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Summer Suspense Mysteries #1
The Cove
The perfect escape....
Gabrielle Adams has it all - brains, beauty, a handsome fiancé and a dream job in publishing.
Until, one day, everything changes.
The ‘Underground Killer’ takes his victims when they least expect standing on the edge of a busy Tube platform, as they wait for a train to arrive through the murky underground tunnels of London.
Gabrielle soon learns that being a survivor is harder than being a victim, and she struggles to return to her old life. Desperate to break free from endless nightmares, she snatches up an opportunity to run a tiny bookshop in a picturesque cove in rural Cornwall.
She thinks she’s found the perfect escape, but has she swapped one nightmare for another?
Suspense and mystery are peppered with romance and humour in this fast-paced thriller, set amidst the spectacular Cornish landscape.
Gabrielle Adams has it all - brains, beauty, a handsome fiancé and a dream job in publishing.
Until, one day, everything changes.
The ‘Underground Killer’ takes his victims when they least expect standing on the edge of a busy Tube platform, as they wait for a train to arrive through the murky underground tunnels of London.
Gabrielle soon learns that being a survivor is harder than being a victim, and she struggles to return to her old life. Desperate to break free from endless nightmares, she snatches up an opportunity to run a tiny bookshop in a picturesque cove in rural Cornwall.
She thinks she’s found the perfect escape, but has she swapped one nightmare for another?
Suspense and mystery are peppered with romance and humour in this fast-paced thriller, set amidst the spectacular Cornish landscape.
6 pages, Audible Audio
First published July 22, 2021
2028 people are currently reading
5246 people want to read
About the author
L.J. Ross
58 books3,230 followersLJ Ross is an internationally bestselling author, whose books have sold over 7 million copies worldwide.
Her debut, Holy Island, was released in 2015 and became an instant, international bestseller. Since then, a further eighteen of her novels have gone on to take the coveted #1 spot, some even before general release and whilst only available to ‘pre-order’. The Bookseller magazine has reported on Louise having topped the ‘Most Read’ and ‘Most Sold’ fiction charts, and she has garnered an army of loyal fans who love her atmospheric and addictive storytelling.
Her eleventh novel, The Infirmary, is a prequel story to the DCI Ryan series and is available as a major Audible Originals audio-drama starring Tom Bateman, Kevin Whately, Bertie Carvel, Hermione Norris and Alun Armstrong.
The first novel in her Alexander Gregory Thrillers series, Impostor, was shortlisted in the British Book Awards 2020: Crime & Thriller Book of the Year. The audiobook of Impostor, narrated by Hugh Dancy, was also selected as a finalist in the New York Festivals Radio Awards, Best Fiction Audiobook of the Year Category.
In May 2021, Louise was shortlisted for the prestigious Crime Writers’ Association ‘Dagger in the Library’ award, which recognises an author’s entire body of work having been consistently enjoyed by library borrowers around the United Kingdom, and an author’s longstanding support of libraries.
Louise was born in Northumberland, England. She studied undergraduate and postgraduate Law at King’s College, University of London and then abroad in Paris and Florence. She spent much of her working life in London, where she was a lawyer for a number of years until taking the decision to change career and pursue her dream to write. Now, she writes full time and lives with her husband and son in Northumberland and Edinburgh. She enjoys reading all manner of books, painting, travelling and spending time with family and friends.
To find out more about the many philanthropic ventures Louise has founded and sponsored through her publishing imprint, Dark Skies Publishing, please visit ‘Philanthropy’.
If you would like to connect with LJ Ross, she would be very happy to hear from you:
https://www.facebook.com/LJRossAuthor
https://twitter.com/ljross_author
www.lovesuspense.com
lj_ross@outlook.com
Her debut, Holy Island, was released in 2015 and became an instant, international bestseller. Since then, a further eighteen of her novels have gone on to take the coveted #1 spot, some even before general release and whilst only available to ‘pre-order’. The Bookseller magazine has reported on Louise having topped the ‘Most Read’ and ‘Most Sold’ fiction charts, and she has garnered an army of loyal fans who love her atmospheric and addictive storytelling.
Her eleventh novel, The Infirmary, is a prequel story to the DCI Ryan series and is available as a major Audible Originals audio-drama starring Tom Bateman, Kevin Whately, Bertie Carvel, Hermione Norris and Alun Armstrong.
