I have been a fan of Gretta’s work for a while now. In fact I have been a fan ever since I had the good fortune to pick up a copy of the first book in the Detective Inspector Siv Drummond series which is called ‘These Little Lies’. Since then I have read and loved the other books in the series. ‘Murder By The Shore’ is the fourth book in the series and what a cracker it is too. I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘Murder By The Shore’ but more about that in a bit.
As with all of Gretta’s books, I was drawn to this book by the synopsis alone and as soon as I started reading, that was it. I knew that I wasn’t going to move very far from the couch and I knew that I wasn’t going to be able to put the book down. My Kindle wasn’t exactly glued to my hand but it might as well have been because it travelled everywhere with me. I couldn’t bear to miss a single second of the story. I had picked up the book only intending to read a couple of chapters to make a start but I became so wrapped up in the story that I lost all track of time and just how quickly I was getting through the story. The first time I checked on how much I had read, I was staggered to realise that I had read over a third of the story in one go. I soon got to the end of ‘Murder By The Shore’ and I had to say goodbye to Siv and the rest of the team. I found ‘Murder By The Shore’ to be a gripping and tense read, which kept me guessing and which kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.
‘Murder By The Shore’ is superbly written but then I have come to expect nothing less from Gretta Mulrooney. Gretta has one of those easy going writing styles that is easy to get used to and easy to get along with. She certainly knows how to grab the reader’s attention and draw them into what proves to be one hell of a read. For me, the story started with a bang, it hit the ground running and maintained a fast pace throughout. Gretta clearly cares about her characters and this shines through in the very vivid and realistic way in which she describes them. She makes them seem just as real as you and I. Reading ‘Murder By The Shore’ felt like being on an at times scary and unpredictable rollercoaster ride with several twists and turns along the way. I love the way in which Gretta makes the reader feel as though they are part of the story themselves and at the heart of the action.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘Murder By The Shore’ and I would definitely recommend this book to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of Gretta’s work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

This is the fourth story in this detective series set in Sussex and each book gets better and better as the reader gets to know more about the great set of characters featured here. Recently widowed and still grieving, Siv has moved from a high-profile role in London's Metropolitan Police to take up a post at a slower pace in her old home seaside town of Berminster. This was where she and her sister were raised by their father after their chaotic Finnish mother Mutsi dumped them finally to run off with yet another lover. Since her arrival she has already investigated three baffling murder cases and this one will prove to be no different. A four-year old’s birthday party is no place to discover a double murder but that is exactly what DI Siv Drummond and her loyal team of DS Ali Carlin and DC Patrick Hill are faced with. Grandfather Tom Pullman has been clubbed to death with a griddle pan and his face grotesquely smeared with cake, while little Lyra lies sedated and smothered in her playhouse, never to see her party guests. The detectives struggle with the motive – was one the intended victim and another one killed to eliminate a witness? There are plenty of suspects in a family riddled with secrets and strained relationships, and members of the BSS (Berminster Senior Students, a group for people wishing to stay active in their older years) of which Tom was the overbearing chairman also have things to hide. As Siv digs deeper, more surprises and shocks come to light that produce plenty of twists and turns but never seem to give the detectives a solid lead. Will they ever reach the truth?
It is eighteen months since Ed’s death now and Siv is fitting in really well now, largely thanks to the warm and caring nature of Ali who contrasts well with her sharp edges and unwillingness to open up. With her boss DCI Drummond now dating her mother Mutsi, life is testing for Siv but at least she has Bartel, the Polish builder friend she made in book one and also her old school friend Hope for good company, and with the others in her team beginning to like and respect her, she is proving to be a great boss and leader. There’s even the possibility of a new man on the horizon. The plot was clever, twisty and kept me guessing right the way through to the end which still took me by surprise. This is a solid story of very likeable detectives working hard and piecing together of all the clues to reach a satisfying and plausible ending. Highly recommended and I am looking forward to reading more books in this series. 5*

My thanks to Joffe Books, as well as to NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of Murder by the Shore.

3.5 Stars

Talk about a family with secrets!

