The Corfe Castle Murders (Dorset Crime Book 1)

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DCI Lesley Clarke has promised her new wife that their Scottish honeymoon won’t be spoiled by murder investigations.

But, as always, I’m writing them in a way that means there are no major spoilers if you do read this series first. This summary only scratches the surface of an exceptionally detailed set of records which contain an unusually large number of witness statements and information, providing various ‘subplots’, differing angles on the case, character assessments of the witnesses, accused and their families, indications as to what happened to the murder weapon and allusions to corruption and plotting among some of Poole’s elite. Victims died between 1960 and 2000 and ages range from a newborn baby girl to a 74-year-old grandmother. When a body washes up on the shores of Brownsea Island, DCI Lesley Clarke initially suspects suicide.

If you’ve already read the Dorset Crime books it won’t spoil those, but will give you some background. I do feel, however, that the crossover with Zoe Finch is starting to play too great a part in the stories and that Lesley Clark is beginning to become a caricature of herself. This particular book has a special place in my heart now as it is set on the Isle Of Portland which is where I live!

The stories are good, though maybe a tad unrealistic at times, but you can give the author creative licence as it is fiction after all!

Book 9, The Ghost Village Murders – the final instalment in which the mystery of DCI Mackie’s death is solved. The snippets of information about local places brought back memories - eg climbing up the mound on which Corfe Castle stands, thinking about the French soldiers who were locked into the dungeons.