📖 Book Review ~ Hangman Island by Kate Rhodes #TeamScilly

Simon &Schuster
22 October 2023

DI Ben Kitto #7

My thanks to the publishers and Tracy at Compulsive Readers for my copy of this book 
And for the opportunity to be part of this epic readalong during 2023.

ON A REMOTE ISLAND

When Jez Cardew’s boat is found drifting empty on the Atlantic Ocean, DI Ben Kitto and his fellow lifeboat crew members immediately fear the worst. After an extensive search yields no results, the team are forced to retreat to dry land as darkness sets in.

THE OCEAN IS MERCILESS

But Kitto can’t let it go. Why would Jez – an experienced sailor – get into difficulty when the sea has been calm for weeks? Unless his disappearance was no accident.

BUT SO ARE THE PEOPLE 

The gruesome discovery of a hand washed ashore on the beach confirms his hunch. Because a medal is attached to the index finger, and it can only have been placed there by the killer.

This strange clue is the only lead to an agenda as cold as the ocean itself. Kitto must work fast, before the small, isolated community closes ranks. And it’s only a matter of time before the murderer among them strikes again.

📖 My Review

When a crew member of the local RNLI goes missing, Ben Kitto and the rest of the team speed into action, desperate to find one of their own before the sea claims him. However, this is no ordinary search as pretty soon it becomes obvious that the crew members are being targeted in a series of violent attacks. When then follows is a claustrophobic and highly charged story which takes Ben Kitto, and his investigative team, into the very heart of the community they serve only to find that there are some deadly secrets amongst the inhabitants St Agnes and beyond.

Once again the beautiful Isles of Scilly take centre stage and those readers who are familiar with this best selling series will know just how passionately the author brings this beautiful area to life in a series which captures the imagination from the start. Even though this is now book number seven in the series, each book feels just as fresh and compelling with the added advantage of knowing, and caring about,  the characters.

The pace is fast and furious and the claustrophobic nature of the investigation adds an extra dimension so that my heart was racing during the last few chapters as all the complex threads of the mystery start to come together. What I love most about these stories is that I can never predict the outcome, each of the endings have surprised me and Hangman Island is no different. 

Atmospheric and compulsive reading, Hangman Island is every bit as good as I expected it to be and long may this series continue. Can’t wait for book number eight…but I’ll have too ! 

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

@Tr4cyF3ntOn

📖 Book Review ~The Brutal Tide by Kate Rhodes #TeamScilly

 

Simon &Schuster
2022

DI Ben Kitto #6

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

REVENGE

DI Ben Kitto made many enemies in his time working as an undercover officer for the Met police, none more ruthless and calculating than gang leader Craig Travis.

IS WORTH

Travis has longed to make Kitto pay for his role in getting him convicted – and that day has finally arrived. Now, a dark and twisted killer is heading for the Scilly Isles, one who has waited a long time for revenge.

WAITING FOR

With Kitto busy investigating the discovery of a body on the islands and distracted by the imminent arrival of his first child, his defences are down. He has so much to lose.

And Travis will stop at nothing to take it all from him.

📖 My Review..

I like nothing better than getting to grips with another murder mystery on the beautiful Isles of Scilly. In this sixth book in the series we meet up with DI Ben Kitto as he is plunged, once again, into a deeply complex investigation and this time it’s about to get very personal. The Brutal Tide hits the ground running when we are introduced to a manipulative killer who has a very personal vendetta against Kitto and who will stop at nothing to wreak revenge for perceived sins of the past. 

This story has an altogether different feel as not only is Ben Kitto struggling with a cold case mystery involving the discovery, on a building site, of a set of bones but is also having to deal with the possibility that someone from his past has tracked him down to the remote island of Bryher. Worried for the safety of his girlfriend, and his unborn baby, Ben has a conflict of interest as instinctively he want to protect those he loves but he also needs to keep one step ahead of a perpetrator who is hellbent on his destruction. What I love about this series is the way the characters come alive and with each successive story they become more and more familiar so that when they hurt, you hurt. I must admit to being on the edge of my seat during this story as the tension really mounts up and the chapters which involve the killer are particularly tense.

