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DI Treloar #1
Rogue Flamingo
A lawyer’s body is found on the beach in the small Cornish village of Porthaven, staked out with a tarred bag over its head, just as the peak summer season gets underway. When a second body is found bizarrely fixed to the floor of a nearby building not long afterwards, the laconic police surgeon remarks ‘Well, psychopaths need holidays too’. Detective Inspector Treloar, a maverick to some bosses but a driven, committed investigator to his fellow officers, takes charge. When more bodies turn up, in flagrante, Treloar and his team are at first unsure - accident or murder?
There seems to be no connection between the victims whose murders are violent and sexual, with escalating viciousness. What is going on? Could they have brought their fate with them; festering secrets from the past? Could either of the two mysterious men staying at the camp site be involved? Is it one or more doing the killing? What about the rabble of students in the big house or the local recluse and his enigmatic brother? What about the embittered locals resentful of incomers buying up the village? And who is the extraordinary female, institutionalised in the South of France as a child, who reflects on her past as the story unfolds?
Then a brutal attack on one of their own shocks Treloar’s team, switching their focus in an unexpected direction and a long-held grievance based on a heartfelt, perceived injustice surfaces.
Rogue Flamingo is a grown up psychological crime novel introducing DI Treloar, a Cornish, maverick, likeable new DI.
It is set in a fictitious village on the South Coast of Cornwall and is loosely based on a real village midway between Fowey & St Mawes. There are scenes in both, also Truro & rural W Cornwall.
Treloar lives between St Ives & Penzance.
There are several scenes in the South of France in the Camargue & nearby mountains.
There seems to be no connection between the victims whose murders are violent and sexual, with escalating viciousness. What is going on? Could they have brought their fate with them; festering secrets from the past? Could either of the two mysterious men staying at the camp site be involved? Is it one or more doing the killing? What about the rabble of students in the big house or the local recluse and his enigmatic brother? What about the embittered locals resentful of incomers buying up the village? And who is the extraordinary female, institutionalised in the South of France as a child, who reflects on her past as the story unfolds?
Then a brutal attack on one of their own shocks Treloar’s team, switching their focus in an unexpected direction and a long-held grievance based on a heartfelt, perceived injustice surfaces.
Rogue Flamingo is a grown up psychological crime novel introducing DI Treloar, a Cornish, maverick, likeable new DI.
It is set in a fictitious village on the South Coast of Cornwall and is loosely based on a real village midway between Fowey & St Mawes. There are scenes in both, also Truro & rural W Cornwall.
Treloar lives between St Ives & Penzance.
There are several scenes in the South of France in the Camargue & nearby mountains.
- GenresMystery
264 pages, ebook
First published March 4, 2014
34 people are currently reading
42 people want to read
About the author
L.A. Kent
6 books13 followersA story crafting wordsmith met a psychologist and L A Kent was born.
L A Kent is the pen name of Louise Harrington and Andy Sinden. Having lived in Cornwall for 20 years L A Kent writes not only about the dark, evil, obsessed, and sometimes plain mad and bad characters appearing on the dark side of their books, but also empathetically about the county, its people and their lifestyle. And bring to life Cornwall and the visitors that descend from the UK, mainland Europe and further afield, even as their bad guys are putting people to death.
Prior to writing both travelled extensively in their corporate lives, spending time in the USA, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Taiwan and Singapore to name but a few, as well as frequently spending time in most Western European countries.
They lived and worked in South Africa for two years, also visiting Namibia and Zimbabwe and bring these world experiences to the overseas episodes in the DI Treloar crime thrillers.
They were particularly pleased when Broken Dove won the 2017 Holyer an Gof award for Best Adult Fiction as the judges look especially for Cornishness in their winners, and Broken Dove was no exception.
Indeed one of the judges for Holyer an Gof, said to Andy and Louise after the presentation "I just couldn't put it down, it was keeping me up to the early hours every night. I live in West Cornwall and I could really recognise my Cornwall ...... it was great to read a book set in Cornwall that didn't just throw out a few place names and descriptions"
L A Kent is the pen name of Louise Harrington and Andy Sinden. Having lived in Cornwall for 20 years L A Kent writes not only about the dark, evil, obsessed, and sometimes plain mad and bad characters appearing on the dark side of their books, but also empathetically about the county, its people and their lifestyle. And bring to life Cornwall and the visitors that descend from the UK, mainland Europe and further afield, even as their bad guys are putting people to death.
Prior to writing both travelled extensively in their corporate lives, spending time in the USA, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Taiwan and Singapore to name but a few, as well as frequently spending time in most Western European countries.
They lived and worked in South Africa for two years, also visiting Namibia and Zimbabwe and bring these world experiences to the overseas episodes in the DI Treloar crime thrillers.
They were particularly pleased when Broken Dove won the 2017 Holyer an Gof award for Best Adult Fiction as the judges look especially for Cornishness in their winners, and Broken Dove was no exception.
