THE FERRY PORT MYSTERY

Introducing Irish detective Vikki Kirkby

This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
Buy on Amazon Buy on BN.com Buy on Bookshop.org
*This page contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.
Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app

1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date Oct 30 2023 | Archive Date Jan 18 2024

Talking about this book? Use #THEFERRYPORTMYSTERY #NetGalley. More hashtag tips!


Description

THE FIRST BOOK IN A NEW IRISH MYSTERY SERIES BY DAVID PEARSON

A young detective ruffles a few feathers in a south coast Irish town

When Detective Inspector Vikki Kirkby took the fall for a senior colleague’s mistake, she didn’t anticipate being sent from Dublin to the rural backwater of Wexford for punishment.

And she feels like the whole force is against her when, during her first case, her views about the suspicious deaths of an elderly couple are ignored.

Not only will Kirkby have to find a killer, she’ll also have to win the trust and support of her mostly male colleagues.

She finds an ally, maybe something more, in handsome local businessman Peter Booth.

However, when Kirkby’s inquiry closes in on his place of work, the busy ferry port of Rosslare, she gets a creeping feeling of being let down again.

The Ferry Port Mystery is the first in a new series of standalone novels set in southern Ireland by David Pearson, bestselling author of The Galway Homicides and The Dublin Homicides series.

The second book in this new series, The Empty Safe Mystery is forthcoming before the end of 2023.

THE FIRST BOOK IN A NEW IRISH MYSTERY SERIES BY DAVID PEARSON

A young detective ruffles a few feathers in a south coast Irish town

When Detective Inspector Vikki Kirkby took the fall for a senior...


Available Editions

EDITION Paperback
ISBN 9781804621325
PRICE £1.99 (GBP)
PAGES 200

Available on NetGalley

NetGalley Shelf App (EPUB)
Send to Kindle (EPUB)
Download (EPUB)

Average rating from 13 members


Featured Reviews

Good book! This book had a bit of everything! It had suspense, Action, intrigue, mystery, murder, a great who done it, great plot twist, and some crazy twists and turns! The storyline was very interesting and kept me glued to my Kindle!! I definitely recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Was this review helpful?

I would like to thank Netgalley and The Book Folks for a review copy of The Ferry Port Mystery, the first novel to feature DI Vikki Kirkby, set in Wexford.

Vikki was scapegoated for a senior colleague’s mistake and offered two choices, demotion to sergeant in Dublin or transfer to Wexford at her current rank of inspector. She chooses Wexford, where she grew up, but it’s not a warm welcome. Her first case, a double murder, has her judgement and decisions questioned and meets with a general lack of enthusiasm.

I enjoyed The Ferry Port Mystery, which has a nice mixture of an involved plot and the more personal, be it a budding romance or her rather fraught dealings with her colleagues.

I like a police procedural with its format of everything on the table at the beginning with a gradual narrowing of possibilities as the investigation continues. This fits the bill nicely. Everyone thinks the deaths are a murder suicide except Vikki and she comes under pressure to accept that verdict. It is an early indication of her personality that she doesn’t cave and is proved right. After that she conducts a tenacious investigation, licking her team into shape as she goes. It is an engrossing read with several twists and turns. There are a couple of missteps along the way that are more calamitous for her than most detectives, but she keeps going and uncovers more than just the killer’s identity. I found the story behind the killings intriguing and very unusual. Who knew that such a scheme could make so much money?

The Ferry Port Mystery is a good read that I can recommend.

Was this review helpful?

Excellent read. If you liked this one you will also like to read the Galway murder series and the Dublin Homicide murders. The main character is Vikki Kirby who is a DI in the Dublin Guards who is sent down to Wexford. She was to deal with a double murder as well as dodgy dealings on the Irish Sea.

Was this review helpful?

I had not read other books by author David Pearson but am happy I found this first entry in a new series. DI Vikki Kirkby is a force to be reckoned with, but her career is sidetracked with a move from Dublin to Wexford to cover for a mistake made by a superior. It’s not long before she finds herself solving a very complicated double murder with the help of her two colleagues.

Was this review helpful?

The Ferry Port Mystery by David Pearson

Posted on November 20, 2023 by Jack

I liked The Ferry Port Mystery by David Pearson. For the first few chapters I was not sure I would. There seemed to be just enough to keep you reading and I was unsure how long I would continue but things got much better. But I am getting ahead of myself so I’ll go back to the beginning.

First of all, I thank both Netgalley (https://www.netgalley.com) and The Book Folks (https://thebookfolks.com/) for the chance to read this.

