This was fun! I wouldn't necessarily put it into the mystery category, as I felt it was lacking some of the thrill element - but it was definitely a fun, easy read. It'll be an excellent choice if you want a cosy crime read.
I massively enjoyed the backstories of each character, and seeing how this was reflected in their actions and healing moving throughout the book. The characters were all well developed, and seeing their relationships grow was excellent - I was so engaged and invested.

The writing was wonderful; effortless to follow, and incredibly descriptive. It lent itself to fantastic pacing, and I found it really easy to just... keep reading. It did take a few chapters for me to really get into, but once I did, that was that.

A really excellent book, with potential to be an incredible series. Really excited to see where this goes!

This was a REALLY good read. It wasn’t something I would normally go for but I’m so chuffed I gave this a go!

A totally different way to normal, the mystery was engaging & kept me on the edge of my seat whilst reading! I was so pleasantly surprised. I would 100% recommend this to anyone!

I found this book a little disorienting at first. It jumps back and forth between characters with no real setting up of things. I don't want a big background dump, but I wasn't sure I'd be able to stick with it long enough to get myself situated! However, the characters drew me in eventually--especially Ally and her friendship with Jayden. Nice to see intergenerational friendships and a smart older woman as a viewpoint character, and the writing is truly beautiful in spots (without being flowery).

Review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have never really dabbled in the world of cozy mysteries before, but this one was delightful. I had a lot of fun exploring Porthpella and wishing I was at a cottage by a beach. I did find it to be a bit of a slow read and just slightly too long for my taste, but the ending was really lovely and sweet. This would be a perfect summertime vacation read. I definitely plan on continuing the series.

I found Ally and Jayden to be very relatable characters. As Ally works to navigate life after the death of her husband, Jayden works to recover from the loss of his best friend. They made for an endearing pair and I especially loved Ally. The extended cast of characters made for a patchwork quilt of small town personalities.

I received this advance reader copy via Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK, in return for an honest review. This first book in a new mystery series sets the scene in the English seaside town of Porthpella where recently widowed Ally Bright is being encouraged by her daughter to sell and move somewhere less remote.
A man knocks at her door, looking for help from Ally’s deceased policeman husband. When told that he’s dead, the man leaves but is found unconscious at the base of nearby cliffs by a group of surfers the next morning. The group includes a former police officer, Jayden Weston, who meets Ally at the scene. Together, they investigate the young man’s past, as well as other troubling situations in the town.
I found this book a bit of a slog. I liked Ally’ and Jayden’s characters, while finding the scene setting difficult to follow in the beginning. It took quite a long time to invest in the story.

The Shell House Detectives was a snooze fest. I read 12 chapters and couldn't stay awake. Within those chapters several characters were introduced but we're loosely connected if at all. The story moved at a very slow pace. In all honesty, I was extremely bored. I just couldn't go on. Enough said.

Cosy Crime- There really is no better book to demonstrate this genre. The Shell House Detectives is an absolute joy.

I loved the characters in this book and the way that your relationship with each one develops throughout the story, the way in which the chapters are structure really helps you see each characters point of view and allows you to get to know them individually. I adored the relationship between two of the main characters and it was a lot of fun to watch that develop as you read further in to the book. I was easy to feel a part of the story and i really found myself rooting for my favourite characters. By the end of the book i was fully invested in the story and was willing the characters to come to the right conclusion and have a happy ending.

The story reads at a good pace and the descriptive language throughout the book really helped you to imagine the characters, houses and places and made you feel like you knew Porthpella. There was enough suspense in the book that you were always wanting to know what happens next but it manages to stay safely in the cosy crime genre with its feel good vibes.

All in all, not only do i now want to be a member of The Shell House Detectives but i cannot wait to read about what they will get up to next!

A wonderful read with a really feel good cosy and warm ending. Absolutely Recommend. Publication Date July 1st 2023.

Thank you to Emylia Hall, Amazon Publishing uk and Netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this book.

Atmospheric Mystery…
The first in the Shell House Detectives mystery series tales the reader to the stunning Cornish coast and the small coastal area of Porthpella. Ally Bright teeters on the edge of a mystery when a man knocks one evening, promptly disappears, and is then discovered at the bottom of the cliffs the very next day. As the close knit community is thrown into turmoil, secrets are about to be revealed and Ally instigates a personal investigation. An atmospheric mystery with a well defined sense of place, a nicely drawn cast and an intriguing storyline. A promising start to a new series.

