📖 Book Review ~ Dead in the Water by Simon McCleave

Avon
June 2024

Anglesey #5

Thanks to the publisher for the copy of the book 

When a seventeen-year-old girl vanishes from her home overnight, DI Laura Hart knows that time is of the essence.

Then, an inmate at the local prison is murdered in her cell and suddenly Beaumaris CID is juggling two major investigations.

With inmates refusing to talk to the police, Laura is forced to take drastic going undercover behind bars.

With everyone under suspicion, Laura’s true identity must be kept a secret, meaning no one can protect her.

Locked in with a killer, it’s a race against time – can Laura find a lead… before she’s found out?

📖 My Review..

Another exciting Anglesey mystery awaits in this fifth book in the series which sees DI Laura Hart and DI Gareth Williams once again involved in complex crime investigations. Gareth, and his team, investigate the mysterious disappearance of seventeen year old Abby Wright from her home whilst Laura goes under cover in a women’s prison to discover more about the violent death of one of the inmates.

As always the tension starts pretty much from the start and doesn’t let up pace until the very end and in between there are so many twists, turns and red herrings that you really need to keep your wits about you as the story gets more and more complex. I thoroughly enjoyed both investigations especially as everything evolves in real time. The prison scenes were particularly strong, with Laura using her customary wit and skill to find out just what was going on behind the locked doors of HMP Tonsgrove.

The beautiful island of Anglesey is described in such imaginative detail that I could easily picture the small town of Menai and the isolated Pentraeth Forest, whilst at the same time keeping pace with a storyline which kept my attention from its thrilling beginning, to its satisfying conclusion. Whilst it is possible to read this as a standalone story, it does make sense to enjoy this series from the beginning as that way you get to know, and care, about the characters especially Laura and Gareth who are fast becoming two of my favourite fictional Detective Inspectors. I look forward to reading more crime adventures in future books.

About the Author

Simon McCleave is a million-selling crime novelist who lives in North Wales with his wife and two children.

Website

X @simon_mccleave 

@AvonBooksUK