The first novel in her Alexander Gregory Thrillers series, Impostor, was shortlisted in the British Book Awards 2020: Crime & Thriller Book of the Year. The audiobook of Impostor, narrated by Hugh Dancy, was also selected as a finalist in the New York Festivals Radio Awards, Best Fiction Audiobook of the Year Category.
In May 2021, Louise was shortlisted for the prestigious Crime Writers’ Association ‘Dagger in the Library’ award, which recognises an author’s entire body of work having been consistently enjoyed by library borrowers around the United Kingdom, and an author’s longstanding support of libraries.
Louise was born in Northumberland, England. She studied undergraduate and postgraduate Law at King’s College, University of London and then abroad in Paris and Florence. She spent much of her working life in London, where she was a lawyer for a number of years until taking the decision to change career and pursue her dream to write. Now, she writes full time and lives with her husband and son in Northumberland and Edinburgh. She enjoys reading all manner of books, painting, travelling and spending time with family and friends.
To find out more about the many philanthropic ventures Louise has founded and sponsored through her publishing imprint, Dark Skies Publishing, please visit ‘Philanthropy’.
If you would like to connect with LJ Ross, she would be very happy to hear from you:
https://www.facebook.com/LJRossAuthor
https://twitter.com/ljross_author
www.lovesuspense.com
lj_ross@outlook.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,018 reviews
August 2, 2021
This was perfectly nice but let's be honest, it's a straight up chick-lit novel, there is nothing 'suspense' or 'thriller' about it.
The locations and characters are lovely, and the story was nice but not much really happened for the bulk of the book. Halfway through the book my husband asked me what the book was about, and I honestly couldn't tell him, it didn't really seem to be 'about' anything. From this point, a small plot emerged, and was wrapped up rather bizarrely with the protagonist knowing who was behind certain events despite not having any evidence (at least none which was shared with the reader).
The epilogue was nice (I seem to have used that word a lot in this review) as it didn't leave any loose ends and let the reader know what all of the characters were up to after the events of the book.
If I had to sum up this book in one word? Nice.
The locations and characters are lovely, and the story was nice but not much really happened for the bulk of the book. Halfway through the book my husband asked me what the book was about, and I honestly couldn't tell him, it didn't really seem to be 'about' anything. From this point, a small plot emerged, and was wrapped up rather bizarrely with the protagonist knowing who was behind certain events despite not having any evidence (at least none which was shared with the reader).
The epilogue was nice (I seem to have used that word a lot in this review) as it didn't leave any loose ends and let the reader know what all of the characters were up to after the events of the book.
If I had to sum up this book in one word? Nice.
August 7, 2021
This was a fast read. I finished it in one sitting!
It's set in the beautiful Cornwall coast and the first third of the book opens with a nice description of the weather, the people and the sea in the Cove. I read a little more after that and was just about to put the book down that something happened. Enough to keep my attention. And I continued flipping the pages. From a breezy summer read about a laid-back life in the Cove, it turned into a whodunnit quite seamlessly.
The book is not a great literary achievement by any means - the language is simple, the writing is fluid and the character arcs are straightforward. It is the story that is at the centre of things and if you read it for the story alone, you'll have a good time flipping through the pages. I really enjoyed the read. It is a breezy book that took me to some beautiful parts of England through a story that kept my attention. If that's not a good book, I don't know what is.
It's set in the beautiful Cornwall coast and the first third of the book opens with a nice description of the weather, the people and the sea in the Cove. I read a little more after that and was just about to put the book down that something happened. Enough to keep my attention. And I continued flipping the pages. From a breezy summer read about a laid-back life in the Cove, it turned into a whodunnit quite seamlessly.
The book is not a great literary achievement by any means - the language is simple, the writing is fluid and the character arcs are straightforward. It is the story that is at the centre of things and if you read it for the story alone, you'll have a good time flipping through the pages. I really enjoyed the read. It is a breezy book that took me to some beautiful parts of England through a story that kept my attention. If that's not a good book, I don't know what is.
June 13, 2022
Easy but well written book. Great pace, likeable and interesting characters, amazing setting. Perfect summer reading.
May 29, 2022
A cosy mystery with a somewhat disappointing/anti-climactic ending.
After nearly being murdered by the "tube killer" Gabrielle Adams is eager to get out of London and finds a fresh start at a charming and secluded book shop/café on the coast of Cornwall. Gabrielle meets some good people and gradually starts to heal from her PTSD, until she sees something that plunges her right back into the nightmare.
