Guilty Waters

DI Joanna Piercy #12

by Priscilla Masters

The disappearance of two French girls in a Staffordshire beauty spot signals a tough new case for Detective Joanna Piercy.

Cécile Bellange is a worried mother. Her eighteen-year-old daughter Annabelle and her friend Dorothée left Paris for a summer hitchhiking holiday in England, but it’s now September and the only contact from them is a postcard sent from the picturesque setting of Rudyard Lake in Staffordshire three months ago.
Meanwhile, in England, brothers Martin and James Stuart find a note from two French girls, inviting the finder to meet them at Rudyard Lake. Their enquiries lead them to Mandalay, an upmarket guesthouse where the girls stayed just before their disappearance, and its owner, the creepy peeping tom, Mr Barker.
Arriving in England, Cécile Bellange meets Detective Joanna Piercy, who is looking into the girls’ disappearance. Soon Joanna must answer two important questions: what is the anxious Mr Barker trying so desperately to hide, and where are Annabelle and Dorothée?

Genres: Crime

194 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2015

About the author

Priscilla Masters' writing career started in 1987 when she published Mr. Bateman's Garden, a children's book set in Biddulph Grange Gardens belonging to the National Trust. After that she created Inspector Joanna Piercy and has now also written a number of Medical Mysteries.

Priscilla Masters lives in Shropshire, England. She works part-time in Staffordshire as a practice nurse.

Reviews

[Adrienne]

Dnf

[Meaghan⸙ · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was another case of me picking up a book without realizing that it is part of a series, so that error is on my end. However, it didn't excuse how boring and uneventful this book is.

Following detective Joanna Piercy on her vacation/honeymoon to Lake Rudyard, she just happens to be nearby the area where two college students were last seen before going missing. Joanna begins her investigation interviewing and gathering evidence, all the while we learn about her personal life being a newlywed and possibly pregnant.

I know I haven't read any other books in the Joanna Piercy series but I could not care less about her personal life. Discovering that she had an affair with a coworker that brought about the end of his marriage so that they could be together, only to have absolutely no chemistry, felt meaningless. Not to mention her husband's unsettling yearn to have a son... As if that is something she can control... It just kind of bothered me how sure he was that if they had a child it was going to be a boy.

The mystery itself felt odd. There were a few red herrings, which is to be expected, however one of the red herrings was going so far that I thought they were the perpetrator and that us readers were going to get their perspective on things or flashbacks about the crime as Joanna is solving it. However, that is not the case. Just a super red herring to have a surprise villain at the end so everyone will say 'wow, I did not see that coming!'

My BIGGEST complaint is this continuity error: at the beginning of the book when the Stuart brothers are introduced, they are by themselves. No one is watching them or recording them - nothing. Being by themselves, they come across the photo of the two girls and, upon seeing them for the FIRST time, remark to one another how they should try to catch up to the girls to have a good time. This is all fine and dandy until later near the end of the book it is uncovered that the brothers had actually met the girls six weeks prior to finding the photo. This would also be fine if it weren't for the fact that it is written as if they hadn't seen the girls before when they found the photo. The brothers were by themselves upon finding the photo, so they wouldn't have needed to act like they hadn't meet the girls before to cover their tracks, therefore, since they had met the girls previously, they should have recognized them. This mistake really got under my skin and stuck out like a sore thumb.

Overall, as you can probably tell, I did not really enjoy this book once I was finished. It was a pretty quick read which was nice, but I was not impressed enough with Joanna to read any more mysteries from her. I understand why others might enjoy this series, it's just not for me and that's okay!

[Gay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two French girls, Annabelle and Dorothee, both 18, travel to Rudyard Lake as one of them has a love of Kipling’s stories. This story opens in the mind of Barker, the innkeeper, as he buys a picture for one of his guest rooms. The picture is of Supi-yaw-lat, a girl in Kipling’s poem Mandalay, part of which is quoted at the beginning of the book. He uses the picture to cover a peephole in the room, where the girls stayed. He becomes a suspect when he lies to the investigators Detective Joanna Piercy and her partner, and tries to hide the girls’ backpacks, then sends a text message on one of the girls’ cellphones to assure her mother that she is okay.
Two brothers, Martin and James Stuart are hiking in the area and ‘letterboxing’ where they find a note and picture of the girls and want to meet them. They ask around and eventually end up at the same inn where the girls stayed--even in the same room. Their paths cross with Joanna and they give her information about the letterboxing which helps her investigation. As in other mysteries, all is not what is seems. Severn House

[Andy Plonka · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first of this series that I have read and there is obviously a backstory from the previous entries that would make the relationships between the ongoing characters more easily understood. Cops and medical personnel figure prominently which is always a hook for me and the setting near Rudyard Kipling's home gave some local color. The perpetrator was not to difficult to figure out, but a pleasant read all told.

