Sally Rigby (1)

Death at Porthcurno Cove by Sally Rigby is a highly recommended procedural and the fifth book in the enjoyable Cornwall Murder Mystery series.

DI Lauren Pengelly is walking her dogs on the beach early one morning when they discover two bodies lying on a blanket. Beside them is an empty Prosecco bottle, a ring box, and a note that says, "Sorry." It appears they were celebrating their engagement. Lauren calls in the medical examiner and her team, including her partner DS Matt Price, to start show more the investigation. The victims are quickly identified as university students Jasmine and Finley, both 21-years-old. Now the team must follow the evidence to determine if this is double suicide or something more nefarious.

This is a another great, well-written addition to the reliably entertaining Cornwall Murder Mystery series. The plot moves quickly and logically as clues are followed and new information is uncovered. There are several twists as the investigation proceeds and focuses on a close knit group of friends. The only drawback was I predicted the ending early on this time, but following the clues to the conclusion was still satisfying.

These characters in this series are well known to me and are all portrayed as fully realized individuals. I like the interaction between them. In the ending a minor story line in the narrative indicates more changes and challenges for them, especially Matt, in the future.
Death at Porthcurno Cove is a great choice for readers who enjoy procedurals. Thanks to Storm Publishing for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.
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I'm always looking for police procedurals to read. Especially with female detectives. Unfortunately it's often hit and miss. This was somewhere in the middle.

I came to like both of the main characters but I struggled to start with. George was alright but Whitney was a total jerk with a massive chip on her shoulder about academics. It was ridiculous. She grated on my nerves a lot to start with - she took offence to everything and it was exhausting.

I can't say I particularly noticed George's show more snobbish behaviour before it was pointed out - I felt like it was she had trouble relating to others rather than actively disapproving of anyone. Still I liked how the characters evolved and came to see the benefits of their own and each other's characteristics.

At one point Whitney asks George out for a drink and mentions about she hoped that she didn't think it was a date - but honestly I kind of wished it had of been - I felt like that would've been a unique angle to take the story in.

The procedural itself was alright. I more or less guessed the culprit and I liked that the evidence was all laid out logically. It was a little bland but it was decently written and much better than a lot of other procedurals I've read. There were a few plot holes Lydia's diary? Who was staring at her? and the motives for the murders? that weren't quite wrapped up but most of the loose ends were tied up.

One thing I hated though were the insert chapters of the killer's mind. It jolted me out of the story and took away from the narrative. They served no real purpose and it would've been a stronger story without their inclusion.

3 stars. show less

This is the first installment of a solid police procedural featuring a hardcore, play by my rules, Detective Inspector named Lauren Pengelly. She is about to take off on a bicycling holiday when she catches not one but two cases in the quiet, parochial town of Penzance, Cornwall. With a new DS starting with her force it quickly becomes apparent that her vacation is not happening. It was well contrived that this new DS is the officer who is initially going to prevent Pengelly from gaining show more access to the first crime scene. He thinks she is a pushy interloper and she is definitely going to have a word with his superior officer. And we are off - the cold case is quickly overshadowed by the abduction of a young girl from a daycare facility and another and another. With skin in the game the new Detective Sergeant, Matt Price, shares equal time in the story with Pengelly - his backstory is explained with sufficient detail that that you know he is going to be a major player. Their personalities and the point of Pengelly wanting to move to a territory that is less bucolic with more action and the counterpoint of Price coming from a larger territory with that action needing to find a quieter and less stressful environment works well. He is forever inadvertently saying the wrong thing and she is doing a slow simmer.

Good story, well written, with enough clues and twists that held my attention. I look forward to the next installment because surely Pengelly and Price have a longer road to walk. Many thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for a copy. show less

I enjoyed “The Lost Girls of Penzance”, the first book in the Cornwall Murder Mystery series, and was excited to see another addition. Unfortunately, while I found this story interesting the tone was overly strident, too top heavy with police procedure and the DI’s inner thoughts of how things had to be done, just something constantly off-putting. There was too much attention and reference to DI Pengelly’s personality traits and how it impacted her team, almost as if this was a show more character study and only secondarily a murder investigation. When the attention shifted to the disappearance of the women and the potential that they had been murdered the story came alive. Although I was disappointed, I would definitely try again if a third book in this series becomes available.

This is another time when half stars would be valuable as it is a definite 3-1/2 stars which I am rounding up to 4. Thanks to and Storm Publishing and NetGalley for an advance copy. show less