Monday 22 December 2014

Review ~ The Indelible Stain by Wendy Percival

23260977
Silverwood Books
2014

Secrets from a tainted past....

Esme Quentin’s arrival on the North Devon coast is spoiled by the ghastly discovery of a fatally injured woman lying on the beach near Warren Cliff. What should be a pleasant interlude for Esme, helping out an old friend, soon becomes a convoluted and complex quest to find out more about the identity of the ill-fated woman. Even though the local police dismiss the woman’s death as an unfortunate accident, Esme is convinced that there is more to this mysterious accident and her intuitive form of investigation soon uncovers a tangled web of secrets and lies spanning multi generations.

This well written murder mystery, not only concentrates on the here and now, but also takes the reader on a journey of discovery into the tainted past of Britain’s brutal transportation system, when people were transported to the penal colony of Australia for little more than stealing a loaf of bread. The mystery at the heart of the novel takes some uncovering, but Esme does so with her usual confidence and tenacity. As always the fine writing of the author and the attention she pays to the smallest of details really helps to bring the story alive in the imagination. I was totally involved in Esme’s quest to uncover the truth and the many twists and turns in the plot really focus the novel so that it becomes an investigative challenge to piece together all the strands of the mystery.

Having been introduced to Esme Quentin for the first time in Blood Tied, it was a real pleasure to meet up with her again in another well written murder/mystery story. It’s rather like meeting up with an old friend whose life is rather more exciting than your own and in whose company you can sit back, relax, grab a cup of your favourite tea and just let the mystery unfold.

I can’t wait to see what Esme will do next.



My thanks to the author for sharing her book with me.


Twitter @Wendy_Percival


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1 comment:

  1. Thanks for your enthusiastic review, Jo. I'm so glad you enjoy Esme's company. :-)

    ReplyDelete

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