Death at the Yumbo Centre

by D M Pickersgill

294 pages, Paperback

Published June 30, 2025

Reviews

[JP · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. it's not a sequel to "Followers" but does follow the main character from that book. the story here is deeper and better developed than followers, you can feel the author feels more comfortable with this one.

I enjoyed the story, the twists and with it being in a setting I'm all to familiar with, well it led to an enjoyable read.

[George · Rating 5 out of 5]

Feel like all I've read this year is murder mysteries, lots of twists and turns! and having frequented the Yumbo Centre in Gran Canaria many times lots of this book was painfully relatable!

[Callum Hume · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did this book make me want to go on holiday? Yes! Did this book make me want to have a cocktail every five minutes? Also yes! Did this book make me realise the importance of background checking all my friends before going on holiday with them, just in case they're secretly plotting revenge? Absolutely!

Death at the Yumbo Centre is a gay dream holiday gone very wrong. We follow Dan on his long-awaited trip to Gran Canaria with his best friend, Hugo, for a week of sun, drinks, and relaxation. What wasn't on the itinerary, however, were the bodies soon to be discovered across the island as Dan finds himself caught up in a web of long buried secrets and shocking revelations.

I tore through these pages in no time. The short chapters ended on gripping hooks that kept the momentum racing forward and made it almost impossible to put down. It was the kind of book you can completely lose yourself in without overthinking, simply letting the story carry you along.

Pickersgill captures both the dreams and nightmares of queer life brilliantly. From the desire for attention and connection to the lingering impact of past trauma, there was something in every character that felt relatable. The novel explores both the glamorous and the unspoken sides of the community, creating a cast that feels authentic and engaging.

Overall, this story was an absolute blast. Was it gory? Definitely. Were there plenty of bodies? Absolutely. But that only made every twist more shocking and, dare I say, more enjoyable. I genuinely didn't see several of the twists coming, resulting in multiple gasps and more than one dramatic book slam!

[Marcos “MSMDragon” · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was not a fan of this book. The story was alright. But I hated the characters. I get having some characters that you’re supposed to dislike, but most of them were just awful, which made the story unenjoyable for me.

The last few chapters and the reveal were actually pretty great. Though, I still won’t be continuing the series.

[Arron Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another devilishly delightful read from D.M.Pickersgill. I really enjoyed this murder mystery that kept giving loads of twists, turns and shocking revelations. I slightly enjoyed this one more than his first. Also being set somewhere familiar to me really helped picture the scenes. I'm really looking forward to his next release!

[Jamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read for a book club, and honestly, it's not the sort of book I would usually have picked to read myself. I'm assuming this is self-published, so I feel I have to be a little bit more lenient with some of the errors that exist throughout, that probably would have been caught by an editor. There was a half decent twist towards the end, but otherwise it's a pretty by the numbers murder mystery. It's not helped that there's pretty much only one likeable character in the whole thing, and leaves an open ending. Perhaps it's one best read whilst sunning yourself on a Maspalomas beach, recognising the locations where this is set.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rounded up

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, excellent read! Multiple POVs but each highly engaging/believable, so easy to remember each character. Vivid sunny setting. Brilliant ending with multiple twists and turns. Looking forward to reading more from this new author.