In this 3rd book in the 'Kate Marshall' series, the former police detective looks for a woman who disappeared over a decade ago. The book can be read as a standalone.
*****
In 1995 Kate Marshall was a Metropolitan Detective Constable until she discovered that her boss, DCI Peter Conway - with whom she'd been romantically involved - was a serial killer.
The subsequent scandal, plus the fact that Kate was pregnant with Peter's child, got her fired. Since then Kate became an alcoholic, lost custody of her (and Peter's) son Jake to her parents, started going to AA, and became a criminology lecturer at Ashdean College in southern England. In Ashdean, Kate lives in a house on the beach, and starts every morning with a swim in the surf.
It's now 2015, and Kate left her teaching post to open a private detective agency. Kate runs the agency from the office of a caravan rental business she inherited from her friend (and AA sponsor) Myra.
Kate's office also serves as the carvans' supply room, so the space is half-full of towels, sheets, and cleaning supplies.
Kate's partner in the detective agency is her former teaching assistant Tristan Harper, who has a knack for investigative work.
And Kate's now 19-year old son Jake - on summer break from university - helps with the caravan enterprise and takes tourists out on a boat.
Kate's private investigator business is struggling, so she's happy to get a call from a woman named Bev Ellis, whose daughter Joanna Duncan disappeared twelve years ago. The police have now shelved Joanna's case, and Bev wants Kate to continue the search - even if it only results in a body to bury.
At the time of Joanna's disappearance she was an investigative journalist who'd recently exposed an MP for taking bribes to award building contracts. Joanna was also investigating claims the married MP used rent boys, which - at the time - would have been a big scandal.
Grieving mother Bev Ellis and her boyfriend Bill - a wealthy contractor with connections - have the police files relating to Joanna's case, so Kate and Tristan have a good place to start. They soon learn that, around the time Joanna vanished, she was looking into the disappearance of two gay men who'd spent time at a squatter's commune.
To further their investigation, Kate and Tristan make inquiries about the (now defunct) commune and its residents; talk to Joanna's friends; speak to Joanna's (unfaithful) husband Fred;
interview Joanna's editor at the newspaper;
track down the MP Joanna exposed, etc.
Kate and Tristan are also able to get information from their contacts in the coroner's office and police department.
Meanwhile, a serial killer with a flair for disguises is picking up gay men in the area and murdering them.
In the course of their inquiries, Kate and Tristan come across the same names again and again, but can't connect the dots to Joanna's disappearance until there's a surprise breakthrough.
*****
In 1995 Kate Marshall was a Metropolitan Detective Constable until she discovered that her boss, DCI Peter Conway - with whom she'd been romantically involved - was a serial killer.
The subsequent scandal, plus the fact that Kate was pregnant with Peter's child, got her fired. Since then Kate became an alcoholic, lost custody of her (and Peter's) son Jake to her parents, started going to AA, and became a criminology lecturer at Ashdean College in southern England. In Ashdean, Kate lives in a house on the beach, and starts every morning with a swim in the surf.
It's now 2015, and Kate left her teaching post to open a private detective agency. Kate runs the agency from the office of a caravan rental business she inherited from her friend (and AA sponsor) Myra.
Kate's office also serves as the carvans' supply room, so the space is half-full of towels, sheets, and cleaning supplies.
Kate's partner in the detective agency is her former teaching assistant Tristan Harper, who has a knack for investigative work.
And Kate's now 19-year old son Jake - on summer break from university - helps with the caravan enterprise and takes tourists out on a boat.
Kate's private investigator business is struggling, so she's happy to get a call from a woman named Bev Ellis, whose daughter Joanna Duncan disappeared twelve years ago. The police have now shelved Joanna's case, and Bev wants Kate to continue the search - even if it only results in a body to bury.
At the time of Joanna's disappearance she was an investigative journalist who'd recently exposed an MP for taking bribes to award building contracts. Joanna was also investigating claims the married MP used rent boys, which - at the time - would have been a big scandal.
Grieving mother Bev Ellis and her boyfriend Bill - a wealthy contractor with connections - have the police files relating to Joanna's case, so Kate and Tristan have a good place to start. They soon learn that, around the time Joanna vanished, she was looking into the disappearance of two gay men who'd spent time at a squatter's commune.
To further their investigation, Kate and Tristan make inquiries about the (now defunct) commune and its residents; talk to Joanna's friends; speak to Joanna's (unfaithful) husband Fred;
interview Joanna's editor at the newspaper;
track down the MP Joanna exposed, etc.
Kate and Tristan are also able to get information from their contacts in the coroner's office and police department.
Meanwhile, a serial killer with a flair for disguises is picking up gay men in the area and murdering them.
In the course of their inquiries, Kate and Tristan come across the same names again and again, but can't connect the dots to Joanna's disappearance until there's a surprise breakthrough.
In additional to their professional work, we get a peek into the private lives of the characters. Kate struggles with her sobriety and misses her friend Myra; Tristan has financial troubles and an older sister who disapproves of his detective job; Jake has to deal with having a serial killer father; and so on. On the upside, Kate, Tristan, and Jake sometimes gather for a delicious barbecue on the beach.
Some of the twists in the book stretch credulity, but I enjoyed the story and recommend it to mystery lovers and Kate Marshall fans.
Thanks to Netgalley, Robert Bryndza, and Thomas & Mercer for a copy of the book.
Rating: 3.5 stars
Wonderful post Barb. I haven't started this series yet, but I definitely want to read it. Is all the background info in the books or is that how the first book begins?
ReplyDeleteThank you Carla. 🙂🍓🌾
ReplyDeleteIn the first book Kate discovers her boss (and boyfriend) is a serial killer and it goes on from there.
Okay, thanks. I definitely need to read them in order then.
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