It's a decent story. Pretty good characters. Beautiful scenery. And I will read pretty much anything that's set in a bookshop by the coast. There were a few problems with this, which keeps it from getting a higher rating.
I actually didn't mind so much that in the middle 50% of the book fuck-all happened. I was getting to know the cove and the people and was enjoying myself with a low stress kind of story. BUT, the random and poorly done head-hopping that happened for just one sentence here and there really irked me.
A good 90% of the story is seen from Gabrielle's POV, with the odd sentence in the middle of a chapter suddenly clearly being from someone else's POV. You don't have to be Virginia Woolf, but if you do head-hopping within chapters, you have to be good and you have to be consistent. That just wasn't the case here. Towards the end there's a few chapters consistently told from someone else's POV which I have no problem with, it's just this wishy-washy nonsense that makes me irrationally annoyed.
Also - mild spoiler - Gabrielle magically figures out whodunnit, seemingly out of thin air. There's literally no explanation, even afterwards. She even asks someone else why the person did what they did, so she didn't even know that, but somehow, based on... nothing.. she knows they were the one who did it. So that was kind of infuriating. Also, selective amnesia is a bit of a lazy plot point.
Even so, I did mostly enjoy this because of the setting and the characters and the overall warm feel. It's also a short and easy read.
After nearly being murdered by the "tube killer" Gabrielle Adams is eager to get out of London and finds a fresh start at a charming and secluded book shop/café on the coast of Cornwall. Gabrielle meets some good people and gradually starts to heal from her PTSD, until she sees something that plunges her right back into the nightmare.
It's a decent story. Pretty good characters. Beautiful scenery. And I will read pretty much anything that's set in a bookshop by the coast. There were a few problems with this, which keeps it from getting a higher rating.
I actually didn't mind so much that in the middle 50% of the book fuck-all happened. I was getting to know the cove and the people and was enjoying myself with a low stress kind of story. BUT, the random and poorly done head-hopping that happened for just one sentence here and there really irked me.
A good 90% of the story is seen from Gabrielle's POV, with the odd sentence in the middle of a chapter suddenly clearly being from someone else's POV. You don't have to be Virginia Woolf, but if you do head-hopping within chapters, you have to be good and you have to be consistent. That just wasn't the case here. Towards the end there's a few chapters consistently told from someone else's POV which I have no problem with, it's just this wishy-washy nonsense that makes me irrationally annoyed.
Also - mild spoiler - Gabrielle magically figures out whodunnit, seemingly out of thin air. There's literally no explanation, even afterwards. She even asks someone else why the person did what they did, so she didn't even know that, but somehow, based on... nothing.. she knows they were the one who did it. So that was kind of infuriating. Also, selective amnesia is a bit of a lazy plot point.
Even so, I did mostly enjoy this because of the setting and the characters and the overall warm feel. It's also a short and easy read.
October 12, 2022
Although this is not your typical LJ Ross book, her brilliant writing style and character creation and development shines through. I
I am a little late to the party with this series, but will definitely be staying to the end. Wish I had read it on a beach in the sunshine, but it works well in October as well.
For most of the book I was thinking 3.5 to 4 stars, but the last few chapters as the story is wrapped up made an easy 5 stars.
I am a little late to the party with this series, but will definitely be staying to the end. Wish I had read it on a beach in the sunshine, but it works well in October as well.
For most of the book I was thinking 3.5 to 4 stars, but the last few chapters as the story is wrapped up made an easy 5 stars.
August 4, 2021
LJ Ross NEVER disappoints!
The Cove was published yesterday in ebook and I devoured it in one sitting!
Gabrielle Adams works in London in publishing, her boyfriend is an agent and she loves her job! Her world is turned completely upside down when she is pushed from a tube platform by an unknown assailant. This leads to a battle with PTSD, although the physical injuries begin to heal, the emotional and mental injuries Gabi suffers are still very much there. Needing a change, she escapes to Cornwall, where she finds a job as a Bookseller. But is it the perfect escape Gabi craved?
LJ Ross has yet again threaded a gorgeously atmospheric mystery, where the strings of tension are tightened as we journey throughout the story. We meet an eclectic range of characters who you can't help but enjoy sharing the fictional world with. They'll grasp you and tug you further into the storyline! I loved the coastal location, the beautiful Cove that could also be deathly. The contrast between London and Cornwall felt like a reflection between Gabi's traumatic states as she tries to heal.
