative officers on a wild goose chase around the small island of St Mary's. The race is on before the killer can strike again but with such a small community everybody, including close friends are a suspect.

The action moves along quite quickly and there are the usual twists, turns and red herrings which make this series so compelling. I thoroughly enjoy observing Ben Kitto at work, he's an unconventional detective, filled with self doubt and invariably gets it wrong sometimes. However, there is always a real sense of anticipation, with perpetrators who very often go on to commit more crime, before the inevitable denouement, which always leaves me wanting more. Wonderfully atmospheric, with an abundance of fascinating characters, it is always great to meet up again with those who have featured in past novels whilst at the same time getting to know a new set of people who bring their own dynamic to what is, after all, a fascinating and complex crime story. And of course, taking centre stage, once again, are the beautiful Scilly isles with all their stark and often rather bleak beauty. 

As with all long running series it is better to read from the beginning in order to become invested in the main characters however,  Pulpit Rock can be read as a standalone story.

About the Author

Kate Rhodes is an acclaimed crime novelist and an award-winning poet. She lives in Cambridge with her husband, the writer and film-maker, Dave Pescod. She visited the Scilly Isles every year as a child which gave her the idea for this new series. She is one of the founders of the Killer Women writing group.

Twitter @K_RhodesWriter #TeamScilly

@simonschusterUK

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