A Killing at Smugglers Cove by Michelle Salter

Wartime secrets, smugglers’ caves, skeletal remains. And the holiday’s only just begun…

July 1923 - Iris Woodmore travels to Devon with her friends Percy Baverstock and Millicent Nightingale for her father’s wedding to Katherine Keats.

But when Millicent uncovers skeletal remains hidden on the private beach of Katherine’s former home, Iris begins to suspect her future stepmother is not what she seems.

The police reveal the dead man is a smuggler who went missing in 1918, and when a new murder occurs, they realise a killer is in their midst. The link between both murders is Katherine. Could Iris’s own father be in danger?

About the author

Michelle Salter writes historical cosy crime set in Hampshire, where she lives, and inspired by real-life events in 1920s Britain. The first book in her Iris Woodmore series, Death at Crookham Hall, draws on her interest in the aftermath of the Great War and the suffragette movement.

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Review

‘A Killing at Smugglers Cove’ is a nostalgic-filled tale that was packed full of action and twists and turns! I have begun to adore this series and this outing was a brilliant addition to it. Then I have a soft spot for historical mysteries set on the South English coast - blame ‘Evil Under the Sun’ for that! Sometimes when you have a series and it moves location it can feel clumpy and not flow as well but was not the case here. The location added to the story and is the perfect example of when mixing it up goes right. Although we are now on book 4 you can easily pick this up as a new reader! I do recommend reading the rest of the series though as they are great reads.

Iris Woodmore is on the way to Devon for the marriage of her father to Katherine Keats, along with her friends Percy and Millicent. But when Millicent finds the skeletal remains in a hidden cave on an isolated cove life gets a bit more complicated for Iris. The cove happens to be the private property of Katherine’s former house and this causes Iris to question everything she knows about her future stepmother. The police reveal that the body is that of a local smuggler who went missing in 1918 but when another death occurs we know the murderer is still around. Is Katherine a killer and is Iris’ father at risk?

I just loved the storyline in this one. You have a great murder mystery that involves Iris’ family so this time it's personal for her to solve it. The vulnerability shown by Iris was touching as it shows that she is still a young woman confused and hurting from the death of her mother some years ago. Change can be confronting and the author did a great job of putting this onto the page. I think this is the best book of the series and a lot of it is to do with the development of the characters in a way since the series started. Iris is a different woman - more confident at work and in relationships, both romantic and familial. She has a bit of experience under her belt and I can't wait to see what happens next in her story! Oops, I went off-topic a bit there. The inclusion of wartime stories proved to be a winner as it gave the whole book an air of danger and then the nod to the history of smuggling was wonderful.

Let me know if you pick this one up!