The Cove is carefully crafted and perfectly executed for all the thrilling bookish satisfaction!
The Cove was published yesterday in ebook and I devoured it in one sitting!
Gabrielle Adams works in London in publishing, her boyfriend is an agent and she loves her job! Her world is turned completely upside down when she is pushed from a tube platform by an unknown assailant. This leads to a battle with PTSD, although the physical injuries begin to heal, the emotional and mental injuries Gabi suffers are still very much there. Needing a change, she escapes to Cornwall, where she finds a job as a Bookseller. But is it the perfect escape Gabi craved?
LJ Ross has yet again threaded a gorgeously atmospheric mystery, where the strings of tension are tightened as we journey throughout the story. We meet an eclectic range of characters who you can't help but enjoy sharing the fictional world with. They'll grasp you and tug you further into the storyline! I loved the coastal location, the beautiful Cove that could also be deathly. The contrast between London and Cornwall felt like a reflection between Gabi's traumatic states as she tries to heal.
The Cove is carefully crafted and perfectly executed for all the thrilling bookish satisfaction!
August 6, 2021
Rushed Ending
Whilst I enjoyed this book, the characters being well developed I did feel a little cheated at the pace it came to a conclusion. It was as if someone had happily sketched out the storyline, started the development well then had to quickly finish it to a deadline. Everything was too stage managed to fit the ending
Whilst I enjoyed this book, the characters being well developed I did feel a little cheated at the pace it came to a conclusion. It was as if someone had happily sketched out the storyline, started the development well then had to quickly finish it to a deadline. Everything was too stage managed to fit the ending
August 10, 2021
Meh
Predictable romance. The plot felt undeveloped and rushed. It was one of those books where things just fell conveniently into place. She has written far better books than this one.
Predictable romance. The plot felt undeveloped and rushed. It was one of those books where things just fell conveniently into place. She has written far better books than this one.
November 17, 2024
3.5 🌟 : Cute cosy mystery in a beautiful setting
February 20, 2023
I loved this book. Perfect escapism! If I really did escape one day, I'd love to go to Cornwall, and L.J. Ross has allowed me to do so vicariously.
December 28, 2021
A very quick read, possibly a new series set in Cornwall. Much better than the psychologist series.
August 14, 2021
I enjoyed the first half of the book, but the second just seemed really silly and unbelievable. This traumatised woman -- who did she anger in a previous life to have all these people trying to kill her?! And for someone with PTSD and OCD, she leaps into a new relationship at a speed that gave me whiplash. I just felt it became 3 books in 1, and none of the threads worked together. Rather disappointing.
December 31, 2021
Kādā jaukā rudens sākuma brīvdienā man ienāca prātā papildināt savu mansijas kopšanu ar kādu vieglu detektīvu audio formātā. Nolēmu pārbaudīt kaut ko no Audible pakaļmetamā [lasi - bezmaksas] kataloga. Acs uzkrita uz šo, jo ideja jau ir gluži laba - Gabrielai ir sapņu darbs izdevniecībā, sapņu līgavainis bla bla bladī bla. Līdz kādā ziemas vakarā viņa krīt par upuri “metro maniakam”, kurš viņu nogrūž no perona priekšā pienākošam metro vilcienam. Gabrielai par laimi tas beidzas tikai ar dažiem lūzumiem un posttraumatisko stresu, kā rezultātā viņa aiziet arī no darba, un līgavainis arī izrādās sušķis, kurš viņu krāpj.
Pusgadu vēlāk viņa nolemj pamest Londonu un pārceļas uz Kornvolu, lai strādātu kādā mazā grāmatu veikalā. Viss rit kā smērēts, līdz kādā vētrainā vakarā viņa redz, kā no klints tiek nogrūsta sieviete. Un tomēr - kāpēc neviens nemeklē pazudušo? Labs stāsta pieteikums, ne? Bet būtībā šis ir tālu no detektīva, tāds totāls mājsaimnieču romāns, pilns visām iespējamām klišejām. Jo, protams, te ir noslēpumains skaistulis ar namu kalnā, brīvs un daiļš, un bagāts kā Krēzs, bet kas notika ar viņa bijušo sievu??? Vai Gabriela arī kļūs par viņa bijušo? Jo, protams, ka viņi salaiž - kā gan savādāk. Tev atliek tik pārcelties uz kādu angļu ciematu kā precinieki pilnīgi kaklā karas. Vai arī tas vienīgais cērtamais. Ak! Lai būtu vēl klišejiskāk, veikala saimniecei ir šausmīgi šaubīgs (lai arī skaists un jestrs) dēls, kurš tik ļoti tiek uztiepts par potenciālo vainīgo it visā, ka tas jau nudien kļūst smieklīgi. Ak, ja man būtu iekšā atstāstīt visas tās muļķības, kas te tiek laistas uz riņķi... Bet nē, man jāiet cept svētku vakariņas. Jums paliks tikai šis nelielais uzmetums par biedinājumu turēties tālāk no šitās autorītes. Es darīšu tāpat.
