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It soon becomes clear that the murders were carefully planned and the finger of suspicion points to an organised crime gang, butas the evidence mounts, a far more sinister theory emerges. I'm always curious how a team of detectives can all immediately throw themselves into a new investigation with no reference to what they were doing the previous day. This happens in this plot although there is a reference to a domestic abuse incident that seemed authentic and I was then disappointed when it was linked to the murders. Ross Greenwood is the author of crime thrillers. Before becoming a full-time writer he was most recently a prison officer and so worked everyday with murderers, rapists and thieves for four years. He lives in Peterborough, in the East Anglia region of England. Ashley has been allocated a young but opinionated partner in Hector Fade, and sparks soon fly. Annoyingly for Ashley, Hector is no pushover and looks destined for great things. ;When the pair delve into the case, they struggle to understand who would inflict such suffering on their victims and hope the crime is a one off from a deranged and dangerous individual. But then another body is found.
Unfortunately, the story slows right down with the introduction of DS Ashley Knight and the numerous police officers involved in the case. There are lengthy conversations, as they explain to one one another what the have done/are about to do. Although it’s the first in a series, Ashley is a gal with a past and is soon opening up to a new DC, giving him chapter and verse about her traumatic past. As far as I could see, this lent little to the present story. She also talked to a next door neighbour about the case, revealing details about the case which should have been kept hidden from the public. More conversations in a pub among police officers and more rehashing between Ashley and her DC. This interminable talking cut a large swathe through chapters where I would have preferred more nitty-gritty about the case. It soon becomes clear that the murders were carefully planned and the finger of suspicion points to an organised crime gang, but as the evidence mounts, a far more sinister theory emerges.The two dead bodies are a couple of elderly hippy drifters – and those dragged into the case include a local homeless beach drifter, someone recently released from a secure mental institution, with the next dead body discovered (also drowned) a woman – all of whom seem to have been very disturbed and fearful recently. Strange graffiti left around the town refers to seven deaths needed by the sea. The setting, the Cromer Beach area in Norfolk, England was well depicted and the early spring chill caused the narrative to be quite atmospheric.
I read Ross Greenwood's DI Barton series of British police procedurals and enjoyed them very much. I assumed another would be coming along when he shifted gears and has given us DS Ashley Knight. Middle aged, competent detective in county Norfolk. Cromer Beach, I learned, is a modest resort town on the Norfolk coast. Greenwood spends personal time there and chose it as his setting for this crime story.
The setting of Cromer in Norfolk is a great place for a novel. You think of a pretty seaside place, which contrasts well with the murders that happen there. I really liked the main character, Ashley, who is an independent, clever and empathetic detective. It is great to see a female taking the lead in these novels, even better when the author gives her a young, ambitious male junior to put in his place and teach the ropes. I thought the friction and developing relationship (professional, not romantic) between the two was an interesting dynamic in the novel. There were a lot of other characters in the rest of the team to get to know as well, so many that a couple of times I got lost as to who was who, but I think there is good scope for a lot of interesting stories to come out of this team in the future. Underneath” by Anne Goodwin – Book Review #NovNov23 #novella @inspiredquill #Underneath#BookReview November 22, 2023 The first three books are stand alone, however, some of the characters cross over, and you can see how at times, their lives overlap.
Ashley has been allocated a young but opinionated partner in Hector Fade, and sparks soon fly. Annoyingly for Ashley, Hector is no pushover and looks destined for great things. When the pair delve into the case, they struggle to understand who would inflict such suffering on their victims and hope the crime is a one off from a deranged and dangerous individual. But then another body is found. With a well-crafted plot and strong characterization, this book should appeal to many fans of the genre. All in all, “The Death on Cromer Beach” was a very enjoyable police procedural and I look forward to further books in this series with enthusiasm.The novel's exploration of the depths of humans dealing with pain, guilt, and the often heavy consequences of one's actions is thought-provoking and at times, even profound. It is prompting readers to reflect on their own experiences that form ones moral compass, as well as our choices forming our eventual destiny. Police procedures are often treated flippantly in crime novels but here they are taken seriously. It was a delight to read about a briefing meeting with 50 people (not just that 4 or 5 that must fiction murders seem to involve) and headquarters being a decent building with good facilities. A brutal double murder on a Norfolk beach horrifies the town of Cromer. The way the victims died is chilling and so Norfolk’s Major Investigation Team task DS Ashley Knight to manage the case.
DS Ashley Knight was an intelligent, lonely, and quite damaged protagonist. She has had a lot of ‘life lessons’ that have caused her to be empathetic to others. This first book in this new series is so good, it has such a tense and atmospheric feel to it. Having to deal with a double murder and then more as another and another body turns up is tough on the whole team. What makes this case even harder is that the link is tenuous but it is a link. Those connected are so varied and have many problems and this also makes trying to work out events, truths and lies very difficult. As I said at the beginning, Greenwood is an excellent writer, but I feel that, in this instance, he has tried too hard to cram in too much and the result is, for me, a bitter disappointment. Finding a double murder on her local beach is not something Ashley would have expected to get a call out to, especially when there is more to this than meets the eye. She has a bad feeling and she is not wrong as more bodies surface.The homicide investigation is a challenging one for the team. Suspects are few, and are unreliable and unprepared for police questioning. An historic case from 1989 seems to be somehow linked to the current murders and Ashley fears that more bodies may be found. With a well-crafted plot and strong characterization, this book should appeal to many fans of the genre. All in all, “ The Death on Cromer Beach” was a very enjoyable police procedural and I look forward to further books in this series with enthusiasm. Highly recommended!
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