[Jyv · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the first I've read in the series and I was disappointed. It took me ages to read, despite it being a fairly short book, as I could only read one chapter before wanting to put it down. I found it rather ponderous. Nothing really happens for most of the book - just a lot of conversations, many of which meant nothing as I didn't know the history of the characters, and too much attention was spent on the creepy landlord. I kept reading in the hope it would get interesting but even with the introduction of another character, Charlotte Bingley (who added nothing at all to the story), it was all rather tedious. The end when it came was such an anti-climax, I didn't care. I was just grateful to have finished (and skimmed most of the rest just to do so).
I admit I only picked up the book because it was set in the place I was born. Now my birthplace is associated with one of the most boring books I've ever read.

[Neil Randall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best in the series. This one seemed to plod along. Like several of the books the author introduces the murderer early on as a insignificant part of the story.

Then when all is revealed they are marched out as the guilty person. Having read a few of these books now, I knew as soon as they were introduced and almost forgotten that they would be the named murderer.

This seems to be the author's way of writing, have a murder, tthink of and ending then mix in a load of characters, making the least (or in this case the most) likely suspect the murderer. After a couple of the books it's not difficult to guess the ending, just go for the least likely and least mentioned side character and you'll get them.

The reveal isn't really well thought through either, usuallt the murderer coughs to the crime. All a bit Scooby Doo "if it hadn't been for you meddling cops" I heard in my head as the murderer once again shouted "fair cop gov"!

[Julie Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was another good crime thriller in the box set I have, this time, two French visitors are missing.

Well-written and fast-paced, this story was a good mix of crime, mystery and personal.

I still think that Jo being with Matthew is a mistake, but I could be wrong.

Engaging, enjoyable with a good cast of characters.

Worth reading.

[Margaret Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guilt on the moors

I enjoyed reading this book. Being English made it easy for me to visualize the area. The characters are well described and believable. This author gives me pleasure with her books. Thank you.

[M R B Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Couldn't put it down

Two French girls visiting Shropshire get caught by a boy with difficulties, but not before others get involved in misdeeds and the circumstantial evidence points to them.

[Joseph Bernal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Guilt on the moors

What I liked about this story was the detective work that helped to discover the truth.the ending is always a surprise.I also liked the way the detective had this second sence and used it in her favor

[Michelle Le Grand · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read; keeps the reader guessing till the end.

[Harlequin Books]

Categories
Mystery & Detective
Miniseries
A Joanna Piercy Mystery

[Glady Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fair

The storyline was pretty good, but whoever did the proofreading did a lousy job. It bogged down in places. Didn't see much good police investigation.

[R.L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I followed this with interest. I've heard of letterboxing, and find it fascinating. I thought the characters were especially well-developed in this latest installment.

[Kristie Willsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The series are addictive.

Very well written & hard to put down. Was hoping for book 13!! Hopefully Masters will continue the Joanna Piercy story.

[Janet Rankin · Rating 5 out of 5]

As enjoyable as ever

I always enjoy books by Priscilla Masters. This book took a little bit longer to settle into than usual but, as always, worth it in the end.

[David Stimpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

12th Book in the Series and still a very High standard .. A Very good Mystery and I even liked DI Piercy in this one

[Joanne M Brunelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the better in the series, although fairly easy to figure out the guilty as get closer to the ending. Wondering if there will be another coming soon?

[Gary Van Cott · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This is the twelfth Joanna Percy book in 20 years (the author has been writing others). The interpersonal conflict level between the continuing characters which began at zero in the first book has ratcheted up another notch with conflict with her new boss and her continuing concern about trying to have a child. The author continues her practice of solving the mystery in the last few pages of the book. This book has a few typos which I found surprising.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two young French tourists go missing at Rudyard Kipling's lake = a good read but a little predictable. Editing issues were distracting too

[Erika]

I loved the book - am going to read all the Joanna Piercy books!