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DI Treloar #2
Broken Dove
It’s May Day, a day celebrated since pagan times to welcome in the summer.
In the wild countryside of west Cornwall, it is also the famed annual Treloar family party, being hosted for the first time by DI Félipe Treloar at Lost Farm Barn. The Treloar clan, friends and colleagues from the major crime team will all be there.
But a ghost from summers past is also coming, and unbeknownst to all, bringing madness and violence in her wake.
And whilst the early guests are revelling, in nearby St Ives two young girls disappear from a holiday park swimming pool.
Who is tormenting the beautiful Amy? Is it a demented fan or someone much closer to home?
And what is wrong with the parents of one of the missing girls; what are they hiding?
And as the tragedy unfolds, a troubled soul is falling deeper and deeper into a personal hell.
Treloar and his Sergeant chase answers from the wilds of Cornwall to the busy streets and leafy lanes of London, and as events bring back forgotten memories and long buried emotions they are both challenged to the core. But Treloar meets a kindred spirit. And the rules are left behind.
In the wild countryside of west Cornwall, it is also the famed annual Treloar family party, being hosted for the first time by DI Félipe Treloar at Lost Farm Barn. The Treloar clan, friends and colleagues from the major crime team will all be there.
But a ghost from summers past is also coming, and unbeknownst to all, bringing madness and violence in her wake.
And whilst the early guests are revelling, in nearby St Ives two young girls disappear from a holiday park swimming pool.
Who is tormenting the beautiful Amy? Is it a demented fan or someone much closer to home?
And what is wrong with the parents of one of the missing girls; what are they hiding?
And as the tragedy unfolds, a troubled soul is falling deeper and deeper into a personal hell.
Treloar and his Sergeant chase answers from the wilds of Cornwall to the busy streets and leafy lanes of London, and as events bring back forgotten memories and long buried emotions they are both challenged to the core. But Treloar meets a kindred spirit. And the rules are left behind.
315 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 1, 2020
29 people are currently reading
13 people want to read
About the author
L.A. Kent
7 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"
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 7, 2025
Good In Parts
Set in Cornwall between Penzance and St Ives I had great hopes but sorry, I struggled with it. There are two stories running side by side and I knew they would eventually become one but it took too long for me and I started skipping the second story. I guessed what was happening anyway. Two little girls go missing from a holiday complex, and the mother of one of the girls seems to know something about it. Then the ex wife of the investigating police officer is murdered. All that part was good. Would give the book 3.5 stars.
Set in Cornwall between Penzance and St Ives I had great hopes but sorry, I struggled with it. There are two stories running side by side and I knew they would eventually become one but it took too long for me and I started skipping the second story. I guessed what was happening anyway. Two little girls go missing from a holiday complex, and the mother of one of the girls seems to know something about it. Then the ex wife of the investigating police officer is murdered. All that part was good. Would give the book 3.5 stars.
September 2, 2022
Not my cup of tea. Melodramatic, not up to most police procedural mysteries.
October 22, 2021
Broken Dove won the 2017 Best Adult Fiction Holyer an Gof award. The awards are made to books published during 2016, relating to Cornwall which: 'add to the knowledge, enjoyment and appreciation of Cornish life, literature or culture both in Cornwall and throughout the world.'
Here are some of the review comments made by some of the Holyer an Gof judges:
‘I just couldn't put it down, I wanted to know what happened next; 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."
‘Among so many “murder mysteries” currently available Broken Dove has an original and entertaining plot. I found it easy to read, thought-provoking and enjoyable.’
‘I enjoyed the story very much and felt like it was well paced, not overly long and the characters were well defined. I liked the use of different fonts/printing style to strengthen the story telling. I could quite happily read this book again in the future.’
‘A gripping crime novel with the main story set in Cornwall, but with another narrative running with it. The two stories have different tones and seem worlds apart at the beginning, but they gradually come together making it a real page turner with the style of the second story conveying the unbalanced mind of the main character.’
‘This is the second in a series of novels about DI Treloar and the reader is gradually learning more about him and his colleagues and family. It will be interesting to read the third novel.’
‘I also read it after we had done the judging and congratulate you on a really original plot, and as the last comment says ' it will be interesting to read the third novel.'!
Professor P K Harvey, Chair: Holyer an Gof Awards
Winning the award was a real vindication of what we are doing and we were thrilled! Here is what L A Kent thinks of Broken Dove:
I was pleased with the way we were able to draw out the beauty of Cornwall (the one in England!) in Broken Dove - the coastline and rugged countryside, as well as the interesting towns. Because we live in the county research is not that difficult and it was wonderful to stay at the amazing Gurnard’s Head Hotel whilst researching the surrounding countryside for the setting for DI Treloar’s barn conversion.
There really are standing stones on the hill we used for some of the main action - not called The Dancers, but the Nine Maidens, and you really can see the North and South coasts of Cornwall from the top of the hill.
