I’ve recently listened to The Rockpool Murder by Emylia Hall as an audiobook. It’s the third in the Shell House Detective mysteries but as with most book series, you can easily read this as a standalone novel. If you have read the previous books in the series though you will be delighted to reacquaint yourself with Ally, Jayden, Scarlett, Gus and, of course, Mullins. To me they are starting to feel like old friends and I’m enjoying getting to know them more with each novel.

The narrator, Kristin Atherton, was very good especially with the various accents of the characters. I think that she had the voices of the recurring characters almost exactly as I’d imagined them and if I was reading rather than listening to further books, I’d now be hearing those voices in my mind.

This instalment sees our intrepid detectives agree to look into the death of aging rock star Baz Carson. Having just published a tell-all memoir and gathered his nearest and dearest for a party to celebrate his 70th, he is found floating face-down in his beautiful pool. There appear to be no suspicious circumstances but his first love Tallulah isn’t convinced and asks the Shell House Detectives to investigate. While they begin enquiries, there’s another death and this time it’s most definitely a murder!

What I really enjoyed about this one was the locked room feel to the story. Baz’s luxury villa, Rockpool, is a secured area with lots of media outside. No-one could have got in, could they? The plot was also reminiscent of Agatha Christie with suspects aplenty. Almost everyone in the villa would have some reason to feel aggrieved at Baz and some reason why they might want him dead, especially following the publication of the memoir. Emylia Hall dropped red herrings and mis-directions, keeping me guessing all the way through. There’s danger for the detectives and those close to them which had my heart in my mouth.

I enjoyed the Cornish setting of Porthpellow again. For a sleepy little town, there was a lot happening all through the book. Some big decisions had to be made by some of the characters and they weren’t all completely resolved in this book so I’ll eagerly be awaiting the next one.

I was slightly worried near the end of the book that this might be the last investigation for The Shell House Detectives but I’m pleased to say it became clear that this wasn’t the case. In fact. Emylia Hall will be writing three more Shell House mysteries and I couldn’t be more pleased!

4.5* rounded up