The Harbour

Cumbria Crime #1

by Rachel McLean, Joel Hames

DI Zoe Finch has a lot on her plate.

New job, new team, new county. And on day one, she’s plunged straight into a murder investigation.

Zoe has to hit the ground running. She needs to manage a new team with its fair share of challenges, get to grips with a new boss who might not be all she seems, and worry about her reputation following her north to Cumbria.

Can she settle in quickly enough to solve the murder and quell local tensions, as well as coping with an unfamiliar environment?

The Harbour is book 1 in an exciting new series for the star of the bestselling DI Zoe Finch series.

Genres: Crime, Mystery, Audiobook, Thriller, Detective

440 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 17, 2023

About the author

My name's Rachel McLean and I write stories you can't put down, with characters you'll be rooting for.

I'm best known for my Dorset Crime series, which has sold over a million copies. The first book in that series, The Corfe Castle Murders, won the 2021 Kindle Storyteller Award.

Here's what Clare Balding (the lead judge) had to say about the book:

'I particularly enjoyed the detail of the landscape and the humorous oddities of Dorset life. I enjoyed the richness of the characters, complexity of life for a working mother who is thrown into a new environment and has to prove herself, all over again.'

But The Corfe Castle Murders is by no means my only book. I've published five series and am working on two new ones, all of which connect. You'll find characters from each series in one or more of the other ones, so you (and I) get to follow them as they take on new challenges.

For example:

DCI Lesley Clarke is Zoe's boss in the DI Zoe Finch series and then moves to Dorset where she becomes the star of the Dorset Crime series.
DS Mo Uddin is Zoe's best friend and sidekick, then moves to Scotland for the McBride & Tanner series.
DC Tina Abbott is a key character in the Dorset Crime series and plays an important role in the new Lyme Regis Women's Swimming Club series of mysteries which stars her mum, Annie.
Zaf Williams starts off in the DI Zoe Finch series then moves to London and is one of the stars of the London Cosy Mysteries series (along with his colleague Diana and Gus the cat).
Dr Petra McBride appears in no fewer than three series and I'm planning a new series for her in 2026.
And not to be outdone, Zoe Finch has two series in which she stars: the DI Zoe Finch series of 'Deadly' books, and the Cumbria Crime series.
Once you get to know these characters, you'll find plenty of books to keep you entertained. And I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them.

You can read a full list of the series and books on my books page. Each series is designed to be read in order but which series you go for first is really up to you.

Reviews

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, this was an interesting new find.

I can't really describe why this series felt like coming home to a place where you feel instantly comfortable, but it did.

The author certainly knows her stuff when it comes to crafting a kickass investigation and dynamic characters. In many ways I felt like I was listening to a TV show, more than a book. In a good way!

[Nicola Southall-Lowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first in a new series from Rachel McLean this time writing with Joel Hames.

This is an easy read that follows Zoe Finch who we saw before in the ‘Deadly’ series.

I love the way that Rachel has written completely new crime series that all interlink with previous series bringing characters back.

In this new series Zoe has moved to Cumbria and her first day on the job a dead body turns up.
Zoe has to work with her new team to solve the crime.

Great read can’t wait for the next one.

[David Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a bit samey, new job, new area, different team, team not sure about her etc and now they are and it's all hunky dory except it isn't because of new bad guy crime boss type. Apart from that it was well written and with a few different characters so it was readable but not unputdownable

[Shelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

The harbour

Took me a bit to Vernon I this book and it definitely oh s not as good as her first set of books I read but I'm going to give the next book a go as it looks like her past is going coincide so worth another ho

[Brian Hodgson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting locality, but unconvincing

A good storyline, but it's not for Whitehaven at least not for someone local to the area.
But may appeal to readers from further afield and give more credibility to the story.

[Linda Kendell · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5🌟Not as well written as the ‘Deadly’ series with some parts needing to be reread to understand who was saying what to whom.

[Carlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great new crime mystery series cowritten by a favorite author

I have enjoyed all of Rachel McLean's crime mysteries and new have discovered her book The Harbour written with her new coauthor Joel Hames. It is the first in the Cumbria Crime series set in northwest England, not far from the Lake District but definitely in a different environment. This series stars DI Zoë Finch recently transferred from Birmingham CID (and prior McLean series) in order to move with her boyfriend Carl who has a new job in the Professional Standards unit investigating "bent coppers" as they say. Zoë is newly in charge of a murder squad in a small town quite different from her home patch in Birmingham. And in her first day on the job her team is handed a murder to solve. Her boss DS Fiona Kendrick seems friendly but keeps putting barriers in Zoë's way and questioning her every move.

In addition to turf jealousies, she needs to learn the Team's relationships, strengths and weaknesses, as well aa the new locale, and eventually unpack all the boxes in her and Carl's new home.

I'm curious how this new coauthoring gig is going to work. The writing is still as wonderful as the rest of Rachel's crime mysteries and honestly could just be her own. I hope to find out more about Joel's background and his books too.

This was a great book touching on many of the themes and issues as many UK mysteries, i.e. immigration, racism, homophobia, human trafficking ...just the same issues reflected in the rest of the western world today. Now I plan to read the next one in this series The Mine plus a prequel novella. Highly recommended!

1/9/24: today (after finishing The Harbour) I read a novella prequel to The Harbour introducing the reader to the Team in Cumbria in the Whitehaven police department where Zoë's partner Carl has been hired in the PSD (Professional Standards Department). The story begins with a body found in the ruins of a castle of a local drug dealer whose murder will be investigated by the Team. In the meantime Carl is exploring the Cumbrian countryside and possible places he and Zoë could live if she finds a job in the area. The novella is filled with intrigue about the murder while giving the reader information about individuals of whom Zoë may be supervising if she is hired to fill the vacant DCI position. It was a great introduction to The Harbour and setting up the Cumbrian Crime series. Note that the novella for some reason is not in Goodreads.

[Lynn H · Rating 4 out of 5]

A different detective in a different location for this writer to introduce me to. Once again I have enjoyed the development of new relationships , a new police force setting and a very interesting thread for on going books in the Zoe Finch series. The one thing I do really like is her introduction of personal characteristics which tell me about the physical and mental appearance of the team that is just referred to in a very normal way of writing. The Show, Don’t Tell' technique could be an excellent example that many of the current crop of ‘writers’ would do well to study.
Congratulations on your use of this technical aspect of writing.
The story has a very good pace to it and for the first book in the series to be able to give all the new background to the location and characters while still writing a very intriguing crime story makes it definitely a ‘GOODREAD’. I have immediately started book 2. I’m hooked.

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. This series takes place in an area of England I've never read much about. As it's the first of the series, it's not surprising that some of the recurring characters need more development; I look forward to that. The reason I gave it 4 stars is that I didn't like the way the book ended. Oh, some characters were finally introduced in the last couple of chapters--they'd been alluded to almost from the start. I don't want to go into much detail beyond that--spoilers, you know--but I hate last minute input from shadowy characters that set a tone of "Ha-ha! Now you HAVE to read the next one to find out what that meant." I don't much care for that when TV shows do that, and I definitely don't like when books are so obvious about it. With that said, I will read the next book in the series to see where the characters and the thickening, multi-book plot decides to go.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed finding a new crime series - yes it was a murder investigation, but it wasn't just about the murder, it was about the team, who seemed also to get themselves into scrapes. In a small area of Cumbria, there is a new DI, a body, a break in and some hate crime against a muslim community centre - is the murder related to the hate crime, is the hate crime related to plans to build a mosque, why did the artist move away, what is happening in the port? Some of the subplots were interesting - BUT only the murder was solved in this book, the others are left more open ended. Leaving lots of loose ends to tie up in the future books in the series. Whilst that makes for good TV, if you have one book, it's a little frustrating to have to buy the series to find out what happens!

