Review: The High Tide Murder by Emylia Hall

The High Tide Murder (Shell House Detectives, #6)

by Emylia Hall

Release Date: November 4, 2025

2025 Thomas & Mercer

Ebook ARC; 397 Pages

ISBN: 978-1662521812

ASIN: B0F54M65YZ

Audiobook: B0FFNFKWWH

Genre: Fiction / Mystery

Source: Review copy from publisher

 

3 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

The High Tide Hotel, overlooking stunning Trebaron Cove, is a dream destination for an autumnal getaway. But the serene atmosphere of this luxury enclave is shattered when the body of a guest is discovered on the terrace, directly below their balcony.

The victim's friend is adamant that this was no accident, and when it emerges that the dead man was a detective with a chequered past, the police enquiry intensifies. Meanwhile fellow guest Jayden, one half of the Shell House Detectives, wastes no time in bringing Ally on board to help find the killer.

With the hotel cut off by a storm on the night of the murder, everyone at the High Tide is a suspect. As Ally and Jayden delve deeper into the pasts of both guests and staff, they uncover a mass of secrets and complex connections. Who wanted this man dead—or rather, who wanted him dead most? 

 

My Thoughts

The High Tide Murder is the sixth entry in the Shell House Detectives Series, and this one finds our detectives out of their comfort zone and in a posh hotel on the coast. Even though the setting was not the usual coastal town, I liked that the author decided to take our detectives to a new location for this mystery and introduce new characters.  Plus, I tend to have a weakness for destination mysteries within series so I was glad to see something different.  However, while the previous mysteries were quite interesting and I enjoyed them very much, this one didn't quite work for me and I couldn't wait to finish this book.

 

First of all, by the sixth book, the usual effort to develop the main characters usually falls to the side which was the case with this book as if a character can't develop, grow, or show the reader any new hidden depths. And this is exactly how I felt reading this book, as if the characters were wooden characters with only one-dimensional development, all of them.  This created a problem connecting to the characters, considering the subject matter, and honestly, by the end, I just didn't care who would eventually be discovered as the culprit. The way it was written didn't really allow me to develop any empathy for what was a very sad situation.  

 

The mystery itself was very interesting, but the way it was written was a bit disjointed.  I thought the plot dragged quite a bit and found myself flipping through the pages, especially the last 30 percent of the book.  The author attempted to use the landscape, the hotel, the weather, and the elements to build this atmosphere, but it didn't work for me. And I love the coast, the water, the elements, and that wildness in my stories as I find the weather so fascinating.  And I may be an outlier here, but I was hoping the love triangle thing would not happen, but it seems that is the way it is going. Not a fan.

 

Verdict

The High Tide Murder had a very interesting mystery, but I wasn't a fan of the execution as it felt like it dragged in this latest instalment. I also thought there was a lack of character development as they all felt wooden unemotional. There was a darker element to this book that wasn't fully explored however, and I like the fact the author isn't afraid to dip into darker material when necessary. The actual mystery is heartbreaking, but the way it was written prevented me from being fully invested in what happened. That being said, I really enjoyed the first five books in this series, and will definitely read book seven when it is released as I am hoping this one is an outlier.  

 

Review: The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman

The Man Who Died Twice (Thursday Murder Club, Book #2)

by Richard Osman

Release Date: September 1st, 2021

2021 Penguin

Kindle Edition; 422 Pages

ISBN: 978-0241425428

ASIN: B08YRM9NBM

Audiobook: B08ZJVVB55

Genre: Fiction / Mystery

Source: Review copy from publisher

 

3 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

Elizabeth has received a letter from an old colleague, a man with whom she has a long history. He's made a big mistake, and he needs her help. His story involves stolen diamonds, a violent mobster, and a very real threat to his life.

As bodies start piling up, Elizabeth enlists Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron in the hunt for a ruthless murderer. And if they find the diamonds too? Well, wouldn't that be a bonus?

But this time they are up against an enemy who wouldn't bat an eyelid at knocking off four septuagenarians. Can The Thursday Murder Club find the killer (and the diamonds) before the killer finds them?

 

My Thoughts

The Man Who Died Twice is the second book in the Thursday Murder Club series, and I thought it was highly entertaining.. A clever murder mystery featuring retired professionals in a variety of fields, I loved how it parodied our cultural biases regarding the elderly and their usefulness in society.  A blend of humour and some very serious issues regarding aging made this second instalment a lot of fun.

