This is the second book in the author's crime series set in the Isles of Scilly, which I have read on my holiday there. I read it quickly and as a page-turning thriller it is effective, but had the same mixed feelings about this as its predecessor; while there was an appealing general feeling of life on the islands, there too many errors (e.g. Round Island, St Helen's and Tean are not the Eastern Isles of Scilly; the waters do not "plummet for hundreds of metres between most of the islands"; and there are not flocks of grazing sheep on Tresco). Again, the volume and types of crime that the plot involves are simply unrealistic in terms of the real Scilly and I simply cannot take it seriously in this context. I also found the final revelation of the killer(s) rather unlikely and, unless I am going mad, there was a major unresolved plot thread and unanswered question - what happened with Mike Trellon??

I am home from Scilly now so the following books will wait until a likely visit next summer. ( )

I went straight for this book after finishing listening to the audio version of Hell Bay, the first book in the series. It was so good, and I was so pleased to have the sequel, Ruin Beach waiting for me. Now, we all have our favorite kind of settings when it comes to books. I LOVE reading crime novels set in isolated milieus. The grittier surrounding the better. This series that takes place on the Scilly Isles (had to Google it) was just my kind of series.

Before I start the review will I just say that, yes, you can read the books as stand-alone. However, they are so good so if you have the chance to go for book one first. Do so!

Ben Kitto returned home to the Scilly Isles in Hell Bay and even though he didn't plan on staying on was it exactly what he did. He's now Deputy Chief of Police of Scilly Isles after working several years in London. The peace on the Isle is broken when the body of a young diver Jude Trellon is found. The body has been anchored to the rocks of a nearby cave, and Ben quickly realize that she's been murdered. Now, Ben must find out who wanted Jude Trellon killed, and why. Someone on the little Isle wanted Jude dead, and now Ben must investigate those close to her to find out who hated her enough to kill her.

Ruin Beach is just as Hell Bay and excellent crime novel. The writing is superb and there are many suspects to choose from. I've become quite fond of this series and I really like Ben Kitto. The only drawback with this book is that I now have no more books in this series to read...

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review! ( )

On Tresco,one of the many islands of Scilly, a young professional diver is found murdered in a famous (or infamous) cave. The year before another young woman was found drowned in the same place. Coincidence? D.I. Ben Kitto,a local man, back after a spell in the big Metropolis, has to find the culprit of this horrendous murder. Very soon the place is awash with rumours about a mythical Roman shipwreck. And as this is a close and small community,there is no lack of suspects...
It is a good murder mystery, a good storyline(although a bit long winded ),a fabulous setting and most of the characters are believable and well elaborated except D.I. Kitto ,it feels as if this character is not quite finished yet. Perhaps a firmer editing?
And then there is the dog,admittedly Kitto is not the willing and voluntary owner of Shadow but still...I don't think he calls the dog even once by his name,the dogs gets wounded but after some very basic treatment Shadows just limps on...Weird... ( )

Ben Kitto's boss tries to keep him on a tight rein, constantly harping at him to tidy himself up, to look more professional.

When the body of Jude Trellon is discovered the timeline becomes tight. No-one is to leave the island until the murderer is found. But that is almost impossible to enforce. There are several suspects, mostly locals, and Ben comes to believe that Jude had found something that the murderer wants. The murderer is leaving crazy clues, scraps of verse from sea shanties, and then a young lad who dived with Jude disappears.

This was very readable, plenty of red herrings, and the identity of the murderer is a puzzle for most of the book.

I'll be looking for another from this author. ( )

When diver Jude Trellion is found dead it sends shockwaves through the small and close knit community of the Scilly Isles. the fact that Jude was murdered makes it all the more difficult. For police officer Ben Kitto there are more personal links and he is determined to see justice done. On a island group with inhabitants numbered in the hundreds there can't be many suspects but as one of his colleagues is attacked, then the boy working with Jude and finally Jude's partner, Ben knows that the link to a sunken treasure ship is a good motive for someone.
I haven't read any of the previous books in the series and this never seemed to be a hindrance in my enjoyment of this novel. Similarly I've never been to the Scilly Isles but they are imagined brilliantly here. My slight misgivings about the book are due to a lack of characterisation throughout and a rather straightforward plot but that is to be too negative about what is a fairly undemanding but very entertaining procedural. ( )