Detective Inspector Vikki Kirkby is made the scapegoat for another officer’s screw-up and given a choice of demotion or keeping her rank but leaving Dublin offices of the Irish Garda or accepting a posting to Wexford. She keeps her rank and is transferred.

Although she is a native of Wexford, the welcome is not a warm one. She is given a terrible office and a rather poor team. In her first case she further alienates herself from the local police by treating an apparent simple murder-suicide of an elderly couple as a pair of suspicious deaths.

Although her insistence is not welcome, it is tolerated as she gets her team in better shape. They untangle a very complicated double murder and a related large scale criminal enterprise.

This is the first of a planned new series and a good read. The second book in this new series, The Empty Safe Mystery should be out soon.

Was this review helpful?

I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy this book initially, but as I started to get to know the characters, I became really invested in it and very much rooting for Vikki Kirkby, a police detective who had been used as a fall guy for someone else's mistake. NOT ON!

When Vikki wants to conduct a proper investigation into a supposed double suicide, she meets resistance from her small-town boss, who is keen to take the easy route and close the case with the suicide verdict. Vikki is a great character and I'm looking forward to the next instalment in this series.

4 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, David Pearson and The Book Folks, for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

he Ferry Port Mystery is the first book in the stand alone series of Mystery’s from David Pearson and introduces Irish Detective Vikki Kirby to lovers of a rollicking good murder mystery set in Ireland.

Vikki is a woman who is dedicated to her career as a detective and has managed to upset the hierarchy in Dublin, as a case she was or rather had been working, was effectively thrown out of Court, the criminal walking free, the Police being made to look incompetent.

She is facing censure, a blatant cover up and is not happy. She can either be demoted or sent to a new posting in Wexford, her home town and a place she had left many years ago. She is not all happy, she is furious, but accepts that is the best way forward.

Arriving in Wexford, settling into her new job she finds that the attitude of the other Detectives Officers very similar to Dublin, but has made her mind up she is not going to let that make any difference to how she does her job. She is the first female Detective Inspector in Wexford.

It is not long before she goes out on her first job; a double murder for no apparent reason. The rationale is not to worry too much about the what and why, just get the case closed, but Vikki is not accepting that, as she believes there is more to the situation than murder suicide.

The trail leads to the harbour and the freight system of the Port town, but it seems that every avenue and lead she is offered or follows, comes up clean and tidy. As she and her slowly emerging team keep on digging, they begin to uncover something so blatant, so huge and so deadly it needs to be ended once and for all.

Based around and in the very real world of Cross channel shipping and freight movement very common through Britain, known for its often illegal undertakings, David Pearson has provided what could be a real case scenario in which to place DI Vikki Kirby.

At times slightly over descriptive, the plot is good, the characters very real with a storyline moving along at a brisk pace, despite a slight tendency to get bogged down in miniature. The Wexford Homicides is a series that will be worth following as Vikki Kirby develops her skills and settles into the world of serious crime, Irish style.

Was this review helpful?

This was a charming cosy mystery set in Ireland. It is the first book featuring DI Vikki Kirkby. I warmed to her as a character - I liked her, and the way she interacted with the other characters, and I would probably be interested in reading some more books featuring Vikki as a protagonist.

This was a satisfying read, because at the time when I chose to read it, it suited my mood perfectly. It was an entertaining mystery, and light enough to read in one sitting, if so desired.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

Was this review helpful?

I read other novel by David Pearson and always liked them as they're fast paced and gripping.
This one confirm my positive opinion as it's a good one, a stand alone well plotted and solid.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Was this review helpful?

A detective story set in Wexford, Ireland. Vikki leaves Dublin under a cloud, which also affects her new job in Wexford. Within a short time, a couple are found shot dead in their cottage . Vikki Kirby is tenacious and does not believe in the murder suicide explanation offered by her new team. She is proved right .
Mostly a police procedural, Vikki leads the team competently and helps her juniors shape up. I liked the action. I`m not sure about Vikki's romance, which seemed a little too rushed for me. It didn't really ring true . That was my only criticism though and I look forward to reading more about this team
Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

Was this review helpful?

I chose this book because I enjoyed the Galway murder series and also because I live near the Port which is the focus of the mystery. Initially I was a bit underwhelmed by the character, a bit stereotypical of a lot of Irish based detectives but it was worth the effort of continuing. Vikki is the atypical victim of cronyism in a police system so is moved sideways to her former homeplace where she is less than welcome.
Her first murder in the town and a team who are not 100% behind you is not ideal but she steps up to the plate and the action is fast and sure. I enjoyed this first venture and look forward to Vikkis' next murder.
This is a good start to this series and thank Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC of The Ferry Port Mystery.

Was this review helpful?

Readers who liked this book also liked: