Hell Bay: A Locked-Island Mystery: 1

DI Ben Kitto is sent to the tiny Scilly island of Bryher to work in his uncle Ray's boatyard, hoping to mend his shattered nerves. When the body of sixteen-year-old Laura Trescothick is found on the beach at Hell Bay, everyone on the island is under suspicion. Kate Rhodes' novel is a locked-room mystery, a story of the returning hero, and an examination of fear and abuse. It has received praise from Sophie Hannah, Julia Crouch, Laura Wilson, and Mel Sherratt.

Format: Hardback
Length: 432 pages
Publication date: 25 January 2018
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd

The Isles of Scilly Mysteries #1: 'The claustrophobia and paranoia of the island are so brilliantly evoked, I could almost feel the tide encroaching as time ran out to find the killer. Erin Kelly, author of He Said, She Said, 'Absorbing and complex, Hell Bay kept me guessing until the final pages. Rachel Abbott, author of The Sixth Window, Trapped in a storm, with no way out ... DI Ben Kitto needs a second chance. After ten years working for the murder squad in London, a traumatic event has left him grief-stricken. He's tried to resign from his job, but his boss has persuaded him to take three months to reconsider. Ben plans to work in his uncle Ray's boatyard, on the tiny Scilly island of Bryher, where he was born, hoping to mend his shattered nerves. His plans go awry when the body of sixteen-year-old Laura Trescothick is found on the beach at Hell Bay. Her attacker must still be on the island because no ferries have sailed during a two-day storm. Everyone on the island is under suspicion. Dark secrets are about to resurface. And the murderer could strike again at any time. I love reading Kate's books in the way I love reading Sophie Hannah - a poet writing crime fiction is a great thing. Kate really shows us round the community and the landscape so that we feel we know it all. It is at once a locked-room mystery, a story of the returning hero, and an examination of fear and abuse. It has the air of a twenty-first-century Agatha Christie. Julia Crouch Further praise for Kate Rhodes: 'A vividly realised protagonist whose complex and harrowing history rivals the central crime storyline. Sophie Hannah, Daily Express 'A pacy psychological thriller. Laura Wilson, Guardian 'Both the plot and the writing keep one thoroughly engaged thr.

Weight: 616g
Dimension: 165 x 242 x 33 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781471165399