I very much like the Shell House Detectives series. This is the third title that I have read and I am already looking forward to the fourth which comes out in November.

Characters are well fleshed out. Readers are let into the lives of the two main ones, Ally and Jayden; they became detectives unexpectedly in the first novel. Ally is a widow who deeply grieves the loss of her husband Bill, a well-liked police officer. She is also an artist, a mother, a friend, and a woman who is considering a new relationship as well. Jayden was a city based police officer who left the force after a tragic incident. He came to Cornwall with his partner as he needed a change.

In addition to the characters, I love the visits to Cornwall. The seascape especially is well described.

In this entry the murder victim is music legend Baz. He had just published a revelatory biography that undoubtedly upset those who knew him. He is found dead, floating in a pool, on his 70th birthday weekend. There are many suspects in the party guests; they are relatives and those who were also in the music business. Each of them has a story and these are told.

Who killed Baz? Readers will want to know but I find that part of the pleasure in the Ally-Jayden stories is just as much about getting to be with them and those around them.

Very highly recommended to fans of traditional mysteries.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this title. All opinions are my own.

LOVE this series, love this book! The mystery was engaging and I just love revisiting this community of characters I've grown to love.

I think I should have read the other books prior to this one before starting this one. It was a struggle in the beginning getting to know all the characters right away since there were so many right at the start, which made it somewhat hard to follow. I think it could have been better done if it was more action-packed and less all the extra stuff; this book should have been shorter.

An incredible book with wonderful characters and a beautiful setting. It will keep you guessing until the end.

The Rockpool Murder is the third Shell House cozy mystery by Emylia Hall. Released 19th March 2024 by Amazon on their Thomas & Mercer imprint, it's 380 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book (and the others in the series) are currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free.

This was such a fun and engaging read. The characters, including main protagonist widow Ally Bright, are rendered believably and the author gives readers realistic and natural dialogue and interaction throughout the read. This installment sees MC Ally and (non-romantic) partner Jayden investigating the sudden death of a rock star who recently bought a mansion in the area. The plot is well engineered and the clues are fair play and cleverly presented.

Although not as adept (in the reviewer's humble opinion) as the inimitable Ann Cleeves' Vera books, fans of the latter will find a lot to enjoy with this series. The settings (the Cornish coast and Northumberland respectively) feature prominently in both.

Four and a half stars. It continues to develop and go from strength to strength. It would make a good choice for public library acquisition, home reading, and gifting. With three books extant, and a fourth due out 4th quarter 2024, it would be a good candidate for a light binge or buddy read.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I would highly recommend reading the previous books in this series prior to this. Although enjoyable, it took me some time to connect with the characters. Setting is intriguing and crime is one of avarice and jealousy.

I read this slow, and not because it wasn’t good but it just wasn’t the mood I was in for. However, this is my first time diving into this series. I didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything from previous books, so I definitely think you can read this without having read the first two books. It will definitely check them out now. I received this as an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

Change comes with time no matter how you fight against it. With these former rock stars, they wanted things the way it was when they were at the top of the charts and everything was swinging easy their way. They tried to force the issue only to have things going haywire. With a lot of finger-pointing accusations going around, former detective Ally and Jayden found themselves in the thick of it all. With the pressure rising for the truth, they put their thinking caps on and began deciphering the clues before them. I found it to be mildly intriguing and captivating.

This is third in the Shell House Detective cozy mystery series. I am very much enjoying this series and love the setting of the seaside village of Porthpella. Ally and Jayden’s partnership continue to evolve along with some of the secondary characters. I’m looking forward to the next one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received this book from NetGalley.

There are a lot of characters that have been mentioned right at the beginning but I have no idea who they are or how they fit in. That always makes things difficult. We find out pretty quickly who all of the characters are, but it's still a lot to take in at the beginning.

I feel like there are major events that happen and then the in-between bits are super slow and nothing happens at all. It makes it a struggle to get through some chapters. There are also a lot of characters which means a lot of storylines and that also means it takes ages to get anywhere.

Side note: There is no way that people could try and blame Connie's death on Baz or Rupert. She ran a red light, plain and simple. The other actions were irrelevant. She also made the decision to go and fetch Baz in the first place.

Overall this book was fine but honestly it was far too long.

Firstly, I absolutely love this series! I’m so excited that after The Rockpool Murder we have three more novels to come! Yes! The rights have been optioned for a TV series and I’m pretty much excited about that too. I feel as if I know these characters well now and would love to see them acted out on the screen.

Loved being back with Ali and Jayden (and everyone!) seeing their lives move on and the chances they take – Ali putting herself out there with her art and moving on a bit more from her grief, Jayden making a tough decision (I had no idea what he would choose but did think he would lean one way – when we find out his decision, I loved the why!). I really enjoy the underlying family theme to these stories.

This time there is an interesting cast of characters staying at The Rockpool house for Baz’s birthday. Dysfunctional family and underhand business relationships are hard to navigate at the best of times but when there’s a crisis ripping off masks, vulnerabilities and bitterness are there for all to see … I found it easy to identify with each and every one. Our very own Saff is doing the catering and gets caught up in it all. As does Gus. Dear, sweet, Gus, who has his own problem to solve and had me barely breathing as I sat with Ali and Jayden waiting to hear.

