Having enjoyed the DI Cupidi series by William Shaw, I was keen to get started on his opener for a new series. Another coastline, another connection with the Met, I'm "in".

It is hard to know whether my reservations were well founded or not. For me the characters were wooden, unsubstantive, verging on cliche. Our protagonist DS Eden Driscoll playing lone wolf away from his patch was uncomfortable.

That said, starting a new series is a tough expectation for crime series nuts! There has to be an element of laying out your stall without a deep dive into character, back stories, connections. I found it pacey and page turning and will certainly return for the next episode to see if I can commit to this detective.

With thanks to #NetGalley and #HarperCollins for the opportunity to read and review

I enjoyed the setting in this book and the relationship between the main character and his nephew. It's a 'then and now' format and it works here. There are twists and I found myself wanting to pick it up. Overall, an entertaining, easy read and I look forward to the next book.

An exciting new series from William Shaw. This one is set in Devon and features London based detective, Eden Driscoll. Eden's sister has mysteriously disappeared from her boat during a night time sailing and her nine year old son is found locked in the cabin on his own, Eden is called down to Devon to look after his nephew, but he can't help carrying out his own investigations into the disappearance.
The plot is tightly controlled and the characters are excellent. The relationship between Eden and his nephew, Finn, is especially heart-warming.
This was a very quick and entertaining read. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

Great start to what will hopefully be a new police mystery series set in Devon.
Eden Driscoll is a police sergeant in the Met. After a particularly difficult case he receives a phone call from the police in Devon - his estranged sister has gone missing from her boat and his 9 year old nephew has been found alone, locked in his cabin.
Eden was not aware of his nephew’s existence but arrives in Devon to see what he can do. However things are not as they seem- his sister has disappeared in mysterious circumstances and there seem to be people in the small coastal village who do not want him to investigate.
Eden’s own past comes to the front of his mind, something he has tried to avoid for 15 years and as he tries to build a relationship with Finn, his nephew as well as look into his sister’s disappearance. He soon realises that his own life is in danger and he must keep his wits about him and work out whom he can believe.
I really liked the burgeoning relationship between Finn and Eden- both have trust issues for different reasons and I was really hoping they would be able to forge a bond.
Eden is a likeable protagonist who is doing his best in difficult circumstances, trying to help his nephew as much as he can.
As the book moves along Eden’s back story is gradually revealed and this explains why he has not kept in touch with his sister which seems an odd decision
I’m certainly hoping there will be a follow up novel as I’m keen to know what Eden decides to do and I’d like to read more about Eden and Finn’s relationship as it progresses.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my advance copy.

I have recommended William Shaw's previous series, the DI Cupidi novels, to several friends seeking something similar to Elly Griffiths' Harbinder Kaur series. So I was excited to read The Red Shore, which follows Met Police detective Eden Driscoll as he is reluctantly drawn into an investigation after the disappearance of his estranged sister in Teignmouth, Devon.

Unfortunately for me, something about this book fell flat. A key problem is that it's tricky to write a police procedural centring around a member of the Met and have them be a sympathetic character, particularly given the last few years' of revelations, from Sarah Everard's murder to the scandal around schoolchildren being forcibly strip-searched. But while a couple of characters reference the poor reputation of the Met, there's nothing about the character of Driscoll that made me think he was 'one of the good ones' (leaving aside that I don't really believe such a thing is possible, this tension is something Griffiths' successfully grappled with in the later Kaur books, as have other writers of police procedurals - usually by making their MC a woman and/or a person of colour, which isn't necessarily the magic solution some writers seem to think it is, but does at least gives them space to explore the issues). Without giving spoilers, it's hard to explain why I felt such dislike for him, but suffice it to say that I didn't find reading about him an enjoyable experience.

2.5 stars rounded up

I’ve been a fan of William Shaw’s writing since binging his Breen and Tozer series back in 2018, then The Birdwatcher and the Cupidi series. I was looking forward to this, the first in a new series, set in Devon starring Met Detective Eden Driscoll.

Eden is asked to come to Teignmouth to look after his estranged sister Apple’s son after her disappearance from a sailboat. Eden wasn’t aware of nephew Finn’s existence and trying to look after him will be challenging while the mystery of Apple’s disappearance unfolds.

As the first in a series it’s got potential, although I missed the more vivid atmospheric and descriptive style from Shaw’s earlier books. It takes a while to for the story to settle into its direction but it has some very impressive scenes later on.

Recommended for fans.

Thanks to HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction

4.75 stars rounded up. Set very local to me in Teignmouth, this meant I could really picture the places that Eden and the others walk and visit, which brought it even more to life for me.

At first the pace was a little slow for me, but I soon got into it and started caring for the characters more, and hoping that Eden would solve the mystery of what happened to his estranged sister. I’m pleased to see this is the start of a new series, and I’m really looking forward to seeing the future books that will bring!

I received a free ARC copy of this book via NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review.

