A dirty weekend at a seaside hotel. Still happens and always will. But does murder often come into the scenario and if you are thinking of seaside resorts does genteel Eastbourne come to mind?
Well it will now as Sheila Bugler sets sail with the second in her excellent Dee Doran series about the investigative journalist who has returned to live on the south coast and finds herself once again embroiled in a grisly murder. But this time it is personal and the relationship that we saw developing nicely with local detective Ed Mitchell is now under threat when Dee discovers his family has connections to the gruesome copycat murder scene in a local church.
I live in Eastbourne myself so loved the local scenes and actually found the undercurrent of threats to those carving out some sort of life in the gig economy( hotels, cleaners) very plausible as it is easy to see the local population of most seaside resorts supplemented by employees like these who often will work the long hours in hospitality and in the case of this plot become vulnerable to extra temptation to try and eek out a future for themselves or their children.
The characters are believable and I like the dynamic with the past experiences of those who have now returned to live in Eastbourne alongside those (and it is often a high majority) of those who have lived in such places all their lives. There is also an interesting journalist link with Dee's cousin Louise who works on a local newspaper and who this time becomes more integral to the plot. Keeping local newspapers going is vitally important although I am not sure the local Eastbourne Herald (on which the novel's paper is based) would like to continually have 'Murder in sunny seaside resort' as a headline every week!
Great stuff. Well written and believable plot about those you'd see around any town alongside those who are often in the shadows and yet as here are often ignored at our peril. Look forward to further Eastbourne adventures. Any downsides? Poor Dee - who does have some personal demons to deal with - always resorts to many bottles of wine. She could do with a bit of a detox!

A rather strange story line involving four murders, the first being many years ago. It involves a mother who son was accused of murder she knew he didn’t commit. After her son had been murdered she devoted her life to bring justice for her son. After she was murdered herself her long lost diary was found that led to the solution to all the murders.

A gripping whodunit. Set in Eastbourne Dee Doran an investigative journalist is asked to look into the disappearance of a Polish girl who has gone missing. Dee finds her investigation overlapping two other identical murders that happened sixty years apart. As Dee digs deeper into the murders of Lauren Shaw and Mary Palmer she discovers that her boyfriend Ed, who is a policeman is a family member and has secrets he has kept from Dee. Many characters and I did find it hard working out who was who. The story telling is good with lots of twists and turns. This is Sheila Bugler second novel featuring Dee Doran and can be read stand alone.

Great story with lots of twists. Offering do much more than a classic who dunnit. Really enjoyed reading this.

Another great Dee Doran book from Sheila Bugler. Like the first (I Could Be You) this is set in Eastbourne and features several of the same characters. The beach and the Downs - characters in their own right, almost - are once again the setting.

In this novel, Dee is investigating the disappearance of a young East European woman, which she thinks may be connected to the death of a local girl. Lauren Shaw has been murdered and left in a church in very similar circumstances to Mary Palmer who was killed 60 years ago. Alongside the main narrative, there are excerpts from the diary of Emma Reed, the mother of the man who was accused of the first murder.

As usual, there a twists and turns and sub-plots galore to keep you guessing till the very end.

An excellent read.

Crime writing of the highest order. This is the first book by Sheila Bugler I have read. I am about to order all the others.
So many crime writers today think they need a highly convoluted multi-layered plot that I sometimes find them so complex I really couldn't care less whodunnit by the time I reach the end.
Sheila Bugler presents a straight-forward plot that is highly intriguing & full of well-rounded characters, sprinkled with several red herrings & lots of clever twists & turns.
Reminiscent of Agatha Christie at her innovative peak, this is the best crime novel I've read in 2020.

This is a whodunit twice over, with what appears to be identical murders some sixty years apart. Both women were of similar age and left in the same unusual place. It seems that someone is leaving a message. The story is told in the past from the diary of a lady called Emma going way back to the 1960s and the time when her son Graham is accused of murdering the first victim. Graham ended his life after, something his mother blamed on the people that continually hounded him, she always swore he was innocent.
In present day, Dee Doran, a local newspaper reporter has promised to look into the disappearance of a young Polish woman. Dee sort of lives with the policeman investigating the new murder but due to personal connections he has asked to be taken off the case, unknown to Dee.
This is both a fascinating and at times complex novel with the big question being what connection the two victims had and why they were killed in the same way? The case is certainly tense with sheer gutsy moments with Dee as she punches peoples buttons to stir them up. Wow, this lady has some nerves of steel. She has to be my favourite character in the story.
Leave yourself plenty of time to read this if not you will seem like an uncaring mother, partner or friend that lets the world go by without you while you finish the book.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.

Thank you to Netgalley and Canelo for the arc of When the dead speak by Shelia Bugler❤️

Thanks to Shelia Bugler for writing this captivating novel❤️

Story follows the unravelling of Emma's diary from the 1960's and later. Emma has a son in which she named Graham he is accused of killing a woman named Mary Palmer who's body was found left in the church ⛪, She's Graham's mother she knows he wouldn't do such a thing but before his innocence of guilt is proven he is killed.. his mother devestated doesn't give up until she finds the real culprit of this crime but unfortunately this tragedy haunts the family down in generations ❤️

60 years later another woman was found murdered replicated the murder of Mary as both was found in a church, Ed asked to be taken off this case, he knows his family has secrets but hasn't spoken about it.

