Book 3 in the DI Gravel, Carmarthen Crime series and another great police procedural thriller. Although you are clear who the killer is from the start this is still a book full of suspense and some surprises. The killer, Charles Turner, is one of the most evil fictional characters I’ve read. He is charming and attractive to women he is also predatory, obsessive, twisted and sadistic. As always with this authors books you should be aware that they are going to be graphic - this killer has his own torture chamber!

Briefly, Gravel is pleased when his daughter returns home to works for a local solicitor. He is currently working on a serial killer case where young women are murdered and found dressed in dated clothes. What no one expects is who his next victim will be so when Emily disappears… With Gravel sick in hospital DS Laura Kesey is left in charge of the case.

A great plot line, well written and moved along at a great pace. I’ve enjoyed all the books in this series and look forward to reading the next one soon. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The Castle Beach Murders by John Nicholl was definitely a gripping, page-turning crime mystery thriller. I read this book in 1 day. It was that good. I loved the setting. I liked that not every detail was discussed on what was happening with the case and the characters. The story outcome was good but a bit sad (I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll leave it at that). The subject matter was dark.

There was a bit of head-hopping where one scene starts in the perspective of one character but then abruptly switches to another character thinking something, which I had to go back and re-read to make sure I was following.

I would recommend this book, and I will read more from this author.

#TheCastleBeachMurders #NetGalley @BoldwoodBooks

It’s safe to say that I was hooked from page 1! The plot is dark and twisted, and the darkness is very detailed in places; however, these chapters feel necessary and not written simply to shock/upset the reader, this alone speaks volumes about the talent of the author. We also find out who the killer is early on - this is something I really enjoy, as the reader is privy to the murderer’s thoughts and plans, which find allows me to enjoy the flow of the story, rather than spending time trying to work out who the bad guy is.

As always with John’s books, the writing is sharp, the characters well rounded, the plot exciting and the murders suitably gruesome.