[Mary Pimbblet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven't read any of the other series of Zoe Finch novels, so this was a new introduction for me to a character that already seems to be well established in other novels.
The plot itself was pretty interesting, but only a small part of it is actually resolved in this book. The attention to detail in police procedures was good. What was missing was any real sense of character.
The chapters are short and jump between characters, but it's really difficult to work out who is who a lot of the time. There's no differentiation in the internal voice of anyone involved, so even while the story is easy to follow, it all becomes a bit jumbled.
This probably works better if you've read earlier Zoe Finch novels.

[Gloria · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought I could start this without reading the previous Zoe books. It didn't work. Even though I'd run across DI Zoe Finch in other books, I found I didn't like her in this one. She lost me when she talked about "training" her spouse?/partner. How long will this relationship last with that attitude?

Zoe's team at her new job is filled with quirky characters: a female Elvis impersonator, a slovenly computer geek and a black gay, married father. (I actually liked him.) And then we have a murder that may be connected to human trafficking and organized crime. Oh and the Muslim community is suspect. I was about 30% into my Kindle book when I decided I didn't need to know what happened.

[Nancy]

DI Zoe Finch has a lot on her plate. New job, new team, new county. And on day one, she’s plunged straight into a murder investigation. Zoe has to hit the ground running. She needs to manage a new team with its fair share of challenges, get to grips with a new boss who might not be all she seems, and worry about her reputation following her north to Cumbria. Can she settle in quickly enough to solve the murder and quell local tensions, as well as coping with an unfamiliar environment? The Harbour is book 1 in an exciting new series for the star of the bestselling DI Zoe Finch series.

Good. Better than some of her others.

[Neil Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

A slow beginning to a new series

Having previously read all the authors Dorset & Birmingham based series, and generally loved them, I was looking forward to this one. The fact that I have picked up and put down this book countless times, probably says something. Really struggled to warm to the new characters, story was very slow to get going, and even by the end, wasn't that fussed by what happens to them or the overall story outcome. Another over arching corruption storyline of sorts clearly beckons, and perhaps is one to many for me. I now have the second book to read, but I do so with trepidation rather than excitement. A good but not great book.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A new series in which Rachel McLean and Joel Hames seamlessly co-author a new series. DI Zoe Finch moves to Cumbria because her partner has taken a job there. Leaving her old team and her old problems with a corrupt colleague, Zoe is not thrilled with the move, but she is determined to make the best of it.
This involves getting to know a new team and a new Detective Superintendent and figuring out the ins and outs of relationships. A new body on the first day of work makes the situation a bit more difficult. It may take a while for Rachel (and readers) to get a feel for the new team, but this is a good start to the new Zoe Finch series.

[Bryngel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was for me a fast and "light" read. It's easy to like the characters in it as they, frankly, all are the same. Quirky, kind and fairly clever. And that's the problem. I need some tension, some nerve and less goofy situations for me to find it good enough to read on. I will try out The Mine the second book in this series and hope that it come together more.

(Please forgive my poor English, my excuse is I’m Swedish).

[suziebix · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gripping book from start to finish. I have always loved your writing Rachel and ‘The Harbour’ did not disappointment. I am elderly and have debilitating health problems but the short, crisp chapters have really helped to keep me on track with this extremely well written story line.

Joel, I am sorry not to have previously read anything of yours but I am so impressed by this book that I have already downloaded ‘Dead North’ and very much look forward to reading it.

See you both on the other side of ‘The Mine’.

[Barbara Deeprose · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Real Page Turner

DI Zoe Finch is starting a new chapter in her life. She has a new job in Cumbria and a new team to get to know. Oh, and yes, on her first day a murder case to solve. On the outside, her new boss seems to be friendly and supporting, but Zoe soon has her doubts, but she is determined to do her best and must win her team over to her side and quickly. I really enjoyed this book, although the Dorset crime series is my absolute favourite I am sure it will be closely followed by the Cumbria series.

