The Shell House Detectives (A Shell House Detectives Mystery Book 1)

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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. 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. Captures the magic and beauty of Cornwall wrapped within a warm and engaging detective story. I loved it." - Rosanna Ley 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.

With books set in Cornwall’s wild and wonderful west, the Tuscan isle of Elba, the Swiss Riviera, and rural Hungary, Emylia’s work – whether crime or women’s fiction – is strongly influenced by place. Her writing and short fiction have appeared in a wide range of publications, including The Guardian, Elle, The Simple Things and broadcast on BBC Radio 6 Music. In all honesty I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. This isn’t a genre I’m interested in reading (although I like to watch fictional crime series). Why read it then? I chose to read it because I’ve enjoyed Emylia Hall’s previous novels. And I’m so glad I did! If you’ve read this author’s previous books and you’re not sure about the change in genre, give this a go. You WON’T be disappointed. I guarantee it.

A Note From the Publisher

As a family we’ve holidayed in St Ives and Gwithian for years, and it’s also where I go for solo writing retreats in mid-winter. I couldn’t love it more, and this personal connection is a big part of why this series means so much to me. The natural landscape itself offers amazing potential as a setting for mystery novels – the dramatic cliffs, shifting dunes, relentless ocean. And while there’s an element of romanticising to the world I present – the novels are considered Cosy Crime – I’m also keen to be sensitive to real issues that go beyond the picture postcards.

Another character we get an insight into is Detective Sargeant Skinner. There are a few surprises there too!A cleverly plotted and thoroughly enjoyable book about dark deeds in beautiful places." - Elly Griffiths 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 … The action started when Paul Pascoe got released from prison and came home to find that his mother’s house was gone. He was frantic. He pounded on the door of the Hunter home and got rudely rebuffed. Paul then went to Maggie’s home Paul said that he was looking for Bill Bight, who had promised to help him once he was released from prison Paul wanted to know where his mother went. Maggie did not know. Paul left without getting any help from Ally.

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 It’s December in Cornwall, and Mousehole harbour is illuminated with its famous Christmas lights. Ally Bright is among the crowd listening to the carol singers—and then to the piercing screams that rip through the darkness. A body has been found, brutally murdered and dumped in a fisherman’s boat. As a Bristol author, are there particular places or walks in the city from which you take inspiration? Emylia’s writing career began in 2012 with the coming-of-age story The Book of Summers. It was one of the bestselling debuts of the year and a Richard and Judy Book Club selection. A Heart Bent Out of Shape followed in 2013 and The Sea Between Us in 2015. The Thousand Lights Hotel was published in 2017 and was chosen by Fearne Cotton for her Happy Place Book Club. Altogether, Emylia’s novels have been translated into 10 different languages. Jayden Weston has moved to Porthpella with his wife, Cat, who is pregnant with his first child. Cat grew up here and wanted to come home. Jayden was a policeman who has left the force because he was recovering from the death of his partner, Kiernan.Beautifully written, gripping, and so atmospheric.…One for fans of Richard Osman!” —Emily Koch, author of What July Knew As the story develops Ally and Jayden become a team, determined to find out what is going on, neither of them have a lot of confidence in the local police. It seems they have decided that Helena has come to harm by the hands of Lewis Pascoe and then he has tried to kill himself the same way his father had. They are doing very little to look for any other explanations. But when Ally and Jayden start digging they find more than they expected. Ally and Jayden located Fiona Penrose, an artist who had been painting on the beach, and had talked with Helena shortly before Helena’s disappearance. They went to visit Fiona and discovered Helena there. Helena was in hiding from Roland because Helena thought that Roland had killed his first wife to get her money, and she feared for her own safety. Ally and Jayden informed police that Helena had been found. Roland was angry. Ally in particular is a triumph because she’s middle aged, unassuming and ostensibly a no-one following the death of her policeman husband, but her public persona belies an incisive mind, a compassionate nature and a tenacity and strength that bring her to life completely. However, what works so well here is that there is a wide enough cast for variety and reader interest, but, simultaneously, a narrow enough focus to afford development for characters like Tim Mullins with scope for the future. What Emylia Hall does so beautifully is to convey the thoughts and emotions of her characters and I admit to shedding a tear or two with them, both in joy and sadness. Cosy Crime- There really is no better book to demonstrate this genre. The Shell House Detectives is an absolute joy.

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. 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. When I discovered the second book in the Shell House Detectives series was available, I simply had to grab a copy. I enjoyed the first book with the protagonists, Ally and Jayden. I also recalled Shell House, Ally's home near the sea. In reality, probably described too close to the sea for real life, but the house in book one was magical in its description. Jayden was out surfing one day when he saw a young woman run by so fast she seemed to be fleeing. Soon after that Jayden heard someone calling for help on the beach. He responded and saw a severely injured Lewis Pascoe lying at the base of the same sea cliff from which his father fell. Lewis did not die, but ended up in a coma in the hospital. No one could interview him. An expertly plotted and hugely compelling murder mystery... Crime fans are in for a treat." - Lucy Clarke

As The Shell House Detectives try to solve a family mystery, their investigation runs dangerously close to a murder case. Are the two linked? 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 I love it when a book has great characters and this one has plenty. Ally Bright had lost her husband, Bill, a year earlier, he had been a local well respected police officer, Ally missed him. They had a daughter Evie who now lives in Australia with her husband and children, she is trying to persuade Ally to go out there to live with them. Jayden Weston was a police officer in Leeds until he lost his partner and quit the police, he has now moved to Cornwall with his wife Cat who is currently pregnant, Cat had grown up there, so has friends and family, the idea is they run a business for campers, as well as help out on Cat’s families farm. Jayden is struggling to settle in, he is used to city life.