The Brutal Tide is a really suspenseful story which I read in almost one sitting as I couldn’t bear to leave the book without knowing what was going to happen. The ending is fast, furious and dramatic and, as always, left me wanting to read more from this talented writer.

 

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

@Tr4cyF3ntOn

📖 Book Review ~Devil's Table by Kate Rhodes #TeamScilly

Simon &Schuster
2021

DI Ben Kitto #5

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

A MISSING CHILD

St Martin’s is shrouded in bitterly cold fog when Jade Minear and her twin brother, Ethan, are attacked in a field, late at night. Ethan manages to return home but the shocking events of Jade’s disappearance have rendered him mute.

A LONG-HELD GRUDGE

On a small island where there are few places a child can hide, DI Ben Kitto must battle the elements to search for Jade. When his investigation reveals that the Minear family have many enemies on the island, Kitto grows increasingly worried that Jade is in danger.

A KILLER HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT 

Meanwhile, someone on the island knows exactly where the girl is. Someone with a deep-seated hatred of Jade's family. To find the truth, Kitto must investigate the lives of the people he has known all of his life. Because one of them is lying – and it isn’t long until a body is found.

📖 My Review..

When Jade Minear, the eleven year old daughter of a local businessman, goes missing on one of the smaller of the Scilly Isles, DI Ben Kitto finds, once again, that there are far more questions than answers especially as the only probable witness to Jade’s disappearance is her twin brother, Ethan, and he isn’t speaking to anyone. The investigation is blighted by a lack of clues and the added confusion of a shifting fog which shrouds the island effectively cutting the place off so that the islanders find themselves placed under curfew, firstly by the weather and then with the unexpected discovery of a body at the aptly named Devil’s Table.

There’s something compelling about these stories which only gets better as the series progresses. Ben Kitto is very much part of island life and his position as Deputy Chief of Police for the Scilly Isles gives him the authority to investigate a collection of crimes but it is affinity with the islanders where the heart and soul of the stories lie. I enjoy the snippets of Ben’s past with stories of his childhood in the islands and enjoy how his methodical, and often unconventional, approach to crime investigation gets the results needed to see that justice is served.

Devil’s Table is a particularly complex investigation with lots of secrets to uncover and the added possibility that someone close to home is involved in Jade’s disappearance only makes the investigation all the more difficult. Tempers run high and old hurts are allowed to fester until they threaten to destroy the equilibrium of this peaceful place. There’s all the usual twists and turns in the plot which kept me turning the pages of Devil’s Table faster, and faster, until the ending which I didn’t see coming.

Devil’s Table is now the fifth book in this excellent crime series, each one more enjoyable than the last and as one book finishes I’m already looking forward to meeting again with DI Ben Kitto, and his amazing dog, Shadow, in The Brutal Tide, which is book number six in the Scilly Isles series.

 

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

@Tr4cyF3ntOn

📖 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

@Tr4cyF3ntOn

📖 Book Review ~Burnt Island by Kate Rhodes #TeamScilly

Simon&Schuster
2019

DI Ben Kitto #3

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

INTRUDERS HERE ARE BOUND TO DIE

As the sun sets on a cold November evening, the tiny community of St Agnes prepares for their annual Fifth-of-November festivities. Moments before the fireworks are scheduled to commence, an islander discovers a charred body left on the bonfire, and quickly it becomes clear that a killer is at large.

Ben Kitto is the Deputy Chief of Police for the Scilly Isles, and with a killer on the loose, he has no choice but to forbid all residents from leaving the island. With a population of just eighty people, everyone is a suspect and no one is safe.

When threats start appearing, written in the old Cornish language, Ben suspects that the killer's motive is to rid the island of the newcomers who threaten their traditions. With time running out, Ben hurries to discover the secrets of the island’s peculiar residents, but he knows it’s only a matter of time before another fire is started.

📖 My Review..

