REVIEW


Review for 'The Castle Beach Murders' by John Nicholl.

This is the tenth book I have read by this author and it is also the third book in John's 'Carmarthen Crime' series but can be read as a standalone. I have previously read 'Killing Evil', and 'The Doctor' (First book in the 'Dr David Galbraith' series) and 'The Wife' (Second book in the Dr Galbrailth series), 'The Father' (Third book in the Dr Galbraith series) and 'The Carmarthen Murders' (First book in the 'Carmarthen Crime' series), , 'The Tywi Estuary Killings' (Second book in the 'Carmarthen Crime' series), 'The Bride', 'The Cellar' and 'The Holiday' and I would recommend each and every single one of them!!

'The Castle Beach Murders' discusses some topics that may trigger some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book John discusses/includes strong language, sexual assault and cancer.

OMG!!!! Yet another fantastic success by John!! What a read!! Just Wow!!! This is one of the best psychological thrillers and series I have read in a long time, in fact that I have ever read!!! This book was that good that when I was on holiday in Cornwall reading it a squirrel just had to stick their nose in!!! The book is written perfectly and with such vivid descriptions it really feels that you are with the protagonists walking the streets of Carmarthenshire with your heart pounding in a race against time. Make sure you clear your schedules before picking this up because you won't be able to put it down!!

The storyline is absolutely addictive and gripping. I seriously WOULD NOT even start this book unless you have cleared your schedule because you will not be able to put it down!!! I absolutely blew through it in one sitting and it genuinely was unputdownable!!! A true page turner absolutely rammed with suspense, tension and everything you want when you read a psychological thriller. This would be absolutely amazing if turned into a movie, if done right of course!!! This is an absolutely gripping and addictive storyline. I didn't think John would be able to bring out another series as good as the Galbraith one as that was utterly explosive but yet again he managed it! For anyone interested in 'The Galbraith Series' the books in order are 'The Doctor' (previously published as 'White Is The Coldest Colour'), 'The Wife' (previously published as 'When Evil Calls Your Name' ) and 'The Father'. I have absolutely loved each book in this absolutely incredible series which is perfect for crime lovers!!! I am not usually a fan of reading books out of order but if you have never read any of John's books before there is nothing to fear!! You can start with this one and the silver lining of reading books out of order is that after you have finished this book (and got addicted which I can guarantee you will!) you can go back to read the previous books in the series and then finish the series of with 'The Dryslwyn Castle Killings' which is the fourth and sadly seems like the final book in this series. I have also read that book so make sure you come back in a few days to check out my review on that!!

This book is another absolutely explosive and addictive addition to this absolutely action packed series. I love the fact that this book is based in Llansteffan and Carmarthenshire along with naming many places local to me. Llansteffan is an absolutely beautiful place to visit with its own castle and beach and although this is a crime book John portrays the beauty of both Llansteffan and many of the local areas perfectly. The fact that I recognised so many places really brought the story to life. John really describes Llansteffan, Carmarthen, Laughrne perfectly and even when this book is filled with crime and murder he manages to portray the beauty of local areas. The storyline is absolutely ram packed with crime, mystery, murder, suspense, tension, and everything you could ask for in a page turner. It also has just the right amount of humour in to lighten the mood which I always love in crime books. I must say I had my heart in my throat and was on the edge of my seat on so many occasions in this book that I lost count!!! Will I say more? Nope, sorry for the tease but you'll just have to pick up a copy to find out what I mean. I can't go spoiling it for future readers now can I? If you want to find out more you will just have to grab your copy of this gripping book, and better yet the whole series and I can PROMISE you are not going to regret it. I mean, if you have never read any of John Nicholl's books before then you really cannot go and call yourself a crime fan so if you do love crime then you just have to get these books today!!! You may even discover your new favourite author, book and/or series just like I did when I first got hooked into his books!! With an absolutely gripping and addictive storyline ram packed with family, crime, police procedural, murder, mystery, suspense, tension and much, much more I have no idea what you are waiting for? Stop wasting your time reading what I have written and get stuck in to something someone with talent and skill, as well as experience, has written!! I love how John wrote this book giving the readers so many different perspectives from various characters so you get such a good insight into what is happening including from the killer. This book is an absolute must read with an unexpected ending. I would love to see this turned into a movie!!

Although this is the third book in the series I had would have had absolutely no problems reading it without the others. Any details or events that have previously happened are mentioned in just the right amount of detail to let a new reader know what has happened and yet not too much to bore a previous reader.

I previously met the main protagonist Detective Inspector Gareth Gravel in the Galbraith series and again in the first two books in this series 'The Carmarthen Murders' and the second book in this series 'The Tywi Estuary Killings' and I was extremely pleased to "meet" him again. Not quite the hero that some may expect Grav is sarcastic, has an attitude problem, loves to swear and has nicotine stained teeth but at least their his own! All of this made him one of the most realistic characters I have ever met in a book and he had me laughing out loud on several occasions!! I love that he says it how it is and doesn't hold back. I love the fact that this book makes the crime even more personal to Grav with his daughter being the one at risk, which also puts him in the crosshairs of the killer. I also enjoyed meeting Detective Sergeant Laura Kesey who was another huge part of the team and is very likeable. All the characters are realistic and strong. It was interesting to see Laura's approach to this case considering who the potential victim was. I have really grown to love Grav and Laura and the way they work together is absolutely brilliant. I was not a fan of DCS Davies and the decisions she made really angered me especially as she didn't really seem to take accountability for it afterwards. Regardless of whether you love or hate them these characters worked perfectly to make this book absolutely unputdownable and I cannot wait to get stuck into more books by this absolutely amazing author!!

I really cannot compliment and recommend this book more. It is a heart racing, nail biting, suspense packed mystery crime thriller

Congratulations John on yet another absolutely addictive nail biting edge of your seat novel. This is exactly why you are on my favourite author list!!! As always I'm looking forward to reading your next page turner!!!

Overall a unputdownable, heart racing, nail biting and addictive crime thriller

#TheCastleBeachMurders #CarmarthenCrime #DIGravel #JohnNicholl #BoldwoodBooks

@John Nicholl @CarmarthenCrime @DIGravel @BoldwoodBooks


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This book was everything I hoped it would it be.
I was hooked quickly and completely unwilling to put this down. I devoured this book in just one sitting. I have no regrets and can’t wait to read more by this author.

Another fantastic book by Nicholls. Dark and gory just like his others. Fast paced and gruesome. Kept me gripped from start to end

5☆ Utterly Fantastic

A Cold Cold heart is a fast paced Thriller that is fresh, gripping, addictive and will leave you turning pages into the early hours.
If you are looking for a fresh new Thriller, that is gripping, Creepy, fast paced, short addictive chapters, that keep you reading till the early hours. Then this is definitely the book for you!!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily and it reflects my personal opinion.
This author is new to me and this is the first book I have read in this series but this does not seem to make any difference understanding the book or characters as there is little reference to previous events. The style is somewhat different to most detective novels in that the reader is informed of the perpetrator early on.
I particularly disliked the amount of bad language used by many of the characters, this was unnecessary and added nothing to the characterisation or story. There was also more explicit violence than I expected and I do not understand why we had to be told about how 3 female victims felt 'urine trickling down their leg(s)'. The plot seemed weak, the characters not credible and the narrative did not provide suspense which would be expected in the case of a character who relies upon using his image presentation to trap then use psychology as part of his victims' torture.
I persevered until the end with this book but cannot recommend it as enjoyable, a good or clever read. I am going to try the next in series to see if this is a one-off.

Another great read from this amazing author. I loved that the writer had DI Grave step back some to allow Kesey to shine. Both Detectives did an awesome job with the story. I enjoyed the intense research of the killer and the background work it took to put the puzzle pieces together of the killer. I absolutely loved that the writer had the killer has the main character of the story. His insight brought the excitement of the story, as well as the entertainment. This book was a great read.

A clever serial killer, a detective who is in failing health opens for a great detective book. The book early on reveals the killer and his obsession with the detective’s daughter who is working for him. In a race against time who will win out. I think reading the previous books would give context to elements of this book but would still recommend.

Book three in the excellent DI Gareth Gravel series sees him on the trail of a serial killer but events become very close to home in this thrilling story from a master story teller. Another great addition to a superb series.

