I got through it, and some of it interested me, but not enough. I don't think I'll continue this series. ( )

What an adventure to meet Miss Rina Martin and Detective Inspector Sebastian McGregor (Mac) in the coastal town of Frantham-on-Sea, Dorset, England. I loved Rina from the moment of introduction. As proprietress of a guest house named Peverill Lodge it didn't seem at all surprising that "no wooden vacancy flag ever swung in the stiff breeze in front of Rina Martin’s door. Rina’s guests came to stay and stayed. If a vacancy should happen to arise, then it was rapidly filled by someone on Rina’s informal but jealously guarded ‘waiting list’."

After a 6 months leave, Mac has a new assignment and has only been working in Frantham for a few weeks when he's asked by Chief Inspector Eden to visit Mrs. Freer, an elderly and frail woman that lives alone but managed to chase off intruders after a break-in at her home on the prior evening. As circumstances escalate in the neighborhood Mac and Rina are both pursuing leads to resolve inquiries that are more intertwined than they could have possibly imagined.

This book is not merely a mystery but a novel that has multi-dimensional layers related to Spousal Abuse, Alcoholism, Drug Abuse, Bullying, and PTSD. It also quietly enlightens by sharing how adults and children alike respond to kindness and caring that may help begin the healing process, may allow trust to begin, and may be the beginning of meaningful friendship.

I am looking forward to reading more of this series! ( )

England, murder, murder-investigation, senior-sleuths, law-enforcement, abusive-spouse, abuse, bullies, PTSD***

The former actress with a guest house full of former show folk is a wonder. Unfortunately, the DI coming back to work in a small town with a bad case of PTSD and several cases of spousal abuse and toxic bullying hit too many triggers for me. It sounds like a great book, just not for me.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Joffe Books via NetGalley. ( )

A transferred, traumatised British DI, a retired "Miss Marple" character, a seaside town, wife abuse and dysfunctional family and local thugs all combine in a winning mystery. Hopefully this will be a series to follow. Cozy, I guess, but not silly. Old school! ( )

I picked this up because the library had it in a display. It wasn't the most compelling mystery ever, but I quickly went back and checked out the rest of the series.

The books pluses are a clearly realized sense of place, and a good understanding of what kids under stress are like. It's minusses are a cast of characters that are too artificially quirky and moving a bit too quickly.

The mystery involves a small tourist town on the English coast, where a local woman is brutally murdered when her house is broken into. The plot quickly ropes in two middle school boys who know more than they should, a new police officer with a trauma in his recent past, and a retired TV star who runs a boarding house for retired stage performers. As an added complication, one of the two boys and his family are in hiding from his violent, abusive father, who has just tracked them down.

The mystery holds together well and makes sense all the way. The characters are sometimes artificial, but they are consistent within that frame. The writing is clear, and everything makes sense. ( )