Death on Cromer Beach: Another crime series from bestseller Ross Greenwood for 2023 (The Norfolk Murders Book 1)

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This truly is one of those books where you are torn between wanting to devour it and wishing it would never end. Dora Thorne and her chihuahua Happy are having their regular walk along the beach when they stumble across something unexpected… Well, it was definitely an interesting start to the story, as it makes you want to read on and find out what has happened. I love Ross Greenwood's portrayal of his characters and the way they interact with each other throughout this book.

If you do ( like me with my pathological inability to put down a book after starting to read it) then it’s perfectly fine to skim read it. I must admit that Cromer is far from my favourite Norfolk beach (too stony, not particularly dog friendly, and too crowded in season) or towns (Holt which is featured and correctly praised in the book is far more to my tastes) but I was delighted in particular to see the excellent Doggie Diner featured (where I was fortunate enough to win a raffle for “what a load of old squit” Waffles the Giant Dog). Plot development is also key to a great thriller, particularly in a debut when casting the net to capture the reader’s attention is key. What he has written here is a fast-paced, action-filled puzzle with believable characters that’s spiced with a lot of humour.With a well-crafted plot and strong characterization, this book should appeal to many fans of the genre. We get to know the main members of the police team throughout the book, building up a picture of their professional lives and glimpses into their private lives. The author got permission to use actual place names and business from Cromer and thus the book that you can easily relate to if you have ever visited the town. The ending was satisfying but I didn't feel particularly connected to any of the characters (though the mc was queer, which was a nice surprise).

I thought the friction and developing relationship (professional, not romantic) between the two was an interesting dynamic in the novel. As the body count rises it seems the likely suspect pool grows as well, all linked back to an incident in their past which has affected the lives of all who were present. This entry was posted in 1st in series, Blog Tour, Boldwood Books, Book Reviews, Mystery fiction, NetGalley, Rachel's Random Resources and tagged crime fiction, England, police procedurals, recommended reading.There is always an aspect of all the characters the reader can identify with in some respect which truly immerses you in the story. The actual mystery was depressing and involved a variety of people with addictions and mental health problems, some of whom were homeless. I have read several of this author's books and when I saw he had a new series I definitely needed to check it out. While DS Knight is keen to have another set of hands to help, she is worried that sparks fly between them an she cannot stay focussed.

This is a fabulous first book in the series and I do hope that Hector is not fast-tracked out too soon as I do kind of like him.Also, the readers of Death On Cromer Beach will understand the importance of supporting mental health. m. feed which gave me the opportunity to finish the book as unable to get back to sleep I completed it in the early morning hours. The book - as the first in the series - has lengthy exposition on Ashley’s backstory (involving a severe injury to a colleague when she was part of a unit chasing joyriders and a subsequent lapse into depression and alcoholism) and a wary but growing relationship with her sidekick, a well connected youngster on a fast track scheme but with his own challenges and issues.