There is a serial killer and rapist on the loose, and the detectives have few leads. Emily starts a relationship with her new boss, Charles Turner, but quickly becomes uncomfortable. With DI Gravel's health failing, and the killer planting false evidence, it is a race to catch him!
Great thriller, which describes a psychopath with no mercy. Highly recommend this crime series, which has well thought out and detailed crimes. Excellent!

Overall, I really enjoyed this dark, chilling, well-plotted story. It was intense and fast paced and I raced through this in a few hours, frantically turning the pages, desperate to find out how it was all going to be resolved. With that dramatic ending, I wasn’t disappointed! I’m already looking forward to the author’s next book.

This is book 3 in the Carmarthen Crime Series, and just as good as the first two, although a little darker in places.
This time, DI Gravel is hunting a serial killer, but things get too close to home for comfort when his daughter Emily is taken. Can Grav and DS Laura Kesey find Emily in time to prevent her becoming another victim?
As a many time visitor to this part of Wales, I can picture the places they visit, and the descriptions bring the places back to life for me.
An excellent series of books, and I will continue to read them until I have read them all.
Thank you for the chance to read this ARC.

Third book in the DI Gravel series, The Castle Beach Murders was previously published as A Cold Cold Heart but new to me. As is typical for this series, you know who the killer is almost from the start, so the book is more about the chase than whodunnit; how will Grav and DS Laura Kesey catch the killer, and in this case, will they catch him before Grav's daughter becomes ones of the victims? Warning to the "faint of heart": this is a dark book, the characters swear a lot, and there are some pretty vivid and gruesome descriptions. Some of the dialog is a bit stilted, but the characters have depth and Nicholl keeps you on the edge of your seat.

When I requested this arc I thought it was part of a series of whodunnit set in Carmarthen. As a matter of fact I got the setting right as this is a very dark, twisty, gritty mix of police procedural and thriller.
Great characters and plotting.
This is another twisty and fast paced story that i enjoyed.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I enjoyed this one. While I have not read the first two books in the series I will need to do so now.
I believe there is also a fourth book as well.
I love short 4-5 book series.
The end was definitely the best part of the book. Good author that I’ll definitely read more of.

This is book 3 of the Carmarthen Crime series, but the first I had read. It starts off with giving you multiple sides of the story- the police and the killer. Very quickly the readers senses that the victim has fallen into a trap she won't be able to get out of, but knowing that her dad is the inspector, means the story might nor unfold the way the reader initially thinks, and it doesn't. When he has to take a back seat, it's up to his team to solve the mystery and save his daughter. A page turner at the end, this is a 4 book series to sink your teeth into!

The Castle Beach Murders was called A Cold Cold Heart by John Nicholl is one of the best authors I have read. This is the third book in the brilliant DI Gravel series and WoW this has been one of the best series I have read, i did not want this book to end. This book is a chilling Psychological Thriller and like all his books I have read, once I started I Couldn't Put it Down.

I do HIGHLY recommend you read the other three books they will not disappoint.

It's full of great twists and turns and John has a way of drawing you into his books..........This is what makes John an excellent author.
DI Gravel is a brilliant character, someone who you could look up to and tell him all your problems over a bottle of beer. Wine in my case. I just loved this character.

The novels in the DI Gravel Series include: new and old titles. So don't get confused.

The Carmarthen Murders was Portraits of the Dead (DI Gravel, #1)
The Tywi Estuary Killings was Before I Met Him (DI Gravel, #2)
The Castle Beach Murders was A Cold Cold Heart (DI Gravel, #3)
The Dryslwyn Castle Killings was Anonymity (DI Gravel, #4)

Part of a series featuring DI Gravel but can be read as a stand alone as their is enough description for you to understand the storyline and the background. Lots of suspense and a great plot line. Quite graphic, but in the context of the story. A family connection too which makes it all the more difficult for D I Gravel. One to definitely enjoy.

This is number 3 in a series but can be read on its own.

Not my usual genre but once started you had to finish it to see how it ends. Less gory than book 2.

It grabs you from the start to the finish. Easy read, Great characters
Thank you to John Nicholl, NetGalley, and Boldwood Books for the arc of this book.

When DI Gravels daughter takes a job with Solicitor Charles Turner they are unaware of the events that will soon follow

Not as gripping as i thought from the blurb but still a good read