Pusgadu vēlāk viņa nolemj pamest Londonu un pārceļas uz Kornvolu, lai strādātu kādā mazā grāmatu veikalā. Viss rit kā smērēts, līdz kādā vētrainā vakarā viņa redz, kā no klints tiek nogrūsta sieviete. Un tomēr - kāpēc neviens nemeklē pazudušo? Labs stāsta pieteikums, ne? Bet būtībā šis ir tālu no detektīva, tāds totāls mājsaimnieču romāns, pilns visām iespējamām klišejām. Jo, protams, te ir noslēpumains skaistulis ar namu kalnā, brīvs un daiļš, un bagāts kā Krēzs, bet kas notika ar viņa bijušo sievu??? Vai Gabriela arī kļūs par viņa bijušo? Jo, protams, ka viņi salaiž - kā gan savādāk. Tev atliek tik pārcelties uz kādu angļu ciematu kā precinieki pilnīgi kaklā karas. Vai arī tas vienīgais cērtamais. Ak! Lai būtu vēl klišejiskāk, veikala saimniecei ir šausmīgi šaubīgs (lai arī skaists un jestrs) dēls, kurš tik ļoti tiek uztiepts par potenciālo vainīgo it visā, ka tas jau nudien kļūst smieklīgi. Ak, ja man būtu iekšā atstāstīt visas tās muļķības, kas te tiek laistas uz riņķi... Bet nē, man jāiet cept svētku vakariņas. Jums paliks tikai šis nelielais uzmetums par biedinājumu turēties tālāk no šitās autorītes. Es darīšu tāpat.
September 2, 2021
Barbara’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Series: Summer Suspense Mysteries #1
Publication Date: 7/22/21
Period: Contemporary London & Carnance Cove
Number of Pages: 194
I am a huge fan of this author’s DCI Ryan series, so it was a delight to learn she was starting a new series. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but I don’t have a real feel for what the series will be like. For instance – in the DCI Ryan series, I know that Ryan and his crew will be solving a crime in each book. I’m not sure that is the case with this series because the author wrapped up all of the loose ends and futures of all the main and subordinate characters in the epilogue. Future books in the series could certainly feature our main characters and the beautiful cove where they live, but the way this one wrapped up makes me wonder. Perhaps we’ll have a series comprised of mysteries taking place in various summer vacation spots and featuring different protagonists each time. It will be interesting to see.
It is Christmas and Gabrielle Adams is on top of the world. She has the job she has always wanted in a field she is passionate about, and she is engaged to a man she loves. That world falls out from under her when she becomes a victim of the ‘Underground Killer’ who pushes people off the underground train platforms in front of oncoming trains. Though her broken, battered, and bruised body survives, her mind is in a much more delicate state. The doctors assure her the nightmares, OCD, PTSD, etc. will get better over time, but it has been six months and she is tired of the pity (and impatience) she sees in everyone’s eyes. Her fiancé Mark is having an affair, she can’t handle working – and – well – she’s just got to walk away from it all. So, she does.
Gabrielle (Gabi) has made it to the picturesque Carnance Cove where she has accepted the position as manager of Carnance Cove Books & Gifts shop. It is the quaintest, loveliest place she has ever seen and all 5 of the residents welcome her with open arms. Yes, there are a couple of things her new boss ‘forgot’ to tell her – first, the cove can only be reached when the tide is out – and yes, there are only 5 other residents. Cell service and internet service are almost non-existent and she still adores the place. Of course, the handsome painter who picked her up and delivered her to the cove isn’t bad either.
