About the Book- Hell Bay
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.
Describing a hole in your life doesn’t make it vanish, it just makes it deeper than before.
quote from Hell Bay by Kate Rhodes
Our Review of Hell Bay
Hell Bay is a sleepy little island and so the murder and investigation is also a bit sleepy 😛 Ok maybe it’s the audiobook but I did feel the book was a slow burner and the MC was a bit struggling to keep the murder excitement up. Weird huh?
No doubt the book cooks on slow fire but I am not sure whether you would say the dish was worth the patience. A connoisseur reader of mysteries can probably midway guess the killer but otherwise, I would say the book does go through a lot of plot developments that keep you guessing. It throws light on a whole lot of characters suspiciously and because of this, the plot maintains its thrill. Even though it has a bit of thrill and excitement, the book is a bit slow. It needs your time and patience to sit through and sort out between the island lifestyle, the neighbourhood, and the potential suspects.
The language and the plot are worthwhile. The MC and pace of the book are subjective as for me it was too dark and slow and moody. The same may be exactly what somebody else might like in the book. So I am just going to leave it at that. There is although a character that you simply can’t avoid. Shadow. The dog of our MC. I think somebody should give him an entire book. The dog is a full character in itself. You will see when you read the book.
Conclusion
One can give Hell Bay a try but what you need to understand is that the backdrop is of a sleepy little remote island and the mystery and the plot takes on that mood as well. Very melancholic. If you are looking for gun blazing, roof hooping, adrenaline thriller, this is not that book but if you love a book soaked in character portray and island life, then this is your book, rewarded with a good mystery.
Squirrel Rating