The start of this book is a bit disconcerting. A boy on a boat realises that his mother is not responding to him and he is locked in his cabin. He must be alone - it grabbed me straight away. The story then moves to DS Eden Driscoll working with colleagues undercover in East London. Things are not straightforward but everything seems to be working out. Then he is informed by the police in Devon that his sister, Apple, is missing from her boat. He's not been in touch with her for some 10 years and isn't aware that he has a young nephew in Devon who needs looking after.

Eden travels down to South Devon to see what the situation is with his sister, her house and his nephew. The local police are suggesting it's suicide as she had some unusual views. His nephew simply wants his mother back and is not keen on the uncle he has never met. Essentially there are two stories here. The first is Apple's disappearance and the second is about Eden and his young nephew Finn. The book follows both aspects.

I am a fan of William Shaw's books and I've enjoyed most of the ones I've read. I was pleased to be able to read this one which is set in an area I'm familiar with. In some ways this is a fairly conventional cop story however Shaw is good at getting something extra out of these and this is no exception. The basic police story is decent with Eden trying to work on the case himself. Refreshingly the local police continously point out that there's information they cannot disclose to him. Obviously that doesn't stop him! There's a decent pacey police thriller here.

However beyond that I was entirely caught up in the developing relationship between Eden and Finn. To say it was rather rocky initially is an understatement. However I personally found it very convincing and it added an extra enjoyable dimension to this read.

I was genuinely engrossed in this book and found it hard to put down. I think it's one of Shaw's best books and I will be looking forward to the next one hopefully. 4.5/5 and happily rounded up.

Wow. What a start to a series. I enjoyed it alot
I really hope this becomes a great series. This book kept me awake because I wanted to finish it

The Red Shore is the first book in what will hopefully become a new series by William Shaw and it was a very enjoyable and readable outing for Eden Driscoll and friends.

There were sufficient twists and turns to keep me interested throughout in addition to setting the scene for potential future books

Overall a very good read.

3.5 ⭐
It's always good to get on board with what I hope will be a new series.
Eden Driscoll is an interesting character, a decent back story, a few flaws, and now things are getting interesting.
I enjoyed reading the interaction between Finn and Eden.
It was an easy read, well written with some nice twists in the plot.
This one definitely makes me think I should pick up another Shaw book.

Over the last few years, William Shaw has become one of my favourite crime/ detective writers. The recent Alex Cupidi series was excellent and this new book , now moving events to the south west of England is a great read.

The Devon seaside backdrop of Teignmouth is a great location for this new book, The Red Shore. This is another tautly plotted read with more twists and turns than a Formula I race track but not lacking plausibility.

Eden Driscoll works for the Met police but due to tragic circumstances finds himself in Devon meeting his 9 year old nephew, Finn, for the first time. Finn was found alone aboard a boat floating out at sea; locked in a cabin- his mother is missing presumed drowned.

But as Eden digs into the life of his estranged sister,Apple, he begins to realise that all is not straightforward. Events conspire to begin to make it look as though Eden could have been involved in his sister’s death.

The relationship between uncle and nephew is superb and is what makes this new read so good- two individuals thrown together through events beyond their control and trying to find a way forward.

As with fictional detectives, Eden has a back story and this is interwoven into telling his nephew the story about growing up with sister and a father who was coercive and wanting to live a “new- age” lifestyle taking his family on a never ending journey around the Mediterranean but tightly under his control.

William Shaw is a superb crime writer and whilst reading the book, Elly Griffiths and Ann Cleeves came to mind ( who he coincidentally thanks in the acknowledgements) He has the same depth of empathy with characters in everyday situations that are thrown into disarray . Eden’s emotional conflict as to how he could look after Finn and his career in London highlights this.

Surely, it is only a matter of time before a television series is made from one of his works.

A highly recommended crime/ police procedural with a great plot and strong characterisation .

Another winner

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

3.5 * rounded up. This starts with DS Eden Driscoll (of the Met) leading an undercover trap to capture a criminal who has been violent towards his domestic partner. This thread is largely forgotten until the very end, because Eden is asked to travel down to Teignmouth to care for 9 year-old Finn, a nephew he didn't know he had. His estranged sister has gone missing from her boat, possibly a suicide, although she left Finn locked in the cabin of the boat out at sea.

Eden doesn't feel this makes sense and, given that the local police don't seem to be that interested in pursuing any of the leads he points out, he does some investigating of his own. Then Finn is kidnapped and the local police seem to suspect Eden of murder and possibly drug smuggling.

There is a third thread which is well interspersed into the main narrative, which explains Eden's past and the reasons he was estrange from Finn's mother, as he tells Finn about it all in bedtime stories.

I liked this, but I didn't love it. No one in it had much of a sense of humour, and it felt a bit cosy at times. Finn was well-drawn and his anger and acting out was realistic, as was his need to keep to his mother's rules. I found Eden's character a bit flat, and the 'mistake' he made at the undercover arrest at the beginning, which threatens to come back and bite him at the end was not really accounted for - were we supposed to sympathize? I found his backstory the most interesting part of the book. The Teignmouth setting was strong, although the scene of peril at sea at the end went on a bit long for me.

I hope there will be more in this series, but I hope Eden cheers up and develops a bit more of a personality.