As Gabrielle begins to heal, she witnesses a murder. She knows her mind plays tricks on her, but she’s been so much better lately – she is sure that is what she saw. Isn’t she? Gabi’s OCD won’t let her turn loose of the murder and let the police handle it – she has to do a bit of investigating on her own. When strange things begin to happen to her – well – stranger than usual – she almost doubts herself, but she is sure, absolutely sure she isn’t imagining things. The folks at the Cove support her – especially her boss and that handsome painter. Does the murderer think she can identify them? She can’t. Do they just want to drive her away? She’s not going. Between the murder she saw – and the attempted murder from London, Gabi and Luke have so much to contend with that they might not be able to save Gabi after all!
This was a delightful read with humor (wait until you read about Jackson, Mark, and Frenchie in the epilogue). The romance is lovely and the characters are wonderfully likable and relatable. A great start to a new series.
Series: Summer Suspense Mysteries #1
Publication Date: 7/22/21
Period: Contemporary London & Carnance Cove
Number of Pages: 194
I am a huge fan of this author’s DCI Ryan series, so it was a delight to learn she was starting a new series. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but I don’t have a real feel for what the series will be like. For instance – in the DCI Ryan series, I know that Ryan and his crew will be solving a crime in each book. I’m not sure that is the case with this series because the author wrapped up all of the loose ends and futures of all the main and subordinate characters in the epilogue. Future books in the series could certainly feature our main characters and the beautiful cove where they live, but the way this one wrapped up makes me wonder. Perhaps we’ll have a series comprised of mysteries taking place in various summer vacation spots and featuring different protagonists each time. It will be interesting to see.
It is Christmas and Gabrielle Adams is on top of the world. She has the job she has always wanted in a field she is passionate about, and she is engaged to a man she loves. That world falls out from under her when she becomes a victim of the ‘Underground Killer’ who pushes people off the underground train platforms in front of oncoming trains. Though her broken, battered, and bruised body survives, her mind is in a much more delicate state. The doctors assure her the nightmares, OCD, PTSD, etc. will get better over time, but it has been six months and she is tired of the pity (and impatience) she sees in everyone’s eyes. Her fiancé Mark is having an affair, she can’t handle working – and – well – she’s just got to walk away from it all. So, she does.
Gabrielle (Gabi) has made it to the picturesque Carnance Cove where she has accepted the position as manager of Carnance Cove Books & Gifts shop. It is the quaintest, loveliest place she has ever seen and all 5 of the residents welcome her with open arms. Yes, there are a couple of things her new boss ‘forgot’ to tell her – first, the cove can only be reached when the tide is out – and yes, there are only 5 other residents. Cell service and internet service are almost non-existent and she still adores the place. Of course, the handsome painter who picked her up and delivered her to the cove isn’t bad either.
As Gabrielle begins to heal, she witnesses a murder. She knows her mind plays tricks on her, but she’s been so much better lately – she is sure that is what she saw. Isn’t she? Gabi’s OCD won’t let her turn loose of the murder and let the police handle it – she has to do a bit of investigating on her own. When strange things begin to happen to her – well – stranger than usual – she almost doubts herself, but she is sure, absolutely sure she isn’t imagining things. The folks at the Cove support her – especially her boss and that handsome painter. Does the murderer think she can identify them? She can’t. Do they just want to drive her away? She’s not going. Between the murder she saw – and the attempted murder from London, Gabi and Luke have so much to contend with that they might not be able to save Gabi after all!
This was a delightful read with humor (wait until you read about Jackson, Mark, and Frenchie in the epilogue). The romance is lovely and the characters are wonderfully likable and relatable. A great start to a new series.
September 6, 2021
As a huge fan of LJ Ross’ DCI Ryan series I thought I’d give this one a go.
It’s a great mystery thriller with a sprinkling of romance.
Gabi suffers a traumatic attack in London and later splits up with her boyfriend.
She decides to start afresh in Cornwall and gets a job managing a book shop.
The village is very remote but the few residents welcome Gabi with open arms.
However, Gabi witnesses a murder and soon her own life is being threatened.
This is a great read that I really enjoyed.
It’s a great mystery thriller with a sprinkling of romance.
Gabi suffers a traumatic attack in London and later splits up with her boyfriend.
She decides to start afresh in Cornwall and gets a job managing a book shop.
The village is very remote but the few residents welcome Gabi with open arms.
However, Gabi witnesses a murder and soon her own life is being threatened.
This is a great read that I really enjoyed.
September 25, 2021
I needed to do a lot of chores today and having this book with me kept me going!
