Death at Castle Cove by Mary Grand - Book Review

Publication Date: 08th March 2023

Genre: Contemporary Cozy Mystery

3.5 Stars 

One Liner: A decent mystery 

***

Susan loves living on the Isle of Wight with her darling dog, Rocco. She is a part of the local dog walkers group, a bunch of people who are different from each other but share a common love for dogs. Colette is a young girl and a new addition to the group. Susan takes her under her wing and into her home. 

However, when she digs into her gran’s past on the island, she creates unrest and uncertainties in their lives. When Colette dies under suspicious circumstances at Castle Cover, Susan is determined to get to the bottom of the truth, no matter how uncomfortable the situation is. 

With danger taking over her peaceful existence, can Susan fight for justice? 

The story comes from Susan’s third-person POV. 

My Thoughts: 

I like mysteries set in small towns and islands with picturesque settings. This one has a beautiful backdrop used well throughout the book. 

Dog lovers are in for a treat as the book has many fur babies. All of them are darlings and hardly cause any trouble. 

The characters are all different and easy to identify and track. This makes it easier with the constant interactions between them. There’s no confusion about who is who. 

The case is well done. There are enough twists and develops to keep the pointer moving from one suspect to another. It drags a bit in the middle but manages to pull back in the last third. 

Susan is already going through a rough phase in her personal life but is determined to find out what happened to Colette. However, she is annoying at times. In the first half, she is reluctant to believe that someone she knows is the killer. Once she accepts it, she repeatedly puts herself in danger in the second half. 

Though I know Susan is no sleuth, she is supposed to be a smart and capable 62-year-old woman. Not someone jumping to conclusions and accusing/ confronting potential murderers. I was half-afraid she would end up with a broken neck.

That said, I like how she puts her foot down when her people try to make decisions for her or pressurize her to do something she doesn’t want to. I like how she doesn’t hesitate to draw lines when necessary. If only she does the same when sharing information with others! 

Alice is an interesting character, and I hoped she would have a bigger role in the book. A little disappointed that she doesn’t appear often, but the scenes with her are vital and nudge Susan in the right direction. 

The epilogue ties up the loose ends and provides a satisfactory ending. The book is standalone, though I won’t be surprised if there’s a sequel. In fact, I would look forward to one as it appears that Susan will be in a better position to handle a case without risking her neck or making the same mistakes (or so I hope). 

To summarize, Death at Castle Cove is an intriguing cozy mystery set on a beautiful yet dangerous island. With past secrets and flawed characters, it is worth a read on a lazy afternoon. 

Thank you, NetGalley and Boldwood Books, for the eARC.  

#NetGalley #DeathatCastleCove