Murder by the Sea covered 10 true crime stories, most of which I had never heard about before. It was an interesting book. I feel like I should now watch the TV show as I think I would enjoy it.

Based on the CBS reality show Murder By the Sea, ten murders that took place in various seaside towns and resorts of Britain are recounted in this book.

I like true crime, but my medium of choice is podcasts – I very rarely watch it on TV. As such, I have never heard of this show, but the central theme of murder informed by location was one that sounded interesting to me. That the chapters had been derived from episodes of a show was evident from their structure, but this did not detract from the writing in any way.

I liked the book covered lesser known murders, as I had not heard of any of these cases before. The authors made sure to include variety in the chosen cases, whether it was the location, the motive, or the personality of the murderer. I also appreciated that they made sure to give voice to those who had been close to the victims, to make sure that their side was told.

However, I felt that the book sometimes came short of hitting the mark with the central idea. All the stories take place in seaside communities, but where the murders took place did not always have much impact on the cases. Sometimes, I didn’t even get a real sense of the place. As this was the selling point of the book, I wondered if the authors could have picked cases which better demonstrated this central theme.

I've not seen the TV series, but I do love a true crime compilation, and the premise - true crime set in seaside English towns - was intriguing. I've even been to a couple of the areas these crimes occurred in, and there's something about recognising the areas, streets, and landmarks mentioned.

With ten cases in the book, each one was set out quickly and succinctly with the facts - who was involved, who the victim was, and how justice was eventually served. Another thing that I appreciated was that none of the ten cases had been particularly publicised previous to its inclusion in the book. I also liked the inclusion of snippets from the investigators and victims involved, and felt that it added a bit more of a human dimension to the stories. Sometimes it's very easy to forget the people who have been affected by the realities of crime in favour of a titillating story.

A very enjoyable read for anyone who wants to read the book after seeing the series, for true crime aficionados, or as an entry point into the genre.

This was a very good true crime book about murders around England. I think a better cover would do wonders for this book. I liked nearly all of the stories presented as they were the right length to share the story. I also really liked that it wasnt only the "popular and well known crimes". We saw a few different types of killers in this presentation which I liked because it showed how sinister criminals are.

This was a fascinating book that gave details of ten murders which occurred in various parts of England and their aftermaths. These murders happened in different time periods, some perpetrated by serial killers. If you enjoy reading about true crime, this book is a must read. I highly recommend it to other true crime readers. I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley, and the opinion expressed is strictly my own.

I am fascinated by true crime and always have been but mostly the forensic and psychological side of it.

Murder By The Sea is made up of ten chapters, each a story about a murder that happened in a seaside town. Some of these in more recent days and some dating back to the 1950s.

It reads exactly like a documentary (this book is taken from one such documentary of the same name) with information on the towns, backgrounds to both victims and killers and quotes from the officers and doctors who worked on the cases. I did not want to put this down and surprisingly I'd only heard of one case. Another case though, I think will stay with me forever. Mathew Hardman, that's all I will say. Wow.

I found myself wanting to know more whilst reading and did have an extra little Google at some stories.

If you are a true crime fan, this is for you.

I found these short stories fascinating. There were many I had never heard of before, so I was interesting to be introduced to some lesser known (to me) true crime stories.

There is something sinister about a British seaside town. On the surface they’re all funfairs and breezy promenades. Yet dig a little deeper in the sand and you soon uncover an underworld of murder, madness and mayhem…
This official companion book to the long-running true-crime documentary series on CBS Reality, dives into some of the most extraordinary murder cases in Britain’s seaside towns.
Featuring 10 of the series’ most powerful and shocking cases, including extensive interviews with detectives, forensic psychologists, witnesses and relatives, as well as exclusive additional material and insights that could not be included in the original TV episodes. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I like that review.....a beach read like no other.....Murder by the Sea is 10 case stories of Murder by the Sea. These stories have been presented on the reality television series but the book contains more information that was presented on tv. Very good true crime books are unique. The stories need to be fascinating enough to hold the attention without adding fictional details. The writing must be skillful, no one wants to read a list of facts and a boring wrap up. This companion book to a reality tv show has proven that Robin Jarossi has what is required to keep a reader hooked long after the show is over. Great writing all around.

