I was thrilled to discover Death of a Wrecker, by Emylia Hall, available for immediate reading in NetGalley. For those unfamiliar, NetGalley is a website that allows writers and publishers to provide free ARCs to readers in the hope of a good review.
Death of a Wrecker is the seventh book in the Shell House Detectives series, which follows former police officer Jayden and his elderly friend Ally as they form a private detective company to solve murders in their small corner of Cornwall. I feel a bit mean when describing Ally as elderly but she is around 80 and despite being very spry, her age does occasionally mean she needs to take more care.
Ally’s husband used to be the lead police officer of fictional Porthpella, which explains her interest in sleuthing. Porthpella is a very picturesque sounding village in Cornwall. Many scenes take place in real parts of Cornwall and I imagine the books do wonders for local tourism. Wrecker mentions local artist Alfred Wallis and his grave near Tate St Ives. I looked it up and it is gorgeous, well worth a visit if I’m ever down that way.
For those of you who have read the previous books, here’s where the characters are up to in their lives:
Ally and Ray have split, which is good because Gus still loves her. Saffron is finally developing feelings for Mullins, who of course loves her, even if he hasn’t quite realised it. Skinner might become one of the gang. Wenna is still being criminally underused. Jayden is just ticking along and I still don’t quite like Cat, but I don’t know why. I love Jasmine and Benji though.
Ok, for those who didn’t read the spoiler, all our favourite characters are back, no one has their love lives sorted (alright, Jayden does) and if you like reading about kids, there’s two cuties to enjoy.
A short prologue starts with a gold ring being found and I enjoyed the distinct echoes of Gollum in Lord of the Rings. I love a prologue, which I know is controversial but I think in a mystery novel it adds an extra layer of intrigue. Then by the end of Chapter One we have a dead body, a diver who dies after a boat trip with three men on a research trip. One of the men is an author. The police don’t think the death is suspicious, which disappoints Ally as she happens to be present when the body is brought in and thinks there is something off about the three men. Then Ally and Jayden get asked to investigate a man suspected of cheating on his fiancee. Now this wouldn’t normally excite them, except the potential cheater is one of the three men, and the fiancee’s Dad is another of the men. Could it have been murder after all?
After a steady drip drip of clues, including some intriguing chapters written from each of the men’s point of view, we have a second death. This really changes things up. The case starts to encroach on Mullins’ personal life. More time with Mullins is always good, I have a real soft spot for this character. The second death is of a man so odious even Ally and Jayden start to wonder if they want to solve the case.
This is where I encountered a problem. I’ve decided not to spoil things for the readers, but the direction the case takes was triggering for me. Emylia Hall does not use trigger warnings, which I don’t love, and her novels are fairly cosy. Wrecker is a lot bleaker than usual by the end, and I did struggle. It is still a wonderful book, but I urge readers to prepare themselves.
Hall’s writing is beautiful, especially when setting a scene. Reviewing a book forces me to read slower and so I can appreciate details I might have missed. I also realised that the plotting is more skilled than I had realised. Apart from a slightly too convenient knack for being in the right place at the right time, Ally and Jayden do solid detective work. The clues don’t just fall into their lap and their theories aren’t based on huge leaps of deduction, but instead actual logic and research.
Despite the bittersweet end, Wrecker is an excellent addition to the series. I’m more than ready for book 8, when hopefully certain romances will blossom. A solid and deserved 4 out of 5 stars.
Please click here to order Death of a Wrecker.