Dee is asked by this woman who's polish to investigate the disapparence of Joanna who's her friend who went to meet a gentleman at a hotel called the Aldrington Hotel 🏨 five weeks ago❤️

She think Joanna and Lauren's death is connected and hotel owner Derek French as his son kyle was
Lauren's boyfriend why does his dad and mum deny ever knowing either of the woman ... 😱

This was an amazing book as loved how it unravelled from Emma's diary pages, and the investigating of the murders... The twists and turns keep you mind-blowed for ages and I was on the edge of my seat

Definitely recommend ❤️
5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A fantastic story with great characters. It which had me gripped till the last page. Looking forward to reading more by Sheila

I loved Sheila Bugler’s book “I Could be You” and I couldn’t wait to read its’ sequel “When the Dead Speak”. It did not disappoint. Can two murders years apart and a missing girl all be tied together or is it just a bad luck for one area? This book was fast paced and so full of twists and turns I couldn’t put it down.

I loved the first book featuring investigative journalist, Dee Doran, (I Could Be You), so started this second in the series with a little trepidation. Would it be as good as the first? I needn’t have worried. It wasn’t as good – it was better!

Set once again in Eastbourne, there is a complex plot and several subplots intertwining as the story unfolds. The characters are well crafted and their actions entirely credible –they could be my neighbours, family members or friends, they feel so real.

From the diary of Emma Reed (starting in 1960), we discover Emma's son, Graham, was suspected of killing Mary Palmer, leaving her body on the altar of the local church. His innocence or guilt was never proven as Graham himself was murdered. Emma’s diary follows her attempts to prove her son’s innocence and uncover the real murderer.

Cut to the present day and a young woman, Lauren Shaw, is found in the same church with her body displayed to replicate the earlier crime. Dee’s police boyfriend, Ed, asks to be taken off the enquiry due to family secrets connected to the first murder.

Dee and Ed’s relationship is one of the many tangled twists and turns in this riveting book. A missing Polish worker, Dee’s cousin’s strange behaviour and several minor threads which all impact on each other make for a fascinating read.

This could easily be read as a standalone but I strongly recommend reading I Could Be You first – if only for the sheer joy of starting this excellent series from the beginning.
I received this via NetGalley from the publisher Canelo in return for an honest review.

Yet another brilliant read from Sheila Bugler . This book leads on from her last but it could be read independently . Dee has been brought a story of a missing person , a young polish girl who has been reported missing . Meanwhile a young local girl is found murdered with similarities of a murder years previously . As Dee starts to investigate she realises that the murder and her missing girl may have something in common . A twisty read which jumps from the past to the current investigation , lots of suspects and different avenues to be explored .

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this amazing book

i hadnt realised this was book 2 in the series and kept thinking as i was reading it some of these people sound familiar so imagine my surprise and delight when i went and looked book 1 up....and low and behold they were one and the same

a murder with the victim displayed in a church with similar injuries to another murder committed several years ago...but the perp now is dead so how is it possible for it to be similar....

brilliantly written and kept me glued till the end....it was lovely to catch up with the characters to see how they had progressed

cant wait for the next one in this series....gonna keep an eye for more of this authors works

I read the first book that introduced Dee and it was amazing. The second book did not disappoint. It is similar to the first not only because the location is the same but there are the same blind twists and turns before you get to the end and have that “aha” moment. I like Dee better in the first book as she is extremely judgemental when it comes to Ed, too the point that it doesn’t always make sense why she is upset. Otherwise the story is great and keeps you in the edge if your seat trying to figure out the clues. The story flows smoothly from one character to the other and the author does a great job of giving some back story for each of the characters so that you can understand things better. It’s. All round great read and a good murder mystery. Thanks to NetGalley, Sheila Bugler and Canelo publishing for the opportunity to read the second book in this series.

It’s been sixty years since the last murdered woman was found displayed on the altar at Saint Mary the Virgin church, and residents of Eastbourne are both fascinated and repelled. Journalist Dee Doran is more concerned about the whereabouts of a missing person from the local Polish community, as the police seem more interested in the body in the church. Could there be a connection between the two modern day cases and the one from so many years before?

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher Canelo for the ARC.

This is the second book featuring Dee Doran, an investigative journalist, and boyfriend Ed Mitchell, a detective, and set in Eastbourne, It is a good story with a complex plot and good dialogue. The characters are all interesting and the main characters' back-stories feed through into this mystery/thriller. Perfect to read as a standalone but I would recommend reading the author's "I Could Be You" - which was excellent - to get a deeper understanding of the relationship background.

The story unfolds through intermittent extracts from Emma Reed's diary, from 1960 onwards, alongside present day. Emma's son Graham is suspected of killing a young woman, Mary Palmer, leaving her body to be found in the local church. She is his mother - she knows he couldn't do such a thing, but before his innocence or guilt could be proven, Graham himself was killed. Emma doesn't give up on finding the true culprit but the tragedy haunts the family down the generations.

Sixty years later a young woman, Lauren Shaw, is found gruesomely murdered in the local church - but, the crime scene replicates that of another murdered young woman, Mary, 60 years previously. Ed has to ask to be taken off the enquiry - he has family secrets and as yet hadn't talked to Dee about them.

Dee is asked by a young Polish woman, Eliza, to investigate the disappearance of her friend Joana who went to meet a man at the Aldrington Hotel one night five weeks previously - and disappeared. Dee is convinced that Joana's disappearance and Lauren's murder are in some way connected., not least of all a connection with the hotel and its owner Derek French. His son Kyle was Lauren's boyfriend - so why does his father and his mother Karen, constantly deny knowing Lauren or Joana?

Throughout the twists and turns of Dee's investigation she's constantly lied to - not only by those she interviews but also Ed. What has he got to hide?

Ed wrestles with his family's past; Dee questions their relationship; Emma's diary gradually reveals the true story - fascinating!