Death at High Tide is the delightful first installment in the Island Sisters series by Hannah Dennison, featuring two sisters who inherit an old hotel in the remote Isles of Scilly off the coast of Cornwall and find it full of intrigue, danger, and romance. When Evie Mead’s husband, Robert, suddenly drops dead of a heart attack, a mysterious note is found among his possessions. It indicates that … among his possessions. It indicates that Evie may own the rights to an old hotel on Tregarrick Rock, one of the Isles of Scilly.
Still grieving, Evie is inclined to leave the matter to the accountant to sort out. Her sister Margot, however, flown in from her glamorous career in LA, has other plans. Envisioning a luxurious weekend getaway, she goes right ahead and buys two tickets–one way–to Tregarrick.
Once at the hotel–used in its heyday to house detective novelists, and more fixer-upper than spa resort, after all–Evie and Margot attempt to get to the bottom of things. But the foul-tempered hotel owner claims he’s never met the late Robert, even after Evie finds framed photos of them–alongside Robert’s first wife–in his office. The rest of the island inhabitants, ranging from an ex-con receptionist to a vicar who communicates with cats, aren’t any easier to read.
But when a murder occurs at the hotel, and then another soon follows, frustration turns to desperation. There’s no getting off the island at high tide. And Evie and Margot, the only current visitors to Tregarrick, are suspects one and two. It falls to them to unravel secrets spanning generations–and several of their own–if they want to make it back alive.
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Death at High Tide is the first in the new “Island Sisters” mysteries by Hannah Dennison. The story takes place largely on the Isle of Scilly. Protagonist Evie Mead has just lost her husband, and also learned that she MAY have inherited a hotel called the Tregarrick Rock hotel (on the island of Scilly), which was used as collateral for a loan that may or may not have been repaid to her late husband. Evie’s sister Margot decides that the two sisters should visit Tregarrick Rock, partly to cheer Evie up and partly to check out the hotel.
I have some mixed feelings about this debut. The murder doesn’t occur until halfway through the book, and although that gave plenty of time to establish the characters and the setting, I did find myself wondering when a dead body would turn up. The island itself (which, by the way, is off the southwestern tip of Cornwall) is another character in the book and ample description is given to the landscape. I didn’t mind that – the island sounded fascinating and I would love to visit. Evie is an intriguing main character, a little naive and underdeveloped. I hope to see more development in future stories. Some of the supporting characters are unlikeable, but again, I have hopes that they will be fleshed out in future stories. One intriguing detail about the island is that it is only accessible by boat or “sea tractor” during low tide, making this an interesting twist on the classic “locked room” mystery – a “locked island” mystery, if you will.
I was able to figure out who the killer was fairly quickly, but I will say there were some details that I didn’t figure out until right before they were revealed. Author Hannah Dennison did provide some action and danger at the end that was fun to read. And the end of the book sets Evie up for more island adventures.
All in all, this was not a bad start to a new series. I would particularly recommend this book to readers who love a strong setting in their books, and who love Agatha Christie, as this book is very much in that vein. I am intrigued to see what comes next for Evie.
I really enjoyed this Island Sisters Mystery. I received this story for free and I voluntarily chose to review it. I’ve given this a 5* rating. This is the first in a series and has a little bit of mystery, betrayal, distrust, adventure, a cat, and murder. It had me guessing till nearly the end and had to keep turning the pages to see what would happen next.
cosy-mystery, amateur-sleuth, greed, british, murder, murder-investigation, bed-and-breakfast
The characters drove me batty they were so (disgustingly) realistic! I could tolerate the new widow because sudden death of a loved one leaves a person pretty much brain dead for too many months, but the sister from California! I was rooting for her to be the first victim. The story moves along like a freight train through the mountains, slow at first but high speed on the downslope. Trying to give a decent review without doing the spoiler thing is hard, so I’ll just say that I loved it!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
If life on the Isles is of interest there is a humorous nonfiction titled The Life of a Scilly Sergeant.
Death at High Tide by Hannah Dennison is the first book in the Island Sisters mystery series.
Although the mystery is deftly woven I found it difficult for me to relate to either Evie or Margot. The setting of Tregarrick Rock Hotel in the Islands of Scilly was definitely atmospheric which deftly added to the mystery without overpowering the characters. A smoothly paced plot with an “edge of your seat” reveal.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Minotaur Books via NetGalley. All of the above opinions are my own.
Death at High Tide by Hannah Dennison is the first in a new series ( The Island Sisters Mystery series ). I have to admit this is my first read of Ms. Dennison and I was thoroughly impressed. I love myself a good cozy mystery, but add fun and quirky characters and a wonderful location (The Isles of Scilly off the coast of Cornwall) and you have got yourself an enjoyable book.
Evie and Margot are sisters (who to me seem like opposites) that end up entangled into several murders and a fun, complex mystery that ensues kept my attention from beginning to end. Evie is still recovering from the loss of her husband, and Margot is more of the higher-maintenance type, yet their differences seem to play off each other well. No, neither are saintly and perfect, but their imperfections make this book more interesting to me. Still, they are still sisters, and family stick together.
I enjoyed meeting the unique and quirky cast of characters that inhabit the island and the pacing and plot were appropriate and enjoyable. I was not able to figure out the culprit until towards the end.
I enjoyed the start of this new series and look forward to all of the wonderful things that Ms. Dennison will be able to do with the characters in future installments.
A great start!
4/5 stars
I thoroughly enjoyed Death at High Tide, the first of author Hannah Dennison’s (Vicky Hill Mysteries, Honeychurch Hall Mysteries) Island Sisters Mysteries! Meet Evie and Margot, sisters on a weekend getaway to a hotel on Tregarrick, one of the Isles of Scilly. Evie is recently widowed and Margot is taking a respite from her life in Hollywood to help her younger sister. What starts as a little white lie (Involving filming the next Pirates of the Caribbean movie, Scilly Pirates!) unravels when they encounter each of the cast of characters who inhabit the tiny island. After the patriarch is found dead at the bottom of a cliff and Evie is suspected of the foul deed, she must snoop her way around the hotel to discover who actually committed the crime. Another charming cozy from Ms. Dennison, with plenty of intrigue, a dash of romance, and a hint of Dame Agatha’s And Then There Were None! A+++