Dear friends. As the weather gets colder and more grey, it's comforting to turn to books. I'm pleased to bring you another very strong crime thriller today: Death at Paradise Park by Ross Greenwood.
Synopsis
When Alfie Hook settles down to eat his fish and chips by the Hunstanton seaside he hasn’t anticipated it is going to be his last meal. DS Ashley Knight and her Major Investigation Team are called to investigate and when they discover who Alfie is married to, they realise this case is not going to be straightforward.
A second body is found in gruesome circumstances at the nearby Paradise Caravan Park, but the team struggle to connect the two victims. Even after hours of interviews with the residents, and many questionable stories, to the police's frustration, all their alibis check out. What are they concealing?
As the bodies mount up and the leads get ever more complicated, Ashley and her rookie partner Hector Fade finally join the dots. But then it’s a race against time to stop the killer striking again…
Bestselling Ross Greenwood is back with an unputdownable seaside thriller, perfect for fans of Mark Billingham, Ian Rankin and Peter James.
My Thoughts
I loved the deceptively benign start as obese van driver Alfie buys his Friday treat of fish and chips, and gets out his metal cutlery ready to enjoy it. He doesn't get beyond the first bite before he is mysteriously murdered in his van. Shortly afterwards, the body of a woman is found in a hot tub in the nearby caravan park.
We then segue to America and an assassination, but fortunately it's a brief diversion before we're back in Hunstanton with DS Ashley Knight and her team.
Who would have thought Hunstanton was such a hot bed of crime? But quite plausible when you read about "county lines" operating in villages across Britain.
The story gives us a lot of stand-out characters at both the police station and the caravan park. The ladies residing most of the year in their upmarket Diamond caravans seem to be living the life: they're honed, toned and enjoying illicit relationships. Good to see older women being portrayed in a different way than the usual stereotypes.
Ashley comes to life off the page too, wanting a relationship but not having time to meet anyone. She's excited about the idea of her pregnant friend, also a sergeant, coming to live with her, imagining helping to bring up the baby.
I love the professional pairing of Ashley with Hector, the fast track rookie. The team has accepted Hector, even though he's a bit posh.
I actually identified the protagonist quite early on, and was frustrated the police didn't. It was hard to predict the reasons and history behind the killings. A very complex web.
A satisfying ending and a good read.
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About Ross Greenwood
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Great review and post!
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