[Julian Tremayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zoe Finch seems to be a magnet for trouble! It has certainly followed her north from Birmingham. Yet she was able to use it to advantage to build confidence in her new team, as well as trying to settle in with Carl. The apparent warning by the local big business man and his cosiness to other police officers suggests that Zoe will have more trouble in Book 2, which I greatly look forward to reading.
Julian Tremayne, Pocklington, East Yorkshire

[Kimberley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve read all of the books by Joel Hames and loved them. He’s clever, funny and the stories are intelligent, thrilling and believable. I was excited to read this one, but I must say, it wasn’t as exciting as Joel’s are. I’ve not read others by Rachel before but if this is any indication of her work, I probably won’t. The story is predictable and less than exciting. I like the idea of it, but it was clunky. If you want worthwhile crime books, look into Joel’s work.

[Kath Middleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I became really wrapped up in this story of a small Cumbrian port where racial tension is being deliberately fomented. DI Zoe Finch is newly transferred and finds herself investigating a murder on her first day.
I've not read any Zoe Finch books before but it's easy to start here and not feel you're missing huge gaps. I loved the growing relationships with her new team. This is shaping up well to be a great new series.

[Mrs Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

God book too many one page chapters

I've read all her other books. Was bit disapointed in this. Zoe Finch was worth a better story.
There were far far too many chapters. Why were they only 1 or 1.5 pages long? Very irritating.Not one of her best I'm afraid. Seemed a bit half hearted not at all like the usual cliffhangers I've come to expect. Very diluted.don't think the collaberation worked too well and I wonder why it was necessary. Shan't bother to read "The Mine"

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story

A good start for a spin off series. There's just enough references sprinkled throughout the narrative to get a feel for some of the events in the previous series without drowning in backstory. The characters are interesting and engaging enough to make you want to learn more about them. The lead character is just getting to know everyone in this book so there isn't much of a dynamic yet but it will be fun to watch it develop in future books.

[Jacqueline · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Harbour

Not a bad read for the first in a new series. Took a bit of getting used to and I needed a few chapters to get into it. But it was a pretty good book. How Zoe always gets herself into these situations and mixed up with these cases I don’t know. But she seems to have a solid team behind her so that’s a positive thing. The jury is out on Zoe’s boss and a couple of others though!!!

[johnanimalantics.net, Margaret G Conlan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic

What an amazing read right from the beginning to the end. I thoroughly enjoyed it immensely except the swearing which had a black mark against it. In my opinion there’s no need for this to happen though some authors feel that the police need to do this therefore one star removed. The storyline was more than engaging and had me turning over the pages quickly to see what would happen next. Thank you😊

[Brian Murgatroyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well worth the read.

A new team for new job,took some getting familiar with.A slow start once I got the feel for the novel it had plenty of twists and turns. Book two seems to have a lot going for it putting in a preview to start looking forward to more.Cumbria is a nice area to be used,the author spends time in the area's she writes about and always makes her writings enjoyable.

[Pete · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Cumbrian tale

My first book to read by Rachel McLean and Joel James and I’ve already downloaded the next book which I’m keen to read.
Di Zoe Finch’s new posting to Cumbria with a new team and a murder on her first day not the start she had envisaged, her new DCS hard on her heels for a result teething mistakes from her team,she had to use all her resourcefulness to steer them to catch a killer and avoid the racial tension that was overshadowing the case.

[Lynda Pilley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read all the Rachel McLean, DI Zoe Finch series, I couldn’t wait to start reading this series set in Cumbria and with Rachel writing with a new co-author Joel Hames. The first in the series didn’t disappoint, and I feel I’m going to enjoy finding out more about the new characters in this series.

[dorothy cannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Readable...just!

I found this book rather botched together. I could not take to any of the characters.
It tells the tale of a Birmingham Detective who relocates to the West Cumbrian coast. The place names are correct however the rest is fictional.
I did not enjoy this book at all and found it boring and jumbled!

[Sarah J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

UK, Cumbria, Races, and "isms" in Crime

Not statements, but Illumination of Corruption in business, ports receiving illegal traffic, changing gender roles, work and family and friend relationships; all exposed between those who are paid to Protect and Serve and their Villianous, opposing characters - all credibly.