Pulpit Rock by Kate Rhodes
WITH A KILLER ON THE LOOSE
As the scorching summer sun beats down on St Mary’s in the Isles of Scilly, DI Ben Kitto and his team are training for the annual Swimathon, until they discover a body hanging from Pulpit Rock, dressed in a bridal gown.
ON A TINY ISLAND
An obsessive killer is hunting for female victims. Kitto has no choice but to stop anyone leaving St Mary’s, but soon another woman is attacked.
EVERYONE IS A SUSPECT
The killer must be a trusted member of the community. Kitto’s investigation is being watched closely, the killer always one step ahead, as the next victim is chosen . . .
NO ONE IS SAFE
About the author
Kate Rhodes is a bestselling British crime writer. Her latest books are the acclaimed ISLES OF SCILLY MYSTERIES, which have been optioned for TV. Kate has been passionate about the islands since holidaying there as a child, and still returns regularly to research her books. Kate's books have been nominated for the Crime Novel of the Year award, and the Library Dagger award.
Kate was born in south London, but now lives in Cambridge with her husband. She did a wide range of jobs including working in bars, being a theatre usherette, and teaching at a liberal arts college in Florida, before focusing on her writing. She works part-time as a Creative Writing Fellow at Cambridge University.
Review
‘Pulpit Rock’ is a tense and twisty book that kept me up to the wee hours reading it! This is the fourth book in the series but can easily be read as a standalone. But once I again recommend reading the whole series as I am thoroughly enjoying them!
DI Ben Kitto is the Deputy Chief of Police in the Isles of Scilly and is currently training for the yearly swimathon with a group that comprises of colleagues, long term friends and a young worker from a local hotel. Whilst on a training practice a woman is spotted hanging from a local landmark Pulpit Rock. At first they think it might have been a suicide but it soon becomes clear that the woman is a victim of a ritualistic killing. Unfortunately, the victim turns out to be the young Lativan on their swim team, Sabine Bertan who has spent the summer working and improving her English. Ben soon realises that the killer must be on the island and puts it into lockdown and it's a race against time to find them before there is another victim.
This outing for Ben and his team was a thoroughly enjoyable read. The team has a new member and Ben and Eddie are working extremely well together now. It is becoming a cohesive investigative unit. I particularly enjoyed this book as it was multi-layered what with looking into Sabine’s life but also her personal life and her friend's lives as well. Which gave an interesting take on some of the local lives and how the islanders perceive them. This was an engrossing read which I devoured in one sitting, staying up to 2 a.m. to finish! ‘Pulpit Rock’ is a solid police procedural, that is engrossing and definitely is a page turner! Rhodes is a on to a winner with this location and with every book the sense of location only gets stronger and I now feel as if I know how these islands tick. There is a wide and diverse cast of characters and the writing is superb!
Let me know if pick this one up!