Princess Fuzzypants here: I have never watched the tv series from which this book is spun off. I suspect I would enjoy it if I had. True crime stories are always interesting as are the stories told in this tome. Other than the fact that they all took place in coastal areas and that most of the victims were elderly- but not all- the stories only are connected by the brutality and the disregard for human life.

A number of the killers were psychopaths. They were all evil and they almost to a person thought they were the smartest people in the room. Often their hubris led to their downfall. Sadly, that justice would not bring back the people they murdered or give any real solace to the family members left behind. A couple of the stories are a caution against the legal system that cavalierly releases very warped people from jails for previous crimes only to have them commit worse ones.

I found the stories heartbreaking and compelling. It is the kind of book that you could sit down and read from cover to cover or dip into piecemeal. It would probably be a good beach book- that is if you can ever feel safe again at the beach. Four purrs and two paws up.

Unfortunately life has got in the way which has had a serious impact on my reading schedule. I will get to this book soon as I have seen so many positive reviews and will leave a review on all the relevant sites

Not what I was expecting.

Murder by the Sea is the behind-the-scenes look at the CBS Reality show of the same name wherein journalist and true crime author Geoffrey Wansell explores various murders in the United Kingdom. With 6 seasons dating back to 2018 I made the snap assumption that this was going to be a fast favorite. However, I should have taken a closer look at the source material.

The show itself frequently receives 6/10 or fewer ratings, citing issues like repetition and uninteresting content.
I would have gladly given the show a watch myself, except there are only a handful of later season episodes provided by niche streaming services on this side of 'the pond'.

Despite being a self-proclaimed 'anglophile', and true crime connoisseur, this one unfortunately missed the mark for me.

Right off the bat the book delves into: anti-American sentiment (not saying I am overly patriotic myself, but the bullying seemed a bit excessive), problematic overgeneralization, contradictory narratives, erroneous timeline jumping, unnecessary tangents, and several embedded images that are impossible to see in the ebook format (despite having 20/20 vision). And that is all evident within the first chapter. Unfortunately, despite wading through, these issues persist.

Most of the background feels like irrelevant padding and worked wonders as a late-night sleep aid.

If you are a fan of the show, go on and give this one a read (or better yet, a listen) otherwise you may be better off sticking to other, richer, true crime material.

[Thank you to NetGalley and Mardle Books for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.}

Murder by the Sea is a companion book for the tv series of the same name. Being quite partial to a good true crime tv show, I have seen episodes of Murder by the Sea, although none of the murders covered in the book. I was familiar with one of the cases within the book, possibly from another true crime show. The episodes of Murder by the Sea are very good, and I liked the fact that this companion book includes additional material and insights that may have been missed from the tv show.

The ten crimes covered in the book were all very different, and I have to admit that some shocked me a little, but also some of the crimes left me feeling puzzled because the motive was not always clear, but then that is the way that crimes are investigated and there are always cases where motive is never fully understood or explained by the murderer. It was interesting having input from not only detectives but also leading experts.

I found the writing style of the book engaging, and it kept drawing me in and making me want to read more. There are ten crimes covered in the book, in various locations around the coastline of the United Kingdom. I think many of us dream of living by the coast, I know I do, but the idyllic scenery, and family entertainment in seaside resorts clearly masks the more sinister events that can take place in these small towns by the sea.

Murder by the Sea is a great companion to the tv series, and a fascinating insight into some shocking murders that have taken place in the UK.

Based on the CBS Reality series, Murder by the Sea, this official companion book of the same name is an intriguing insight into a selection of the TV documentary episodes. It’s a fascinating read about 10 real-life murder cases in seaside resorts around England and Wales. The book contains additional information that wasn’t included in the original episodes of the series.

Murder by the Sea is well written and engaging and I found the cases very interesting and varied. They’re from 1953 to 2014 and the majority of the killers are male. The murders took place in Anglesey, Barry, Blackpool, Bournemouth, Isle of Man, Pembrokeshire, Southport and St Brides.

All the cases make for harrowing and disturbing reading but they’re also rather perplexing at times and it was interesting to read exclusive insights and analysis from detectives, forensic psychologists, witnesses and relatives, as they tried to figure out the motives behind the killings, some of which seemed incredibly senseless and tragic.