As in the previous stories, I had my suspicions about the perpetrator/s and again, I was wrong. I should have known not to second guess after realising who was in the prologue wasn’t who I thought it was! Very clever.

Emylia Hall’s writing style makes it so very easy to step into these people’s lives and experience everything they do. The weather and settings are an intrinsic part of the story (OMG the heat! And the storm!) adding the unexpected and very tense moments.

With Ali’s unexpected visitor, Jayden’s news and Gus (hopefully!) being a permanent fixture, there will definitely be more changes to come. I can’t wait for November and the publication of The Death at the Vineyard.

Another easy 5* read in this series.

The Rockpool Murder is the third in Emylia Hall's cornish cosy crime series and is every bit as good as it's predecessors. The central characters are Ally Bright, a policeman's widow and longtime resident of Porthpella, and Jayden Weston, a young ex-policeman formerly based in Leeds who has moved to Cornwall with his cornish-born wife. They join forces to create The Shell House Detectives around which the series is based. Each book features a wide-ranging cast of local characters each with their own story arc. The characters feel very real and their lives are developed alongside the investigation of the crime itself so although the crimes are self-contained in each book, to be involved in the personal stories of the Porthpella residents, it's best to begin with book one. There are at least three more books to come in the series which is great news! Highly recommended.

Emylia Hall creates a breath of fresh air with this suspenseful mystery that kept me engaged with every chapter. As they scramble to find a killer the story evolves and takes you on an exciting journey. This was my first book by Emylia Hall and I will be looking for her other books as this did not disappoint.

Another well plotted and entertaining mystery in this series. I was glad to catch up with the characters and the solid story kept me guessing.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This is the third in the Porthpella series featuring Ally Bright and Jayden Weston. This time it’s a version of a locked room mystery when music legend Baz Carson is found dead at his 70th birthday party at his stunning cliff top mansion Rockpool House.
I absolutely loved the setting of The Rockpool Murder and the author once again transports the reader to the beautiful Cornish coast.. The characterisation is excellent and I love the developing relationship between Ally and Jayden.Although it appears that there may be changes ahead for them both so I hope this series continues.
Another compelling mystery that I would recommend. I’ve read all three novels in this series so I’d recommend starting at the beginning to get the characters backstory but this could be read as a stand-alone.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

Rock legend Baz Carson has assembled a party of close family and friends to celebrate his 70th birthday, and publication of his 'tell all' memoir, in his cliff-top Cornish house, but the morning after their arrival, his dead body is found floating in the swimming pool. It seems to be just an accident, perhaps exacerbated by health issues or partying the night before, and the police seem ready to dismiss it as such though at least one of the guests, Tallulah, Baz's first love from California, isn't convinced. Hearing of the Shell House Detectives, she hires them to uncover the truth, but this time Ally and Jayden may have got themselves into something a little too dangerous ...



And then a second body is found; very definitely murdered.



I really like this crime series from Emylia Hall, and this latest is no exception. There's a little change of pace from the previous two, with what is effectively a 'closed room' murder as if there is a murderer, they have to be one of those invited to Baz's party. There's an array of suspects - his ex-wife, their grown-up children, folks who knew Baz back in the old days - any of whom could have had motivation to murder, especially after reading Baz's memoir, and there's a series of twists, turns, and revelations before the murderer is pinned down.



There are changes afoot in the lives of the Shell House 'regulars' - after years of just considering her art as a hobby Ally has her first exhibition, and Jayden's former police boss turns up reminding him of the challenges and rewards of 'real' police work. Are things about to alter completely for the Shell House Detectives? I hope not.

There's everything here that I look for in cosy crime - a relatable cast of characters, an intriguing mystery, and a gorgeous setting.

The Rockpool Murder is the third instalment in the Shell House Detective series, where Ally Bright is the main character, and has Jayden, a retired policemen as partner. They both live in the coastal town of Porthpella where tension is running high at Rockpool.

This is an engaging mystery with a beautiful setting and amazing characters where we got the see old characters and being introduced to new ones. We have greedy family members, secrets and lies and we start to see the motives of each one while we ruled our suspects in and out.

It was such an amazing book, with twists and turns that don’t make the ending predictable, and the setting makes us even more immersed in the story. I would recommend you read the first book of the series’ first, but I don’t think you would be lost if you choose to start with this one.

Thank you, NetGalley & the publisher, for approving me to read this arc and write this review.

The mystery kept me guessing and the characters were interesting. I also like the setting. I look forward to more.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the third book in the Shell House Detectives series - cosy crime set in Cornwall. I have really enjoyed this series so far and The Rockpool Murder doesn't disappoint. I love returning to the main characters and lovely beach side locations that I can picture so clearly.
My only slight criticism of this one would be the vast number of new characters, which somewhat overcomplicated the plot.
Emylia writes beautifully though and I would gladly read anything she wrote.

I thought this was a fine story, but it wasn't particularly one I couldn't put down. I enjoyed it, but I am not as inclined to pick up another one. I read this as a standalone without knowing there was a previous book, I may have enjoyed it more if I had read it in order as part of the series, Overall, not bad, liked but didn't love.