This is now the third book in the DI Ben Kitto series of crime novels which are set on the beautiful Scilly Isles. In this story we meet again with Ben as he is becoming more accustomed to life on the island and the seemingly quieter pace of life than the one he left behind in London. However, on a cold November evening when the islanders are cerebrating their own version of Bonfire Night the sinister discovery of charred human remains is found on the nearby Burnt Island. What then follows is another action packed crime investigation for DI Kitto who discovers, once again, that these beautiful islands are about to be disturbed by someone hellbent on destroying everything.

It's been a real pleasure to spend time again with this enigmatic detective and with each new novel I feel we are getting to know a little more about him each time. I especially enjoy the interaction between him and Shadow who is already very much part of the investigative team and has the makings of an exceptional police dog. I love the adventurous nature of these stories and the way the islands, and islanders, are now starting to feel as familiar as friends and so with each successive story there is a real sense of continuity, whilst at the same time each investigation is refreshingly different. The murder mystery at the heart of Burnt Island is tightly controlled with more than enough twists and turns which kept me guessing right until the final startling denouement which I didn't see coming. 

Wonderfully written, with a sharp eye for detail, I raced through the book in the space of a couple of sittings eager to discover more and yet sad when the story ended. However, I have the excitement of knowing that I can return to the Scilly Isles in Pulpit Rock, which is book number four in this excellent crime series.

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 #BurntIsland #TeamScilly

@simonschusterUK

@Tr4cyF3ntOn

📖 Book Review ~Ruin Beach by Kate Rhodes #TeamScilly

Simon &Schuster

DI Ben Kitto #2

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

DI Ben Kitto has become the Scilly Islands’ Deputy Chief of Police. As the island’s lazy summer takes hold, he finds himself missing the excitement of the murder squad in London. But when a body is found anchored to the rocks of a nearby cave, it appears he’s spoken too soon. The island of Tresco, and the deep and murky waters that surround it, hold a dark secret. One that someone seems desperate to uncover..

📖 My Review..

This is now the second book in this series and following on from where the first book finished we now see that DI Ben Kitto has decided to remain on his beloved island of Bryher and is enjoying his probationary role as Deputy Commander of the Isles of Scilly Police. With the discovery of a woman's body at Piper's Hole, on the nearby island of Tresco, Ben's investigative skills are, once again, about to be tested to the limit. The macabre aspects of this horrific crime certainly lends a brooding nature to the investigation and Kitto soon discovers that no-one on the island is above suspicion, especially those who knew the victim well.

The Scilly Isles are once again taking centre stage and the vivid description of the island, and island life, are what make these books so fascinating. I'm enjoying getting to know more about Ben Kitto who, I feel, we start to understand a little more in this story and it was good to see the return of familiar characters from the first book, especially Shadow and Eddie. The murder investigation is tightly plotted with more than enough red herrings and twists and turns all of which kept me guessing until all was revealed.

The author writes well and controls an intricate plot with fine attention to detail and a natural way of bringing time and place alive in the imagination. I've really enjoyed spending time on Ruin Beach and look forward to Ben Kitto's company again in Burnt Island which is book number three in this addictive series of crime novels.

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

@Tr4cyF3ntOn

 

📖 Book Review ~ Hell Bay by Kate Rhodes #TeamScilly

 

Simon &Schuster
2018

DI Ben Kitto #1

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

DI Ben Kitto needs a second chance. After ten years working for the murder squad in London, a traumatic event has left him grief-stricken. He’s tried to resign from his job, but his boss has persuaded him to take three months to reconsider.

Ben plans to work in his uncle Ray’s boatyard, on the tiny Scilly island of Bryher where he was born, hoping to mend his shattered nerves. His plans go awry when the body of sixteen year old Laura Trescothick is found on the beach at Hell Bay. Her attacker must still be on the island because no ferries have sailed during a two-day storm.

Everyone on the island is under suspicion. Dark secrets are about to resurface. And the murderer could strike again at any time.

📖 My Review..

I'm delighted have been invited to take part in this readalong of the seven books which make up the DI Ben Kitto series of crime novels which are set on the beautiful Scilly Isles.