 

The story is very much character-driven, but was done in such a way as to continue the secrecy of what some of the characters actually did before they retired.  On the outside, Elizabeth was a spy, Joyce a nurse, Ibrahim a psychologist, and Ron a union organizer, but as the threads unwind, you learn they were involved in so much more.  And I thought this was cleverly done by the author as I kept reading to find out more about the characters and their past histories, especially Joyce who confounds me.  It was quite easy to figure out Elizabeth although we are learning only a bit about her, but I really feel like it's Joyce who has the big secret and is being overlooked in a clever way.  All of the characters are very well-written and I enjoyed their banter, both with regards to the mystery as well as to the tongue-in-cheek comments about growing older. 

 

But while I did enjoy the character development, I did think the mystery was a bit weak, which is why I gave it the rating that I did.  When a book is so character-driven, sometimes the plot sinks too much in the background and this is exactly what happened. It tried to be too clever, with a lot of banter between the characters, and thus, the mystery got lost in there somewhere.   I did feel like the whole narrative was executed much better in this instalment as the author tended to focus more on the main characters rather than all of the characters in the story, such as Chris and Donna, which is how it should be, but there were still some pacing issues and it took a while for the main mystery to really get going. 

 

I did appreciate a larger focus on the themes of dementia, PTSD, loneliness, and the difficulties of growing older in a society that seems to devalue the elderly and their contributions.  There are some sharp criticisms of our society revolving these issues and I am glad to see them there as they need to be discussed, especially with a growing older population in many countries.

 

Verdict

The Man Who Died Twice was a fun entry into this series, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Although there were some pacing issues and I felt the mystery was predictable, I did like the character development and thought the way the author incorporated issues into the plot was quite clever.  I am looking forward to many more books in this series; I have already read the third book, and am looking forward to the fourth book when it is released next September.

 

Review: Murder by the Shore by Gretta Mulrooney

Murder by the Shore (D.I. Siv Drummond, Book #4)

by Gretta Mulrooney

Release Date: May 19, 2022

2022 Joffe Books

Kindle Edition; 304 Pages

ISBN: 978-1804052341

ASIN: B09XY2NB9N

Genre: Fiction / Mystery

Source: Review copy from publisher

3.75 / 5 Stars

Summary

Welcome to Seascape house.
A beautiful family home by the coast. Where someone is hiding a terrible secret.

Lyra Pullman has been waiting for this day. Her fourth birthday party. But when her guests come knocking, she is nowhere to be found.

Little Lyra lies dead in the Wendy house at the bottom of the garden. Suffocated.

Her grandad couldn’t save her because he’s been murdered too. In a mess of blood and rainbow cake.

My Thoughts

Murder by the Shore is the fourth book in the D.I. Siv Drummond mystery series, and while extremely well-writen as well as interesting, the denouement just didn't seem to fit in the spirit of the overall story, as if the author was really looking for reasons for why someone would act as they did.  I mean, the person killed a child, so it had to be believable and for me, it didn't quite work.

 

I enjoyed the characters in this book and thought they were all interesting. DI Siv Drummond is my favourite character and she really carries the reader through the book as you learn a lot of the secrets, twists and turns, through her narrative. Though still dealing with her grief at the loss of her husband, she is attempting to enter the dating market again, something I find interesting as I can't even imagine having to do something like that after having been married for so long.  Siv is not an easy character to get to know, but I definitely empathized with her need to be alone and to experience that feeling of isolation, she is still grieving after all.  

 

The other characters were well-written as well, but the parents do seem somewhat stereotypical in nature, with the dad coming across as this unfeeling, self-absorbed person, and the mother coming across as a bundle of nerves with something to hide.  While well-written and interesting, there wasn't a lot of depth to them.  I was fascinated by the sisters' relationship as well and thought the author could have developed that a bit more.

 

The plot moved quite quickly, with some interesting twists and turns, some of them predictable. Personally, it didn't take long to figure out why the dad was so distant although I did think his reaction was a bit extreme.  I thought the author did a good job peeling away the layers of the story to reveal the information as the investigation progressed in such a way that allowed the reader to figure things out rather than lead the reader along. I hate being spoon-fed information and prefer to figure things out so this was more to my style.  I also appreciated the descriptions of the area as it seems like a beautiful location.  

 

Verdict

Murder by the Shore was an interesting murder mystery, full of twists and turns, even if some of them were predictable.  With a host of intriguing characters, especially the DI, it made the reading experience that much more fun. I did have a problem with the actual mystery, in particular the ending, as I thought it was a bit far-fetched and didn't seem to match the overall spirit of the story and the characters, but it did make me think how past actions can affect future ones.  This can be read as a standalone, but I do recommend reading the previous instalments to get background information on DI Drummond.