Indeed one of the judges for Holyer an Gof, said to Andy and Louise after the presentation "I just couldn't put it down, it was keeping me up to the early hours every night. I live in West Cornwall and I could really recognise my Cornwall ...... it was great to read a book set in Cornwall that didn't just throw out a few place names and descriptions"
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 11, 2018
“Just finished “Rogue Flamingo”, an extraordinary rendition of the psychological murder mystery genre.
‘Rogue’ sets up the reader with seemingly parallel threads of story line that you know must converge at some point….but when? As the two story lines develop, you are held in the author’s grip of suspense, until about 85% Kindle, when the pieces and mysterious characters start to come tantalizingly into sharper focus. From that point, one is compelled to gallop to the seemingly predictable outcome. But, wait for it……the convergence delivers an unconventional and off-the-wall (really!) conclusion that both unsettles and delights the reader. Can’t wait to read the next two books in this series!”
‘Rogue’ sets up the reader with seemingly parallel threads of story line that you know must converge at some point….but when? As the two story lines develop, you are held in the author’s grip of suspense, until about 85% Kindle, when the pieces and mysterious characters start to come tantalizingly into sharper focus. From that point, one is compelled to gallop to the seemingly predictable outcome. But, wait for it……the convergence delivers an unconventional and off-the-wall (really!) conclusion that both unsettles and delights the reader. Can’t wait to read the next two books in this series!”
November 23, 2022
Hated it! Felt dirty and in need of a shower.
The depiction of evil in the nameless child, the violence caused by arrogance and unbridled lust, and the unsatisfactory ending left me feeling as if all that is good in the world was disappearing in a cloud of Cornish mizzle.
I also find it very irritating when the author(s) insist on using names that begin with the same letter: within two chapters there was a Julie, a Julia, a Jamie and a Jack... proper confusing. As a Cornish-wed woman I always look out for books set in my county, but I will not be reading any more works by this duo.
The depiction of evil in the nameless child, the violence caused by arrogance and unbridled lust, and the unsatisfactory ending left me feeling as if all that is good in the world was disappearing in a cloud of Cornish mizzle.
I also find it very irritating when the author(s) insist on using names that begin with the same letter: within two chapters there was a Julie, a Julia, a Jamie and a Jack... proper confusing. As a Cornish-wed woman I always look out for books set in my county, but I will not be reading any more works by this duo.
June 22, 2025
Hard Going
I'm afraid I struggled with this book. It took me to get a good half way through it before I really understood what was going on and I skipped loads. I did quite like the book towards the end. I have already downloaded the second book in the series so hope I will enjoy it more. Sorry to be so negative!
I'm afraid I struggled with this book. It took me to get a good half way through it before I really understood what was going on and I skipped loads. I did quite like the book towards the end. I have already downloaded the second book in the series so hope I will enjoy it more. Sorry to be so negative!
November 19, 2019
Poor character development; frequent narrative gaps; numerous usage and punctuation errors. Authors must not have employed the services of a competent editor, at least for the Kindle version I read. If these were stylistic choices, they were misguided.
October 2, 2020
A Silly Tourist Guide
I don't need a travel guide of Cornwall. Not interested, couldn't even get as far as the plot. Plenty of others to be read, I can do without this travel brochure.
I don't need a travel guide of Cornwall. Not interested, couldn't even get as far as the plot. Plenty of others to be read, I can do without this travel brochure.
August 14, 2021
The detective story was twisted and independent but the psychotic serial descriptions were some what disturbing at times and distracted from the story. I felt unnecessarily.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 22, 2014
I got this after a friend told me about it and really liked it. I hadn’t heard of Rogue Flamingo or LA Kent before so was glad he told me. The murders themselves were different and it made a bit of a change to read a murder mystery with ordinary people committing the crimes rather than ‘criminals’!
It was a bit racy in some places, but not in the way you expect to find it in a murder mystery led by a strong policeman. Some people could find some of the scenes a bit upsetting I suppose but then with a wide range of people being killed it would hard for something not to be upsetting for somebody!
There are also some interesting/debatable issues raised about growing up!!
I thought the French female was especially interesting - can’t say too much without spoiling it!
I was kept guessing and guessing about suspects and motives until the end even though I thought I’d worked it out quite a few times on the way. I thought the fact that some key nasties had some good qualities was quite clever and realistic.
All in all I found it interesting and hard to put down, and I liked that I knew some of the places in Cornwall that were in it. Reminded me of good holidays.
Will get the second Treloar book when it’s out - thought he was quite a refreshing character with an interesting family background, good sense of humour, and not afraid to get things done even if it means taking risks sometimes.
It was a bit racy in some places, but not in the way you expect to find it in a murder mystery led by a strong policeman. Some people could find some of the scenes a bit upsetting I suppose but then with a wide range of people being killed it would hard for something not to be upsetting for somebody!
There are also some interesting/debatable issues raised about growing up!!
I thought the French female was especially interesting - can’t say too much without spoiling it!
I was kept guessing and guessing about suspects and motives until the end even though I thought I’d worked it out quite a few times on the way. I thought the fact that some key nasties had some good qualities was quite clever and realistic.
