‘Murder By The Seaside’ by Brian Gee is a debut novel for Panther books and it is soo good! It is set in Hastings, a beautiful coastal town. I love this area myself, having visited previously. We may have a lovely area by the sea and all the history of the place, but it ain’t as peaceful as you would expect.
Croft’s is a police SOCO, and on the scene where a dead junkies body has been found and we discover how painstaking SOCOs actually are in their work.I have to admit, the sort of banter that Crofts and the other officers had, I loved!
We are also introduced to Bethany, a girl who is working the best she can to move into her own place and away from her troubled past. Then we have Stevie, a man who has a struggling marriage and two children he loves dearly. Stevie also has a business that’s failing too, like he doesn’t have enough on his plate! Just when things are tipping him over the edge a mysterious friend offers him a way to change his life. The only problem is, is this change for the better?
These three people, seemingly unconnected are the focal point for this story, we swop from person to person as the story plays out and the tension is palpable. This is a fantastic debut for Brian Gee and I can tell he has experience in police procedural, it shines through.
In conclusion, this is a great, murder mystery/police procedural that will have you turning the pages to find out what will happen. I would happily read another Crofts book any day.
Many thanks to Panther Publishing for the copy of the book in return for my honest thoughts.
sharonbeyondthebooks.uk 