In this first book we are introduced to Detective Inspector Ben Kitto who is returning to his native Bryher and although we know very little about Ben's reasons for making the journey to the Scilly Isles there is a sense that he has left a frisson of something behind in London. We also get to know this atmospheric island, which is just one and half miles across, and with ninety-eight residents it is definitely a place where everyone knows everyone else's business. Which is why the disappearance of sixteen year old Laura Trescothick and the subsequent finding of her body on the beach alerts suspicion amongst the islanders. Brooding on whatever has brought him to Bryher, Ben gets inexorably drawn into the search for clues which may lead to Laura's murderer.

Hell Bay hits the ground running with an opening chapter which saw me avidly turning the pages to find out more. Ben Kitto is a determined protagonist, his mixed emotions about returning to his home patch are vividly portrayed as is his inexorable pull into finding out just what is happening on this idyllic island. Ben's sabbatical from his position as a detective inspector with the London Met couldn't be further away from his remote house on Hell Bay but once a detective always a detective and Ben is about to find out that his loyalties will be tested to the limit.

This is a really fabulous start to the series as it had everything I wanted in a complex crime novel. A remote setting in a place of secrets, a set of characters who leap out of the page fully formed and a compelling lead detective who has more than enough angst to make his progression through the series fascinating. Bring on book number two 😊

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

@Tr4cyF3ntOn

📖 Blog Tour ~ Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

 

Orbit

19 January 2023

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of the book and to
Compulsive Readers for the invitation to the blog tour

Enter the world of the hidden folk - and discover the most whimsical, enchanting and heart-warming tale you'll read this year, featuring the intrepid Emily Wilde...

Emily Wilde is good at many things: she is the foremost expert on the study of faeries; she is a genius scholar and a meticulous researcher who is writing the world's first encylopaedia of faerie lore. But Emily Wilde is not good at people.

So when she arrives in the hardscrabble village of Hrafnsvik, Emily has no intention of befriending the gruff townsfolk. Nor does she care to spend time with another new arrival: her dashing and insufferably handsome academic rival Wendell Bambleby

But as Emily gets closer to uncovering the secrets of the Hidden Ones - the most elusive of all faeries - she also finds herself on the trail of another mystery: who is Wendell Bambleby, and what does he really want? To find the answer, she'll have to unlock the greatest mystery of all - her own heart.

📖 My Review..

Emily Wilde is a Cambridge professor who is on the hunt for faeries in a remote part of  Norway and her considerable knowledge of faery lore is being added to her encyclopaedia which will, hopefully, be the definitive work about these elusive little beings. Emily's arrival at Hrafnsvik, with her canine companion, Shadow, gets off to a shaky start which is not helped by the unwanted arrival of  her academic rival, Wendell Bambleby.

What then follows is a quirky story which encompasses myth, legend, folklore and fantasy, there's even a smattering of romance and does so in a lovely believable way so that even if you don't share Emily's fascination for faeries you are still quickly drawn into a totally magical world which is so cleverly portrayed. It's not at all about twinkly faeries and Emily has a few challenges as she searches and tries to gain the confidence of the faeries, known as the Hidden Ones who guard their secrets well. The author has a lovely way with words and brings an almost lyrical quality to the narrative which succeeds in bringing a sense of history, the story is set in 1909, along with the closeted atmosphere of a small and rather isolated community.

Magical fantasy is not usually my go to genre but I was attracted to the story firstly by the description of the book and its Norwegian setting which totally piqued my interest and secondly by the beauty of the book's cover which really is quite special. I haven't been disappointed and have thoroughly enjoyed travelling with Emily Wilde as she brings this quirky, magical world to life.

 

About the Author

Heather Fawcett is the author of the middle grade novels Ember and the Ice Dragons and The Language of Ghosts, as well as the young adult series Even the Darkest Stars. She has a master's degree in English literature and has worked as an archaeologist, photographer, technical writer, and backstage assistant for a Shakespearean theater festival. She lives on Vancouver Island, Canada.

Twitter #HeatherMFawcett

@OrbitBooks

@Tr4cyF3nt0n