The Shell House Detectives

A Shell House Detectives Mystery, Book 1

By: Emylia Hall

Narrated by: Kate Rawson

"A cleverly plotted and thoroughly enjoyable book about dark deeds in beautiful places."—Elly Griffiths

Welcome to the coastal paradise of Porthpella, where murder lurks among the dunes…

Late one night, a distraught young man knocks on the door of retired and recently widowed Ally Bright’s remote home on the Cornish coast. But before she can make sense of his confused words, he’s gone—not to be seen again until he’s found the next morning at the foot of the nearby cliffs.

In an instant, the peace of Ally’s beachcombing life is shattered. Feeling responsible for the young man’s fate, she wants to help find answers—as does ex-cop Jayden Weston, whom Ally meets at the scene. He shares her certainty that there’s more to the story than attempted suicide. When it emerges that the man is newly released ex-offender Lewis Pascoe, and that Helena, the wealthy new owner of his grandmother’s home, has subsequently disappeared, the tight-knit community of Porthpella is thrown into turmoil.

Driven by their need to know more, the duo decide to investigate the mystery together. Is there a connection between the Pascoe family’s tragic history and Helena’s disappearance? And if there is a killer stalking Porthpella, do Ally and Jayden have what it takes to catch them?

©2023 Emylia Hall. (P)2023 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Kate Rawson's warm, flexible tones are perfect for introducing a new cozy mystery series featuring an unlikely pair of bighearted investigators.… Rawson's expressive voice wonderfully portrays the varied locals, creating the sense of a close-knit community. Listeners will find themselves increasingly caught up in the suspense of discovering what happened in the two incidents, as well as some unsettling earlier ones. An enjoyable start to a new mystery series.”—AudioFile Magazine

“With a very special appeal and attraction for fans of Cozy Mysteries and Private Investigation murder mysteries, this…is brilliantly narrated by the verbal narrative talents of Kate Rawson. …a fun listening experience.”—Midwest Book Review

“A cleverly plotted and thoroughly enjoyable book about dark deeds in beautiful places.”—Elly Griffiths, author of the Ruth Galloway series

Good

A bit verbose as British cozies tend to be but overall it was a pleasant way to pass a sick day.

Way too long.

Well it was ok to fill some car rides. I know it’s hard to write a book, so I hate to be unkind. It was stylistically done ok. But I won’t be listening to any more of this series.

I guess the story was ok. But who would know? The story itself was constantly interrupted by Ally’s (and others’ looooong constant inner most thoughts—the same ones over and over), that I would forget what the story was even about. Long about 9 hours in, I was shocked that only two days had passed in the story. It felt like years.

The protagonist, Ally, got on my nerves a lot. She was more nosy, busy-body obsessive than a Miss Marple.

Wonderful storyline, great narration.

Loved this book. Can't wait for the next book. If you love cozy mysteries, this book is for you.

Interesting!

I was always surprised by this book. I wasn't sure if I was gonna like it, but I wasn't wrong before I became fully engaged. I love the characters and the plot was also very good. I'm looking forward to more!

Wonderful

I don’t care if you don’t like “cozies”! This book was so awesome. Over 700 books an this one surprised me, made me guess, and made me smile. I loved this start to finish. Just one upcoming? These characters deserve so much!😘😘 I loved the narration that I almost forgot to mention. Mea culpa! Outstanding!