I so wanted to start a new series and this sounded so good to me. Unfortunately I had to put it in my DNF pile. Maybe I will pick up in the future but it’s nit one for me right now.

What a wonderful mystery to read on a cold winter's day. Taking place in Cornwall, the novel introduces us to a variety of characters, all bought together to solve a case that is linked to a man's suicide years before. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and hope the author plans to continue the series. For those readers looking for a good read, I highly suggest this mystery.

I loved this cozy mystery. It was just a good sweet comfort read set in beautiful Cornwall . I really liked it . Thanks for letting me review this book to Netgalley and the publisher

This novel is settled at the sea. While reading you can smell it and hear the waves and the wind. The novel tells about the history of Porthbella and the resulting crimes. Apart from the interisting protagonists, which are carefully described, the absolutely main charakter is the ocean. Enjoy!

I received this copy from Netgalley on the read now section.

My review: It's okay. Personally I find it kind of bland. I don't find it very exciting or thrilling. It's definitely a mystery but I think it needs more umph. A bit more of something to make it want to read it. I didn't enjoy it enough to finish. I do appreciate the chance to try it though.

The Shell House Detective was a fun book to read. I must admit that the beginning was a little confusing to follow but once I got into it I enjoyed it very much. It is the first in the Shell House Detective series. The book takes place in England in the town of Porthpella a seaside town. Ally Bright is the main character. She lives in a house called The Shell House with her dog, Foxy, at the end of a lane and overlooks the ocean. Her husband was a policeman who was loved by all died a year ago. One night she goes to bed but is awaken by Foxy as there is someone at her door late at night. A young man named Lewis Pascoe is there asking for her husband. He seems confused , He tells her that he just got out of prison and her husband promised him that he would help him. She tells him that her husband is dead. Upon hearing this he leaves. He also went to a house called Sea Dream that has been built where his grandmother use to live. The man who lives, Roland Hunter, tells him that his grandmother, Maggie Pascoe, sold him the house and moved away. She had recently died. He also leaves. Helena is his wife who was frightened by his arrival. Lewis again goes back to Sea Dream the next morning and confronts Roland again. Helena goes out for her run.

Jayden Weston has moved to Porthpella with his wife, Cat, who is pregnant with his first child. Cat grew up here and wanted to come home. Jayden was a policeman who has left the force because he was recovering from the death of his partner, Kiernan.

Jayden Weston is sitting in his truck overlooking the beach. He is there to surf. While in his car he sees a woman running but looks like not for fun but running away. When he looks up again she is not there. He goes to surf as he is learning. When getting out of the water he hears someone calling for help. He goes to see what the problem is. A man has fallen off the cliff and is lying on the rocks. The man is Lewis who is still alive but unconscious. Ally walking on the beach goes and finds out that the young man who arrived at her house is the one hurt. She and Jayden starting talking and she tells him that Lewis had come to her house the night before. Jayden suggests that they go for coffee as he is concerned about her. Lewis has been taken to the hospital and is ICU still unconscious.

Roland is concerned that his wife has not returned from her run. He reports it to the police as she is missing. Could her missing and Lewis's fall have something to do each other. His brother, Nathan is there for the weekend to visit. There are two other characters that make up this story. One is Saffron who owns the coffee shop and Gus Munro who is renting the house next to Sea Dream. He is an author who is there to write his novel and recovering from a recent divorce.

This is where the story takes off with Allie and Jayden deciding to find out more about Lewis and to try to find what happened to Helena. I will leave the story to the reader to enjoy and all the mystery that goes with it.

I loved the friendship that develops between Allie and Jayden as well as her relationship with Gus. I look forward to the next book in this series and what adventure the Shell House Detective Agency will getting into.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC.

Enjoyed this one a lot. Ally’s husband had been a policeman, and when he died she was left alone in her little cottage in Cornwall. When a near death on the beach, and a missing wife, she gets involved asking questions. With the help of new friends they work together to solve the cases. A good start to hopefully a new series. Look forward to more.

Ally Bright’s peaceful life on the Cornish coast is shattered one night when a young man knocks on her door talking incoherently.

The next morning he’s doing at the foot of the nearby cliffs. Was he pushed? Overall a good mystery. Would recommend

Thank you to Emylia Hall, NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for the arc of this book