Ruin Beach by Kate Rhodes

Posted on January 5, 2019 by J-LBRBSBLOGS

ISLAND OF TRESCO HOLDS A DARK SECRET SOMEONE WILL KILL TO PROTECT

Everyone is a suspect. Nobody is safe.

The Blurb

When the body of professional diver Jude Trellon is found in Piper’s Hole, it seems that the young mother’s death was a tragic accident, but Kitto discovers that she was choked to death with a metal figurine, dating from Roman times. Kitto realizes that she could have been killed for failing to reveal the location of a Roman shipwreck called the Minerva, reputed to be loaded with ancient treasures. The killer is leaving cryptic messages in bottles, taunting the police for failing to track him down, and Kitto must risk his life in a terrifying hunt at sea before the case can be resolved.

My thoughts

I very much enjoyed Hell Bay last year so was delighted to see Ruin Beach appear on NetGalley in preparation for the paperback publication in February. Second books are supposedly difficult to keep to the standard of the first but with Ruin Beach Kate Rhodes has not only written a book as good as the first but, in my opinion, even better. This is an excellent story full of atmosphere, with a great sense of place and terrific characters.

DI Ben Kitto is fast establishing himself as a trusted detective back on his home Island of Bryher. Still he has yet to have his position confirmed his review is imminent. As he pays his uncle a visit a frantic islander turns up saying that there is something Ben needs to see at Piper’s Hole, locally considered a notoriously dangerous spot. Upon investigation a body is found, that of Jude Trellon, at first it appears that this is a tragic accident another islander had drowned there the previous year. However, it is soon established that Jude has been murdered. What follows is a terrific detective story as Ben tries to find the murderer, then a Police Officer is attacked and then there is a kidnapping. Will Ben solve the murder? Can he find the kidnap victim in time? Who has committed these heinous crimes? Is there more than one perpetrator? Are the crimes connected? We follow Ben’s investigation as he tries to figure out what is happening and why.

Ruin Beach will have you guessing until the final reveal, there are several suspects and Kate Rhodes cleverly leads you from one to another as the story of why these terrible crimes are being committed is finally revealed. The tension builds as you read and you are gripped by the story, the setting, the characters and the plot.

Kate Rhodes writes beautifully her prose vividly summon up The Scilly Isles and you find yourself thinking what a wonderful place they would be to visit. (The tourist board must be delighted as I’m sure that this is how all the readers of the Hell Bay Series feel.) She also has a wonderful way of drawing you into the plot and you will not want to put this book down until it is finished.

This was my last read of 2018 and I’m delighted that it was, it’s just the sort of book I enjoy and I think this may be my favourite book of the year. What a terrific book, I would highly recommend it to everyone.

I will be purchasing the paperback in February to go with my copy of Hell Bay, the first in the series, and eagerly await Burnt Island the third book of this excellent series.

With thanks to Simon and Schuster UK via NetGalley for an eCopy of Ruin Beach by Kate Rhodes. All thoughts are my own, I have not received any payment for the review of this book.

Information

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Paperback: 21st Feb 2019 Pages: 416

Buy: Amazon Smile UK | Your preferred bookshop

Author: Kate Rhodes grew up in London, but now lives in Cambridge with her husband, the artist and writer Dave Pescod. Kate began her career as an English lecturer and still works part-time as an educational consultant. Before becoming a crime writer she produced two award-winning poetry collections. In 2015, Kate was awarded the Ruth Rendell Short Story prize.

Also by Kate Rhodes