The Shell House Detectives

Product Information

Fate must have brought them together because they become friends almost immediately and, when the police make very little progress in the murder investigation, the two of them bring their combined knowledge of police work together and set out to solve the mystery. And what a mystery as turns out to involve a cold case of suicide and another of murder, and new cases of a missing woman and a possible attempted suicide. My preference for cosy mysteries is for the POV to focus on the protagonists. After all, they are investigating the mystery. This book switches through many POVs. I lost count of how many there were, but Ally and Jayden appear often forgotten as the story focus shifts. Other readers may not mind that approach, but I think it removes the protagonists from the mystery. And that was a shame, because I thought book one focused on them more. The first book in a new cosy mystery series. One of the strengths of this book is the characters. They were mostly well written. At times I thought they were awkward, but on the whole I did enjoy them. I did enjoy Ally very much, but I'm not yet sold on Jayden. Maybe he will grow on me a bit in future books, but I have read cosies before where the main character, or in this case one of the main characters, didn't work for me. It happens. But at least Ally and some other characters were engaging. I at least want to see if Gus will write the first chapter in his book! As in all types of relationships, Ally and Jayden are still finding the balance to who they are as a team. I enjoyed the push and pull, the conflict of decisions and the compromising. The mystery was good. This book had wonderful characters and an engaging plot that held my interest. The story was set in a small coastal town in Cornwall, southwest England. The book described the characters so well that I got to know them, and like almost all of them.

This author does such a great job of making this feel like a real place with real people and real problems and feelings. Both Ally and Jayden feel like completely real characters. I would know them if I met them at a party. And she also makes me care about the secondary characters, like Saffron and Bev. Even though we pop in and out of different characters' lives, I both care about them and I don't get them confused with each other. Ally has so many questions. But others have questions too. Jayden Weston, an ex-cop that runs to answer cries for help, and Gus Munro, on holiday, to write a detective novel, and now there’s a mystery on his doorstep. Driven by their need to know more, the duo decide to investigate the mystery together. Is there a connection between the Pascoe family’s tragic history and Helena’s disappearance? And if there is a killer stalking Porthpella, do Ally and Jayden have what it takes to catch them? My Review of The Shell House Detectives

Beautifully written, gripping, and so atmospheric.…One for fans of Richard Osman!” —Emily Koch, author of What July Knew The Shell House Detectives is a hug of a book that is transporting and full of love, with a humdinger of a mystery at its big heart.” —Amanda Reynolds, author of The Assistant

I was hoping Saff would have a larger part to play in this story but I wasn’t expecting what was coming for her! I really enjoyed getting to know her. Such an emotional rollercoaster with what happens. And Broady! just goes to show how easy it is to make assumptions … As fear spreads, Ally and Jayden need answers―fast. Could the letter offer a clue to the murder case or will it reveal a terrible truth? And when a new witness comes to light, Jayden closes in on a desperate killer…but can he warn Ally in time? All in all, not only do i now want to be a member of The Shell House Detectives but i cannot wait to read about what they will get up to next! In an instant, the peace of Ally’s beachcombing life is shattered. Feeling responsible for the young man’s fate, she wants to help find answers―as does ex-cop Jayden Weston, whom Ally meets at the scene. He shares her certainty that there’s more to the story than attempted suicide. When it emerges that the man is newly released ex-offender Lewis Pascoe, and that Helena, the wealthy new owner of his grandmother’s home, has subsequently disappeared, the tight-knit community of Porthpella is thrown into turmoil.Captures the magic and beauty of Cornwall wrapped within a warm and engaging detective story. I loved it.” —Rosanna Ley, author of The Forever Garden There are several characters to get to know here, some of whom have previously featured in The Shell House Detectives, but each is so well depicted that the transition into The Harbour Lights Mystery doesn’t need any previous knowledge of them at all. Ally, Jayden and Mullins feel well loved and familiar, but they also act as a glorious foundation against which all the other characters can be discovered. And they have such depth. In a few words Emylia Hall enables her reader to understand these people in all their frailties, delusions, secrets and desires. That’s not to say everything is revealed all at once, but getting to know Saffy, Dominic et al is an absolute delight. After a decade of writing contemporary women’s fiction, I’ve come over to the dark side… or, to be more accurate, the bright side of the dark side. Because while my Shell House Detectives mysteries take the business of death seriously, they’re also the sort of novels that I hope readers will want to cosy up with, enjoying being swept away by the charms of the Cornish coastal setting, and the company of my sleuths and their band of friends and foes. While there’s murder and mayhem, there’s also a pervasive spirit of optimism and hope.

A police detective’s widow in a Cornwall town develops an unlikely friendship as she tries to learn what happened to a young man whose plea for help she spurned.

Advance Praise

Ally & Jayden return to solve another murder, we again meet up with several characters from the first book as well as being introduced to some new ones. A well written & entertaining cosy mystery with plenty of twists & turns as well as red herrings plus I was kept guessing. I especially liked the sense of a well knit community & the mix of characters & I look forward to getting to know them even more in future books If you like a book with some great characters and a good mystery then grab yourself a copy of this, the story flows, the characters grow, I love the relationship between Ally and Jayden she is an older lady who has spent most of her life keeping the home going, she had a happy marriage but losing her husband just after he retired has left her adrift. So when her and Jayden start investigating she comes alive again. What could have happened to Helena? Will Lewis wake up from his coma? There are several twists and turns I thought I had guessed what had happened but I got it wrong. Can you solve what has happened before you reach the end of the book?. Gorgeous writing and a plot crammed with suspense, this is your perfect new crime series for 2023." - Kate Riordan Set in beautiful Cornwall, The Shell House Detectives follows an unlikely menagerie of characters as they work to solve a mystery. We first meet Ally Bright, recently widowed from her husband Bill, who was a well known and loved policeman in the town of Porthpella. Late at night, a young man - Lewis - comes to her house and begs for Bill’s help; confused and distraught, she turns him away. He’s found the next morning, having fallen (or jumped? Or pushed?) from the nearby cliffs. Cozy mystery I thought! That’ll be a pleasant change. But this was so much more than that! Think more along Vera lines.

The setting is also a big feature. Not just because it’s a part of the life of the community but is also (I felt) a character in its own right at times. Set before the tourist season begins, you can really feel the isolation as well as the beauty of the natural world.The Shell House Detectives” also brought up the issue of premonitions and a position which I can appreciate: “He doesn’t believe in premonitions. But he doesn’t quite not believe, either”, but later brought up the cliche of “doesn’t believe in coincidences” (these four words should be banned in books… though I’m sure it’ll appear in one of my novels one day (if it hasn’t already!)). Something I realised when I finished reading The Harbour Lights Mystery, there’s an array of human motivation and behaviours in the rawness and vulnerability of all the characters; Trip Stephens, Bev Potter and her husband Neil, Phil Butt and his wife Melissa, Dominic and Wilson. The murder and investigation are gripping enough (I found it hard to put the book down) but when you throw into the mix their vulnerability and emotions, this is such a powerhouse of a story.