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A lively cozy mystery featuring the colorful cast of characters introduced in the first Meredith Island mystery, “Secrets in the Water”, also reviewed by this reader.

The series is set amidst a charming Welsh remote island inhabited by a tight knit community, including Kate Galway, a retired teacher and present-day historical novelist who has returned from the mainland back to island life and is something of a busybody, (when it comes to solving crimes, at least), along with her best friend, the red-headed (and hot-blooded) artist Siobhan Fitzgerald.

Without giving the plot away, (no spoilers here), there are murders afoot as a number of new folks converge on the island including: a villainous “psychic” and his perhaps-more-authentic sidekick; and a loser-ish Archeology professor and five of his young (and not so studious) students.

As the mystery (and the body count) deepens, Kate attempts to influence and manipulate her former student, the handsome Constable Bryon Finch, — he of the chiseled cheekbones and propensity to blush (when flirted with by the lovely Siobhan) — as she works her way into full crime-busting mode, with twists and turns as the lies pile up, secrets unravel, and an ending is finally revealed, (and one that does not disappoint).

An engaging mystery with an unusual and evocative setting, this is a cosy to cuddle up with, a cup of tea in hand, with a puzzle to solve, and a whole slew of characters to consult, one (or two) of which must, in fact, be a murderer.

A great big thank you to the author, the publisher and @river_street_writes for an ARC of this book. All thoughts provided are my own.