Readers get to know DI Treloar’s family in Broken Dove and the Spanish heritage shines through, adding an aspect that we’re really pleased with. For those who haven’t read Rogue Flamingo yet (this isn’t really a spoiler!) the Spanish heritage came about before Treloar was a twinkle in his father’s eye, when after a few beers on a boys’ night out in Plymouth he got a Brittany Ferries ferry and expected to wind up in France, in Brittany which he’d fancied at the time. He didn’t know Brittany Ferries also sailed to Santander in Northern Spain and it was there that he woke up, met his future wife and the rest, as they say, is ………..well you’ll have to read about. Treloar’s father was Cornish through and through, the name can be traced back to the 1300s.
The delusional actions of an increasingly disturbed personality add a fascinating dimension, and this theme is carefully woven into the main narrative.
The use of the London and Amsterdam locations offers a vivid contrast to Cornwall and having visited both cities many times their realism is used well as the intertwining stories develop and so violently collide.
Here are some of the review comments made by some of the Holyer an Gof judges:
‘I just couldn't put it down, I wanted to know what happened next; 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."
‘Among so many “murder mysteries” currently available Broken Dove has an original and entertaining plot. I found it easy to read, thought-provoking and enjoyable.’
‘I enjoyed the story very much and felt like it was well paced, not overly long and the characters were well defined. I liked the use of different fonts/printing style to strengthen the story telling. I could quite happily read this book again in the future.’
‘A gripping crime novel with the main story set in Cornwall, but with another narrative running with it. The two stories have different tones and seem worlds apart at the beginning, but they gradually come together making it a real page turner with the style of the second story conveying the unbalanced mind of the main character.’
‘This is the second in a series of novels about DI Treloar and the reader is gradually learning more about him and his colleagues and family. It will be interesting to read the third novel.’
‘I also read it after we had done the judging and congratulate you on a really original plot, and as the last comment says ' it will be interesting to read the third novel.'!
Professor P K Harvey, Chair: Holyer an Gof Awards
Winning the award was a real vindication of what we are doing and we were thrilled! Here is what L A Kent thinks of Broken Dove:
I was pleased with the way we were able to draw out the beauty of Cornwall (the one in England!) in Broken Dove - the coastline and rugged countryside, as well as the interesting towns. Because we live in the county research is not that difficult and it was wonderful to stay at the amazing Gurnard’s Head Hotel whilst researching the surrounding countryside for the setting for DI Treloar’s barn conversion.
There really are standing stones on the hill we used for some of the main action - not called The Dancers, but the Nine Maidens, and you really can see the North and South coasts of Cornwall from the top of the hill.
Readers get to know DI Treloar’s family in Broken Dove and the Spanish heritage shines through, adding an aspect that we’re really pleased with. For those who haven’t read Rogue Flamingo yet (this isn’t really a spoiler!) the Spanish heritage came about before Treloar was a twinkle in his father’s eye, when after a few beers on a boys’ night out in Plymouth he got a Brittany Ferries ferry and expected to wind up in France, in Brittany which he’d fancied at the time. He didn’t know Brittany Ferries also sailed to Santander in Northern Spain and it was there that he woke up, met his future wife and the rest, as they say, is ………..well you’ll have to read about. Treloar’s father was Cornish through and through, the name can be traced back to the 1300s.
The delusional actions of an increasingly disturbed personality add a fascinating dimension, and this theme is carefully woven into the main narrative.
The use of the London and Amsterdam locations offers a vivid contrast to Cornwall and having visited both cities many times their realism is used well as the intertwining stories develop and so violently collide.
February 3, 2016
I found Broken Dove hard to put down and it was fast moving. I enjoyed all the locations, Cornwall being the main one, especially the countryside between St Ives and Penzance. The map at the beginning was neat and set out the different places and houses mentioned which was useful.
I live near London and I thought the London settings were interesting and realistically described. I’ve not been to Amsterdam but it sounds interesting enough to make me want to go!
There were good twists in the main story threads - child abductions, stalking and killings - and seeing things through the minds of weird personalities was fascinating even if some of them are really not very nice.
Even though Broken Dove is centred on Cornwall I liked the different places bought into it, the variety of crimes being faced at the same time, which must happen in real life and the fact that you get to know the characters in the series better.
I liked the way that two stories are bought together and the mix of personalities. I especially liked Treloar’s sisters who have got more than a bit of life in them - the Spanish side and the Cornish side - fun! All in all a really enjoyable and quite interesting read.
I live near London and I thought the London settings were interesting and realistically described. I’ve not been to Amsterdam but it sounds interesting enough to make me want to go!
There were good twists in the main story threads - child abductions, stalking and killings - and seeing things through the minds of weird personalities was fascinating even if some of them are really not very nice.
Even though Broken Dove is centred on Cornwall I liked the different places bought into it, the variety of crimes being faced at the same time, which must happen in real life and the fact that you get to know the characters in the series better.
I liked the way that two stories are bought together and the mix of personalities. I especially liked Treloar’s sisters who have got more than a bit of life in them - the Spanish side and the Cornish side - fun! All in all a really enjoyable and quite interesting read.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews