The naked, maimed body found floating off the coast of Cornwall’s English Channel presents a vexing puzzle for Detective Inspector Morgan Davies and her Scene of Crimes Manager, Calum West. Post-mortem confirms the dead man’s wounds are evidence of torture, but without a name, a crime scene, or a motive, the detectives are stymied. Two days later, a woman reports her partner, Archie Hansen, … Hansen, missing. A farmer and Druid, Archie had made a dangerous discovery he dared not share with anyone. Is he the anonymous floater?
Unraveling this mystery of betrayal, greed, and revenge will test the investigative skills and intuition of Davies and West as never before. With so little evidence, can they outsmart a wickedly clever killer?
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Author provided information about arcane topics such as Druidry, Roman treasure, and Cornwall geography, weaving it into the story in an intersting fashion.
this tends to go on and on, kind of tedious at points
read the first book in the series and loved it. This one doesn’t disappoint. The author makes it especially realistic with loose ends and ancillary characters that stay in your memory long after the book is over.
I’m looking forward to reading more of these two detectives’ adventures. Really great repartee and wit, plus several plots to make the journey interesting. Love the Cornish setting – a unique and beautiful corner of England, and a very unique people.
Interesting twists, humorous at times, and kept me reading.
To many adverbs and adjectives. Forgets what the paragraph was about by the time you read all the descriptions. I could not finish it. It is rare that I don’t finish a book, but this is one I don’t mind putting down.
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Loved hearing about the English country side
Inventive
Love Will North’s books. The plots are always unpredictable and the characters are fascinating. Great murder mysteries.
An international aspect. Clever by full measure. Many twists and turns in a story well-told. The British aspect left an interesting perspective, and the outcome was delightful. Enjoyed it a lot.
I did not care for the style of writing. It became very predictable.
A well written book. Not an action packed book, but the writer kept you interested in the story by a great narrative. I would definitely read more by this writer!
Barely started but felt it wasn’t my kind of book
Great characters, wonderful plot. A very enjoyable read. Only problem I had with it was the back and forth in the story timeline. Was very confused at first, but once I realized what the author was doing, it made sense.
It is not the Navajo Tribal Police but the Cornwall (UK) Constabulary. It is not Seargent Jim Chee but rather DI Morgan Davies. Yet, the book is just as mesmerizing, well-informed, intelligent and fun to read as Tony Hillerman great mysteries covering New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and the Navajo Tribe.
Will North knowledge of Cornwall, it’s ethnicities, customs, fauna and flora, mysteries, superstitions are just as convincing as are those in Hillerman’s writing.
The characters are well-developed and covered with a thin veil of sarcasm, whether they are the good guys or the villains, that makes them life-like and believable. The narrative is generously endowed also with light-hearted police banter that makes the book extra fun to read.
Will surely go for the next installment of the Davies cum West mysteries. And if that doesn’t look like as my warmest recommendation, I don’t know what else could I( have said.
it was fun to read all the “English” things.
Liked the historical aspects of this book and thought that it made a good mystery and had me wondering how it would end.