By Kate Rhodes @K_RhodesWriter
Published by Simon & Schuster UK https://www.simonandschuster.co.uk/ @simonschusterUK
445 pages ISBN 9781398510326
Publication date 27 October 2022
The Brutal Tide is the sixth book in The Isles of Scilly Mysteries featuring Ben Kitto. Click on the links to read my reviews of the first five books in the series Hell Bay, Ruin Beach, Burnt Island, Pulpit Rock and Devil’s Table.
I was forwarded an electronic copy in exchange for a fair review. I would like to thank Tracy @Tr4cyF3nt0n from Compulsive Readers http://www.compulsivereaders.com/ for the opportunity to take part in the #TEAMSCILLY review project. My review of Hangman Island the seventh novel in the series will be posted on this blog later in February.
The Cover
A dark, foreboding and dramatic cover which fits in with the rest of the series. The location may look a little generic, but the force and explosive energy of the waves perfectly reflect the finale.
My review
The action returns to Bryher where Ben Kitto lives and where the series started with Hell Bay. A husband-and-wife team of architects have an audacious development planned for the island, that combines an activity centre with cutting edge building design. The development has gained official approval, though not everyone appreciates the glass and steel creation that will cascade down the cliffs. They are hoping that Ben’s respect and popularity on the Island will win folk over, but when he makes a visit to see progress on site, disaster strikes. An earthmover uncovers more than just soil, there is a skeleton. Initial thoughts that the skeleton is an ancient burial but then an expert dates it as no more than twenty or thirty years. Ben has a cold case on his hands, problem enough but the builders want to continue working.
Back in London trouble is brewing. Ruthless gang leader Craig Travis has cancer and is close to death, but someone appears to be seeking to avenge those that brought him down. When Ben was working undercover he infiltrated Travis’ gang and was instrumental in bringing him to justice. Ben is warned formally by his old boss, but he believes he is safe enough far away in the Scilly Isles. Besides, Nina is heavily pregnant and with the birth of their first child and a cold case to solve Ben has enough to contend with.
With any long running series, it helps to keep reader engagement by making changes, and this sixth instalment differs in style from the previous five. Firstly, there are two active strands, one set in the Scilly Isles, the other on the mainland, before they coalesce, and both provide echoes of the past. Then there is the introduction of the cold case, Ben is not a cold case specialist, but as the lead investigator on the group of remote islands the task falls into his lap. Naturally this is something he comes to relish and attacks it with his usual gusto. The mainland section centres on revenge, of a bloody visceral form and is certainly more graphic than the reader has become accustomed too. This brings a real coldness to the thread that is enhanced when the identity of the perpetrator is known, and the exploration of this complex character helps to add depth and texture. Truly a case of nurture over nature, with a touching glimpse of what might have been, will be registered by the even hardest of reader hearts.
The slow cold case balances perfectly against the action-packed finale, that includes a chase, a race against time and plenty of jeopardy. A true thriller that suddenly explodes with gripping effect.
For the regulars the story is an emotional rollercoaster. Nina is close to giving birth, with mixture of excitement and concern that it brings but something as (apparently) trivial as baby names is causing angst. Ben is bothered by Nina wanting to use her late husband’s name if it is a boy, a silly concern due to his surprising lack of confidence and understanding of the woman he wants to marry. When the naming does come it is inspired.
Zoe is back on the island, visiting with husband Dev, but all is not well, she is probably at her lowest ebb. Kind-hearted Dev cannot seem to reach her, to mend her hurt, and is despondent. She is even refusing to see her lifelong friend Ben, which shows how low she has got, but Nina and Ben are determined to help her in their own ways.
Even uncle Ray has being paying his cards so close to his chest that Ben is unaware of one aspect of his life. That Ray ends up being tied to the cold case provides some introspection for Ben and a rebuke from DCI Madron (a maligned character but one essential to make the mix work).
The Brutal Tide part procedural, part thriller, adds a welcome dash of fear and adrenaline to the ‘locked island mystery’ set up.
The Brutal Tide can be purchased via the publisher’s website here
The author
Kate Rhodes is an acclaimed crime novelist and an award-winning poet. She lives in Cambridge with her husband, the writer and film-maker Dave Pescod, and visited the Scilly Isles every year as a child, which gave her the idea for this series. She is one of the founders of the Killer Women writing group.
Source: Publisher’s website
Peter turns the page 