It's a mix of genres; there's some romance, some drama, some mystery and some cosy.
It was pretty good (although formulaic) for a quick, fun read.
It's a mix of genres; there's some romance, some drama, some mystery and some cosy.
It was pretty good (although formulaic) for a quick, fun read.
April 4, 2024
Really enjoyed this- beautiful Cornish bookshop setting, easy going crime read with a good splash of suspense & intrigue. Even a sprinkling of romance. Looking forward to rest of the series.
January 7, 2022
right then. i’m still tryna figure out what this book actually was. a lot of irrelevant parts, which i’m surprised at for a short novel like this one. maybe the whole thing was just irrelevant. guess we’ll never know.
August 23, 2021
I didn't realize that L.J. Ross was starting a new series this year and I was so happy by this surprise! Engagingly told, this was a nice addition to the books already published by this author. While hardly a police procedural, it did have the right amount of mystery for a work of women's fiction. So if you're in the market for a story about something that could easily happen to any of us that also includes a touch of mystery, give this book a whirl. I liked the super small town feel of the community, and the relationship that the heroine had with her boss and landlady was lovely. My only complaint is that it could've been longer and the ending felt very rushed.
Safety
Safety
October 18, 2024
(2 stars)
This book was...odd. For the most part, it didn't have a solid plot. I kid you not it was until halfway through this book (the book is actually 384 pages – not 197 like it says on Goodreads) that there was an ACTUAL plot.
I appreciate that the plot didn't go on the direction it went in. The plot twist was quite surprising but there was nothing that alluded to the fact that the perpetrator was in fact the perpetrator. There was literally no evidence and it never gets explained why the main character suspected them to be the killer.
The writing in this book was by no means special. Actually it was quite lackluster. But hey, this did make me want to me to a cute little Cornish town in the middle of nowhere with a bookshop café, a hot boyfriend and a beach practically all to myself. So that's that.
This book was...odd. For the most part, it didn't have a solid plot. I kid you not it was until halfway through this book (the book is actually 384 pages – not 197 like it says on Goodreads) that there was an ACTUAL plot.
I appreciate that the plot didn't go on the direction it went in. The plot twist was quite surprising but there was nothing that alluded to the fact that the perpetrator was in fact the perpetrator. There was literally no evidence and it never gets explained why the main character suspected them to be the killer.
The writing in this book was by no means special. Actually it was quite lackluster. But hey, this did make me want to me to a cute little Cornish town in the middle of nowhere with a bookshop café, a hot boyfriend and a beach practically all to myself. So that's that.
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January 11, 2024Thought I was in for a fun, summer murder-mystery, but instead I got demonisation of anyone with mental health problems and then caricature villains making rash and weird decisions at the end. (It was giving "I would have gotten away with it if it weren't for you meddling kids".) The whole book also felt like it needed a really thorough edit because there were some very strange phrases and a lot of unnecessary repetition throughout. I did like the large font though.
June 18, 2024
2.5….
Easy, breezy summer read. Takes place at a quaint bookstore in a beautiful setting. Pretty good writing with some expected, corny romance tropes. Not the deepest characters, but by main complaint is the motive of the protagonist is very weak and made me eyeroll. Overall, it’s fine
Easy, breezy summer read. Takes place at a quaint bookstore in a beautiful setting. Pretty good writing with some expected, corny romance tropes. Not the deepest characters, but by main complaint is the motive of the protagonist is very weak and made me eyeroll. Overall, it’s fine
July 24, 2024
After a traumatic and nearly deadly experience, Gabi has a chance to move on and start her life over again. Going from the fast-paced life of publishing to a quiet, quaint, and isolated location on the Cornwall coast she hopes that things will start to get back to some kind of normalcy. It does for a while but then things start to go wrong. She witnesses a murder but it makes those around her wonder if her past is coming back to haunt her. Gabi knows what she saw but how can she prove it to everyone else before it is too late?
This was a fast-paced mystery that had me guessing right till the very end, there are a couple of plots going on at the same time which threw me off even more. I honestly had no idea who the killer was. I will be reading more in this series very soon.
This was a fast-paced mystery that had me guessing right till the very end, there are a couple of plots going on at the same time which threw me off even more. I honestly had no idea who the killer was. I will be reading more in this series very soon.