Lyra Pullman has been excitedly waiting for this day to arrive. The day of her fourth birthday and the party of her dreams! But when the guests arrive, she is found deceased, as is her grandfather. Lyra’s distraught mother turns to Detective Siv Drummond for answers. Who is the stranger her grandfather has been meeting in secret? Will Siv & her team find the killer before someone else dies?

Murder by the Shore had a great storyline and well-written characters. For the most part, the book was quite satisfying to read ... right up to the cliffhanger. Sigh. I really, really dislike cliffhangers. That brought my rating down from a solid 4 to a 3.5.

A fantastic storyline that had me gripped from beginning to end. Well written with lots of twists and turns. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend.
Thank you Joffre Books and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to give my unbiased opinion.

A grandfather and his young granddaughter lie murdered. It is up to Detective Siv Drummond to investigate.

I really enjoyed this book. It had everything I want from a good crime novel - an engaging plot, great characters, twists and turns - leaving me hooked throughout.

A stay-up-until-2am-to-finish book. Highly recommended. More please.

Thanks to Gretta and NetGalley for allowing me to read Murder by the Shore before the publication date.

A party has been arranged for Lyra Turton’s 4th birthday. When the first guests arrive, no-one answers the door.
Thinking that the host is in the garden, a guest goes to the rear of the property.
She finds the door open and Tom Pullman’s body in the kitchen. Worse is to come when his granddaughter Lyra is found “asleep” in her new Wendy house.

DI Siv Drummond’s team begin the investigation and an FLO is assigned to Ryan and Kay Turton, Lyra’s parents.
The atmosphere surrounding the parents is tense and it is not long before Ryan dismisses the FLO.

There are plenty of twists and turns in the story and many lies and secrets uncovered before the identity of the killer is revealed. A fast paced, enjoyable read with an occasional smidgen of humour.

Just like a British TV murder series, but with the added bonus of your own imagination!

This is my first read of Mulrooney’s work, and it was an absolute pleasure. One of the main things I appreciated about her style is that you didn’t feel as though you were missing out on something by having jumped into the series without reading the first few books.

The characters were whole and well written, the plot seamless, the killer… well, no spoilers here, but let’s just say I didn’t see it coming.

All in all I felt this to be a wonderful read, so much so that I bought the first three books to catch up with the “before” of these characters.

Welcome to Seascape house, which is a beautiful family home by the coast. Where someone is hiding a terrible secret. Lyra Pullman has been waiting for this day. Her fourth birthday party. But when her guests come knocking, she is nowhere to be found. Little Lyra lies dead in the Wendy house at the bottom of the garden. Suffocated. Her Grandad couldn’t save her because he’s been murdered too. Lyra’s distraught parents turn to Detective Inspector Siv Drummond for answers. They point to a long list of suspects, from Lyra’s dangerously dysfunctional aunt to the stranger her grandad was meeting in secret. But Siv is not convinced.
This is the fourth outing for Siv & it could be read on its own, however I really like how the characters have developed throughout the series. This is a well written & well plotted story, the characters have lots of secrets which are gradually revealed. The tension gradually builds as more of the book is read & I found that the more I read the more I found it hard to put down as I needed to find out who the villain was. There are of course red herrings & twists & turns before the villain is revealed, I didn’t work out who the villain was which is always a bonus. I look forward to more in the series
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

This book had me wrapped in from the beginning! It started off with two murders right away and while working to unsolve there were tons of secrets and twists that keep you turning pages to find out more!

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60830534

A thrilling roller castor of a read. A grandfather & his granddaughter are both found murdered. But who would want to hurt them both? DI Siv Drummond & her team need to find out who wanted Tom Pullman dead & why kill the little girl? The family is hiding secrets and no matter how hard they push they get nowhere.
Siv needs to find the answers and if that means digging into their lives she will as she is tired of their games.
They find out that Tom was meeting a man but no one knows who he is until they find out that he had an son from a past relationship. Is he involved somehow? The son in law was filing for divorce after finding out that Lyra wasn’t his but would have hurt her? The daughters are trying to keep it together but they have their own problems but why would they have wanted their father dead? Will Siv & her team find the killer before someone dies? The ending was a shocker.
A great read. I like Siv as she is a tough cop but she is still so vulnerable and trying to find her place after her husband’s death. I hope that she does find someone for company.
Thank you Netgalley & the publisher Joffe Books for the ARC copy. This is my voluntary review.

Snap this one up ASAP! Could not put it down. Housework was not done, kids were not fed… Fantastic writing, kept me gripped all the way through! Wow! This book was SO. DAMN. FABULOUS!…

It’s little Lyra’s fourth birthday. Everything is ready for the party. Sadly Lyra won’t get to enjoy her party, nor will her grandfather - they’ve been murdered just before the party is set to start. Were Lyra’s parents the targets or her grandfather? The task of finding answers to this horrible crime falls to Detective Inspector Siv Drummond and her team.
Drummond has returned to her home town after a personal tragedy and is restarting her life and learning the strengths of her team. The characters are exceptionally well written. This series is excellent and I can’t wait till the next one.

This book is by an author who is new to me and I very much enjoyed this introduction. With sharp and intriguing writing that made it easy to read and made me want to keep reading, this novel was a good one.

First book that I have read from this series. Good story and I enjoyed the author's writing style.

The brutal murder takes place right at the beginning; allowing for all the layers of each character's story to be peeled away till the end. DI Siv Drummond carries the reader through all the twists, turns and uncovering of who done it and why. As much as I enjoyed reading this murder mystery I have one cavil. The murderer! I'm not giving away any spoilers. I'm just simply saying I do not like who ended up as the murderer. They fit the story and everything was very well explained. Just didn't like the who or the why. I still give it a thumbs up for a good read, interesting characters and well written. I very much was able to imagine all the scenery as if I was watching a good British mystery on PBS or BBC America. Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for the ARC (kindle) copy. I look forward to reading more by this author.

Another fast paced installment of the DI Siv Drummond books. So much happens over a short period of time. The police personnel are believable, a well mixed bunch with their own quirks and problems, but the team is certainly worth more than each individual.

Loved it. Read it in one sitting.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I read a free advance review copy of the book. This review is voluntary, honest and my own opinion.

A very good read by a new-to-me author. Siv, the police detective has to sift through everyone's lies to find who killed the grandfather and granddaughter. Was it a burglary gone wrong? The deeper she digs the more lies and secrets are revealed the conclusion was unexpected.

I love British mysteries and this one was fabulous. I will now have to go back and read the author's other books as I did not realize that this was a series. A female police detective is called in to solve the murders of a grandfather and his granddaughter. What follows are leaked family secrets and a who did it with a surprised ending! Highly enjoyable and especially for those who like murder series from Masterpiece Theater.

I really enjoyed this police procedural by one of my favourite authors. The characters are so well written and I especially love Bartel, who didn’t appear enough for me in this book. The relationship between Siv and her mother is brilliantly described, with affection hidden beneath the frustration. Can’t wait to read the next book and find out what happens next. This series is character, rather than plot driven and is all the better for it, even though the plot is fantastic. Ok, I did guess who the murderer was, but there were a few red herrings in there too, which kept me guessing. If you have never read anything by this author, I can highly recommend any of her series.

Really good thriller, kept me gripped right to the end. Definitely didn't see that twist coming. Believable characters, great plot totally recommend

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this eARC.

I really enjoyed this read and devoured it in just over a day. Here DI Drummond and her team investigate the murders of two family members, a grandfather and young granddaughter. I really like DI Drummond’s character, she is very driven, feisty, believable and has a good back history. This is a great police procedural, and one where the reader follows the murder investigation from start to finish which I really liked. The little snippets of the characters home and personal lives that the author included give the story more depth and I quickly became engrossed in this read. I found this to be a very well written book with a good plot line and the author grabbed my attention and held it from the first to last page. There are a enough twists in the story to keep the reader guessing and I thought twice I knew who the killer was and was wrong. Very wrong. Talk about a family that has secrets galore! Overall a great and very entertaining read that I thoroughly enjoyed. Can’t wait for the next one and if you like good police procedurals with enough twists to keep you interested I’d recommend you read this, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.