Book Review: A Killing at Smugglers Cove by Michelle Salter

Please join me in welcoming Michelle Salter back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her novel, A Killing at Smugglers Cove.

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?

*****

Iris Woodmore is traveling to Devon to see her father marry Katherine Keats. Iris can’t help but be suspicious of her future Stepmother.

When she and her friends find a skeleton in the caves below the home Katherine used to share with her first husband, this does nothing to soften Iris’s fear that Katherine is keeping secrets.

Can Iris solve the mystery before her father marries Katherine and potentially marries a murderer?

I fast became a fan of Iris and her friends having read the previous novel in the series, The Body at Carnival Bridge. Therefore, I was looking forward to the next in the series, A Killing at Smugglers Cove. If this is the first book in the series for you, don’t worry. I haven’t read all of them yet (I plan to,) and I could keep up well.

It isn’t long before the reader is plunged into mystery and intrigue. I lost track of time when I was reading. I couldn’t put this book down.

Iris is a wonderful, strong character who doesn’t suffer fools and doesn’t conform to social norms. She loves her job as a journalist and doesn’t care what people think about her. She does have a fierce loyalty to her family and friends.

Katherine became all the more interesting in this novel and I think there’s scope for a set of stories detailing her life. I’d read them.

Supporting characters are brilliant. I love Percy and Millicent. The three of them make a good team.

As expected, there are many twists and turns in the plot and suspicion, suspense and tension grows throughout the book whilst being set in the lovely county of Devon.

This is a compelling, thrilling murder mystery and perfect for that holiday. Or for reading in the garden, or in a comfy chair. Whatever your reading situation, this is a great escape. I really hope this isn’t the last we see of Iris.

About Michelle Salter –

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.

Say hello to Michelle via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Bookbub. Click here to sign up to her newsletter. 

A Killing at Smugglers Cove is book four in the Iris Woodmore series and was released by Boldwood Books on 10th July 2023. Click here to buy. 

by

Laura

I'm Laura. I started Novel Kicks back in 2009 as I wanted a place to discuss books and writing - two loves of my life. As someone who has anxiety, these two things give me, and I am sure countless others, a much needed escape.
There is a monthly book club, writing exercises, prompts, reviews, author interviews, competitions and guest posts. I cover many genres and I hope there is something for everyone.
I grew up by the sea in Dorset and currently live in Poole with my husband, Chris and three cats. I love writing and have a BA (Hons) in Creative Writing from Falmouth University. I am writing my first book. If only I could stop pressing delete. Chris has threatened to stop it from working. Haha.
I have always loved creative writing since I was in first school and would very much like to meet my teacher, Miss Sayers, to say thank you for all the encouragement she gave me then.
When not writing, I love reading, cats, Disney, singing (I can't sing but this doesn't stop me,) and falling into a good TV show or film. If I could step into any fictional world, it would be amongst the characters in ABC's Once Upon a Time.
I love reading many genres and discovering new authors.