Real-life true-crime books can often be rather dry and dull but Murder by the Sea kept my interest throughout, with its variety of shocking murders, and I was gripped and couldn’t put it down, reading it in a couple of days. I do wish I hadn’t been reading case six, about the murder of poor 90-year-old Mabel Leyshon, while eating my lunch though! So awful.

I liked the format of the book with a map of the murders at the front and then each chapter/case had an image of the murderer with details of who they killed, when and where. There were also smaller images throughout the book of key people involved in the cases. It would have been good to see images of the victims though, as these weren’t always included.

I hadn’t heard of the true crime documentary series on which this book is based but will definitely be checking it out now! It sounds like I’ve got lots of catching up to do as the series was launched in 2018 and has been commissioned twice a year since then. The brand new series 7 launches in September 2022 with another in January 2023.

I thoroughly enjoyed (if that’s the right word!) Murder by the Sea and found it gripping and very compelling reading. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who’s a fan of true crime stories. I hope there will be a volume two of this book very soon!

I received an ARC of, Murder by the Sea, by Robin Jarossi; David Howard. This book is so well written. Ten murders in the British Seaside, innocent people killed for no good reason.

It was an interesting series of true crime stories set in Uk by the seaside. I never saw the tv series but I liked the storytelling and the story were gripping.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I'm not an overly enthusiastic reader of true crime because to be honest I'm scared of reading about those evil individuals who inflict such torment, and torture, on their victims and I haven't watched the TV series Murder by the Sea but something about this book title intrigued me especially as the seaside is one of my favourite places to visit and here in the UK we have hundreds of miles of beautiful, unspoiled, coastline. However, having said that, there is sometimes something a little bit sinister about a seaside town, maybe it's the thought of so many people, each with their own stories to tell, who pass through the towns all year round.

Murder by the Sea looks in depth at ten of the most chilling murders which have taken place in those seaside resorts we all know and love. Both Blackpool and Southport are just a short drive away from me and yet I wasn't familiar with any of the three cases which took place in these towns and which are mentioned in the book. Sometimes these stories of murder are just snippets in a local news item but as this in-depth study reveals there is usually a lot more to discover about these complex, and rather sensational, murder investigations.

With impeccable research and a fine eye for even the smallest of detail, the authors have done a great job of presenting the factual evidence of these heinous crimes. Crimes which have fractured families and shattered the peace of small seaside communities who are still reeling from having a killer in their midst.

Perfectly possible to read with no prior knowledge of the crimes, Murder by the Sea works as an adjunct, or introduction, to this True Life TV crime series.

Well, I read a lot of true crime and the same stories can be repeated over and over several times… this book was wonderful in that it featured many stories that were new to me.
The writing was articulate and the stories excellently researched.
I live in Pembrokeshire and it is a very low crime area, so it was shocking to find quite a few of these stories featured were based in our area. It was strangely harrowing for me to be very familiar with the locations in the stories and that made it extra shocking.
This is a very good true crime collection and will be enjoyed by fans of the genre everywhere.
I can’t award it less than 4 stars!

Compelling true crime stories set in the UK. Not a big reader of true crime but this kept me interested. All set around the coast which I bizarrely enjoyed. Well written and well worth a read. Thank you netgalley for the advanced copy

Murder by the Sea by David Howard & Robin Jarossi
( @adlibpublishers )
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

True crime lovers!!! This was my first dive into true crime from fictional crime and thriller books,, it includes the 10 most shocking true crime cases as documented on the CBS reality show, that demonstrate the dark past behind many popular British seaside destinations.

As I grew up on the south coast myself, this book particularly appealed to me and I was not disappointed!! Some of the horrific stories I read about in here include violence against women, familicide and serial murder in places like Blackpool, Bournemouth and Southport. It includes a full background into the case and the investigation process whilst telling you how the perpetrator did what they did, so you can see how a lot of these murderers got away with their crimes for so long.

I really liked the inclusion of forensic psychology and the attempt to decipher exactly how and why these crimes were committed, and it also includes a follow up on witnesses and survivors in a kind of ‘where are they now’ segment which is often quite sad and evident of the long lasting impact these events on the lives of those in the small seaside towns.

Overall this was a really easy fluent read and a great introduction for me into the true crime genre that I’ll definitely be revisiting more in the future!!