All in all I found it interesting and hard to put down, and I liked that I knew some of the places in Cornwall that were in it. Reminded me of good holidays.
Will get the second Treloar book when it’s out - thought he was quite a refreshing character with an interesting family background, good sense of humour, and not afraid to get things done even if it means taking risks sometimes.
October 21, 2021
The Rogue Flamingo ebook is available in both ePub and PDF formats, with the beginning of #2 in the Treloar series - Broken Dove - at the back as well as information about Silent Gull, #3 in the DI Treloar series.
It is a pacy read and well written with a level of detail that makes the story lines credible without being overbearing - this is a grown up Psychological crime mystery, convincingly introducing DI Treloar.
People who like Peter Robinson (crime mysteries set Yorkshire), Peter James (crime mysteries set in Brighton), Ian Rankin (crime mysteries set in Edinburgh), Michael Connelly (crime mysteries set in Los Angeles) and John Sandford (crime mysteries set in the Twin Cities) will like this.
People who live in & visit Cornwall will like this:
A local lady reader told me to my delight - “I don’t read novels, just historical and factual books, mostly about women’s rights and I was really surprised that I bought it after reading the intro. I was even more surprised that I really enjoyed it….I enjoyed the 2 stories running together, and all the detail…….even though some were a bit gruesome…….when’s the next one out?”
It is a pacy read and well written with a level of detail that makes the story lines credible without being overbearing - this is a grown up Psychological crime mystery, convincingly introducing DI Treloar.
People who like Peter Robinson (crime mysteries set Yorkshire), Peter James (crime mysteries set in Brighton), Ian Rankin (crime mysteries set in Edinburgh), Michael Connelly (crime mysteries set in Los Angeles) and John Sandford (crime mysteries set in the Twin Cities) will like this.
People who live in & visit Cornwall will like this:
A local lady reader told me to my delight - “I don’t read novels, just historical and factual books, mostly about women’s rights and I was really surprised that I bought it after reading the intro. I was even more surprised that I really enjoyed it….I enjoyed the 2 stories running together, and all the detail…….even though some were a bit gruesome…….when’s the next one out?”
October 22, 2021
Rogue Flamingo Rogue Flamingo is a pacy read and well written with a level of detail that makes the story lines credible without being overbearing - this is a grown up Psychological crime mystery, convincingly introducing DI Treloar.
People who like Peter Robinson (crime mysteries set Yorkshire), Peter James (crime mysteries set in Brighton), Ian Rankin (crime mysteries set in Edinburgh), Michael Connelly (crime mysteries set in Los Angeles) and John Sandford (crime mysteries set in the Twin Cities) will like this.
People who live in & visit Cornwall will like this:
A local lady reader told me to my delight - “I don’t read novels, just historical and factual books, mostly about women’s rights and I was really surprised that I bought it after reading the intro. I was even more surprised that I really enjoyed it….I enjoyed the 2 stories running together, and all the detail…….even though some were a bit gruesome…….when’s the next one out?”
People who like Peter Robinson (crime mysteries set Yorkshire), Peter James (crime mysteries set in Brighton), Ian Rankin (crime mysteries set in Edinburgh), Michael Connelly (crime mysteries set in Los Angeles) and John Sandford (crime mysteries set in the Twin Cities) will like this.
People who live in & visit Cornwall will like this:
A local lady reader told me to my delight - “I don’t read novels, just historical and factual books, mostly about women’s rights and I was really surprised that I bought it after reading the intro. I was even more surprised that I really enjoyed it….I enjoyed the 2 stories running together, and all the detail…….even though some were a bit gruesome…….when’s the next one out?”
August 10, 2016
***There are no spoilers in this review. To view the spoilers, please visit the link at the bottom of my review***
If I’m honest, I wasn’t completely sure what to make of this book. I thought that the story was well written, but maybe not as well thought out as it could have been (for the reasons detailed in spoilers). I did, however, think that the story wrapped up nicely at the end, even if I had previously guessed who the killer was. There were still some clever twists and turns throughout.
However, for the reasons detailed in spoilers, there were a couple of aspects that did not work for me, hence the low star rating.
***Please visit - http://wp.me/p4Dssh-8M to view the spoilers***
If I’m honest, I wasn’t completely sure what to make of this book. I thought that the story was well written, but maybe not as well thought out as it could have been (for the reasons detailed in spoilers). I did, however, think that the story wrapped up nicely at the end, even if I had previously guessed who the killer was. There were still some clever twists and turns throughout.
However, for the reasons detailed in spoilers, there were a couple of aspects that did not work for me, hence the low star rating.
***Please visit - http://wp.me/p4Dssh-8M to view the spoilers***
October 30, 2014
I enjoyed Rogue Flamingo by L A Kent very much was not sure what to expect when I started as it was a first book from the Authors but was soon engrossed in the story, well done, I hear there's another book on its way soon I will be looking out for it. Thank you for a great read
December 8, 2022
Well written but with unlikeable characters, nasty back story and moralistic overtones.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews