Book synopsis
All is not well in Castleby.
Her life hangs in the balance… He needs to be sure she’s dead…
Jesse Stevens lies in a coma after being pulled off a cliff by a psychopath who escaped from prison to find her.
He is in hiding, also hurt from the fall, but fuelled with rage. He needs to make sure she’s dead. If she isn’t, he’ll finish the job once and for all.
Military Intelligence Officer, Sam Jones, missing presumed dead, returns from Afghanistan after two years of brutal torture in captivity. Struggling to cope, Sam has no desire to carry on living, or return to family life, with his wife, Sophie, and son, Marcus. Sophie is desperate to help Sam recover and leans heavily on her friend and ex-forces soldier Foxy for support.
Castleby is plagued by a series of unexplained deaths among the elderly and that of a local fisherman. Inspector Steve Miller works closely with the new local GP, Kate Cooper, to try and find an explanation and they eventually uncover the sinister truth.
Intrigue, drama, suspense and a hint of romance continue in the third of the Castleby Series.
About the Author
Jo was born in Essex but was raised primarily in the West Country, enjoying a childhood in Devon and Cornwall, never far from a rugged coastline, sandy beach, or harbour. Her parents moved to the country leaving London and her father leaving his job in banking.
Jo obtained a degree in Building Surveying from the University of Greenwich and then went on to specialise in research in construction and development, gaining her PhD in 2001. Jo still runs a successful research consultancy and writes her novels in every spare moment she has.
Jo lives in Kent, with her two (occasionally stroppy) teenage daughters, her extremely long suffering husband and her two writing partners Max (who features as Brock in the series) and Merlin, both rescue Border Collie’s.
Jo’s debut set of novels are the Castleby series, comprising of 5 books set in a coastal community and largely inspired by the plethora of time spent in and around the UK’s coastline, and the never ending visits to RNLI shops that her children insisted on with a regularity. The series seemed a natural progression and the fictional seaside town of Castleby grew with new people and new plotlines. The first debut novel in the Castleby series is SEA STATE.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sea-State-Ca…
Jo is currently writing a new series set in the Scottish highlands, the first of which will hopefully be published in Early 2023.
In what little spare time Jo has, she spends writing, walking by the ocean, being an armchair movie critic, and drinking copious amounts of wine in her most favourite pub with friends.
My review
I have not read the other books in this series, even though I read this as a standalone, I still worked out the storyline and wasnt too confused. This is the third book in J.M. Simpon’s Castleby series.
I really loved the characters in this story and even though it is a crime thriller there are elements of romance intermixed into it, which I personally loved.
The Author does a great job of dealing with explaining about PTSD and the emotions of members of the armed forces when they return back home. This was dealt with realistically but also considerate.
I definitely want to read the other 2 books now as I think it would explain alot more, but it didnt stop me enjoying this book. I am intrigued to read more about these characters so I will be buying the other two.
Disclaimer – Thank you to the Author and the publisher for my gifted copy of this book for my honest review.