A murder with no known suspects. A chance meeting that changes everything…
Simon Croft has seen death before. Yet the death of a drug user leads him down a path he has yet to experience. A dark crime has been committed on the south coast of Sussex, and it is going to take all of his skill to get this case solved.
A murder with no suspects is always hard, but evidence is always left behind. Simon’s attention is caught by two unassuming people, Bethany and Stevie, who seem to be hiding something.
Simon has to deal with his personal life, while feeling the mounting pressure of a death that can’t be explained. This gripping murder mystery will have you questioning if a trip to the seaside is worth it.
Review
One of the things that I love to read is a good old fashioned murder mystery, that feeling of becoming caught un in the less law abiding half of society! A book that takes us behind the scenes of an investigation as well and that is why I enjoyed Murder At The Seaside by Brian Gee.
I loved the way the story was made up of lots of different stories, investigations into different crimes, with one central murder giving the book its title. It added a dose of reality that is often missing from crime books, the fact that the police and other agencies would be involved in many different investigations a the same time. It is done well and adds to that the busy feel of the story and it is quite a difficult thing to do without it all feeling cluttered or not flowing properly, but Brian Gee has done is superbly. You feel that sense of pressure on the team to gather all the evidence, the long hours, the commitment and the thrill they get from fitting the pieces of a crime scene together!
The central character Simon Croft is a scene of crime officer and we follow him and his team through a series of investigations. He is very likeable and feels authentic, as if if you were to meet him at a crime scene, you’d feel reassured he will ensure it is all done professionally. I really enjoyed spending time with him and his colleagues, because the writer made them feel so real, especially the excitement that spreads amongst them when they get the chance to get their teeth into a really juicy murder scene. You can feel how much of a buzz it gives and just know you would feel the same!
All the characterisation is warm and feels real for wont of a better word, because you get to know not just Simon, but all those he works with, seeing the investigation from their point of view as well. Best of all you also feel like you get deep into the mindset of the criminal. Not here the tortured and twists thoughts of a psychological killer, but more the actions of muddled foolish man or women who falls into crime by accident, adding another layer of the gritty everyday feeling of most crimes. Not the glamorous world depicted in the CSI American dramas I once fond myself addicted to, but the much more tantalising feeling of a real crime investigation. It’s the way he writes his characters that makes this work so well and why it feels so utterly compelling to read.
This is a fab start to a new series of books featuring this character and I am really looking forward to the next one. I rushed through the pages because I was enjoying it so much and I wanted to spend more time with Simon and his team.
You can purchase this novel from Amazon
About the author.
Brian Gee has a wealth of knowledge about the forensic and crime scene side of crime investigation, having worked in a Scenes of Crime department for over twenty-five years
On retirement, he decided to write his first book, Murder by the Seaside. The book follows Simon Crofts and his forensic team over a few days as they investigate two very different suspicious deaths.
He wanted to write a book looking through the eyes of the crime scene investigators, to give their own unique version of investigations.
I currently live on the Sussex Coast, together with my wife and family.
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