October 4, 2021
3.5*
After an argument with her fiancé at the Frenchman Saunders Christmas party, Gabrielle Adams was left to take the tube home alone, despite the recent reports regarding two women who were pushed onto the train tracks. The assailant was still at large. Gabrielle became the third victim of the man the press had dubbed the Tube Killer.
Six months later, still trying to cope with post traumatic stress disorder, nightmares and obsessive-compulsive disorder she has resigned from her job and was on a train to Cornwall. When she’d seen the add for the position of manager at Carnance Cove Books & Gifts, she applied without much hope of a reply. Her forté had been on the publishing side, she knew nothing about bookselling, ordering stock or dealing with customers. So she was shocked but delighted when she received an invitation for an interview.
I listened to The Cove, narrated by Clare Corbett, who did a creditable job. It was an easy, quick listen at just over five and a half hours. The setting is delightfully picturesque, the characters varied and engaging, and the Cove has a wonderful community spirit. But the actual plot line was a little lacking in substance for me, although it did ramp up towards the end where a measure of suspense kicked in. I did love the idea of the shop and its setting though. If it’s based on the place I have in mind, it’s truly beautiful.
Most of the narrative was a slow burn romance, bar the beginning and end which veered into cosy-ish crime albeit with a few darker scenes. Gabrielle believes she sees a crime being committed but her unreliability bring the facts, as she sees them, into question. Despite the following occurrences and her initial doubts, she’s convinced it isn’t her imagination playing tricks.
The after effects of trauma and the day to day living with them were described believably. The characters, their interactions and relationships were enjoyable. A light summer listen, free to Audible members.
After an argument with her fiancé at the Frenchman Saunders Christmas party, Gabrielle Adams was left to take the tube home alone, despite the recent reports regarding two women who were pushed onto the train tracks. The assailant was still at large. Gabrielle became the third victim of the man the press had dubbed the Tube Killer.
Six months later, still trying to cope with post traumatic stress disorder, nightmares and obsessive-compulsive disorder she has resigned from her job and was on a train to Cornwall. When she’d seen the add for the position of manager at Carnance Cove Books & Gifts, she applied without much hope of a reply. Her forté had been on the publishing side, she knew nothing about bookselling, ordering stock or dealing with customers. So she was shocked but delighted when she received an invitation for an interview.
I listened to The Cove, narrated by Clare Corbett, who did a creditable job. It was an easy, quick listen at just over five and a half hours. The setting is delightfully picturesque, the characters varied and engaging, and the Cove has a wonderful community spirit. But the actual plot line was a little lacking in substance for me, although it did ramp up towards the end where a measure of suspense kicked in. I did love the idea of the shop and its setting though. If it’s based on the place I have in mind, it’s truly beautiful.
Most of the narrative was a slow burn romance, bar the beginning and end which veered into cosy-ish crime albeit with a few darker scenes. Gabrielle believes she sees a crime being committed but her unreliability bring the facts, as she sees them, into question. Despite the following occurrences and her initial doubts, she’s convinced it isn’t her imagination playing tricks.
The after effects of trauma and the day to day living with them were described believably. The characters, their interactions and relationships were enjoyable. A light summer listen, free to Audible members.
September 4, 2021
Cute story with a bit of mystery and light suspense. Definitely not a thriller, focusing on a murder case, but quite enjoyable. I love Cornwall and the descriptions of the small village (population: 6) were pretty cool. The main character, Gabi, works in a bookshop cafe, and she gets involved in a possible murder mystery for a little while, but the focus is on her mainly, not on the investigation. The writing is very easy to read. Ideal book for the beach!
August 27, 2021
LJ might not be the world’s greatest writer but I really enjoyed books from the Dr. Gregory series. However, this book was nonsense! The ending was so rubbish it still irritates me thinking about it now.
February 10, 2022
I enjoyed this. A simple who dun it with a few twists. A good change from the Northumberland series which seemed to run out of steam A touch of romance and some likeable characters. I hope that there is enough here for a series of summer suspense mysteries which I would love to read.
December 22, 2025
Great fast pace thriller.
Well narrated audiobook.
Well narrated audiobook.
November 13, 2023
A very quick read. A more of a gentle murder mystery than an edge of your seat read but the setting is a good one and I enjoyed the romance and friendships made.
September 16, 2022
Not your typical LJ Ross book but quite a story! I would have liked it to be a bit longer. I thought things wrapped up a little too abruptly. But still, a good read or listen in my case. The narration was easy to listen to.
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