The Bodies in the Beach

You don't get many novels set in Weston-super-Mare, in fact I can't think of any, so upon the release of this e-book I was intrigued to see what the author had come up with. I know Weston well, having lived there for two and a half years, and my previous experience of books set in places I am familiar with ("The Brothers of Glastonbury", by Kate Seldon) was not a good one, the author of that previous book having clearly used a streetmap rather than a knowledge of the town for her reference. So I ventured into Paul Stephens's fictional "Weston-super-Mare" with caution, expectation and a slight fear that the setting being so familiar would make the narrative difficult to believe - Miss Marple's "St. Mary Mead" could be anywhere, but Weston exists. Dangerous territory!But I need not have feared. The story transcends the location - on one level there is the murder investigation, on another the relationship between the two central characters (Mary, who is one of the Detectives investigating, and Michael, who is a local character who "knows too much"), and on another level the delicately woven fabric of a Weston-super-Mare where Albanian Gangsters share the streets with ex-public school teenagers in flashy cars, and where the highlight of the social week seems to be the Country and Weston themed Karaoke at a pub on the Railway Station platform that bears more than a passing resemblance to "Off the Rails".You know a book is heading in the right direction when you don't want to put it down, when you delay eating because you just want to read a couple more chapters and in this regard the plot in "The Bodies in the Beach" hits the mark. Perhaps because it is his first novel, Paul Stephens packs a punch in pretty much every chapter (and there are rather a lot of chapters!)... from the moment they discover the first body to the eventual post-wrap drink there are many twists and turns. As a long time reader of crime fiction I have become quite used to "working out who did it" halfway through a book (or earlier in some cases) and I am pleased to report that this was not the case here: every time I thought I knew "where it was heading" something else would appear to make me think again.A great first novel, and at £1.99 for download the bargain of the week!!

The Bodies In The Beach is a very British police procedural set in what seems to me to be a faded seaside town, Weston Super Mare or Weston to the locals. It starts with the discovery of a young woman's body buried in the sand close to the pier and introduces Sergeant Mary Miller and her DI who isn't named for the first few chapters, which I found annoying as I like to fix the main characters in my mind from the start. The police get nowhere as there are few clues to the body's identity or the perpetrator until they interview Michael Slade who has extraordinary observational skills, an extremely high IQ and what appears to be some kind of Asperger's Syndrome and who helps them out with his observations. This is not a high octane thriller with loads of action, rather it is a slow accumulation of information leading Mary to a solution and it covers a lot of ground including international diplomacy (the first victim being Polish with rich parents), Albanian gangs, IT, and, above all, the treacherous political waters of modern policing.I found this novel to be quite gripping in an understated way as I found it well plotted and it was hard to guess what was coming next. Mary Miller is a well developed character with a mildly difficult home life but a respected career and whilst this is a bit of a cliche in modern detective fiction it doesn't seem so during the read. Her DI, however, is a bit of a cypher and I didn't feel I got a good fix on him.All in all The Bodies In The Beach is a good read with something for everyone and I would definitely read another book in the series.

I absolutely loved this book. I am a huge fan of coastal resort settings, so the book cover/title was what drew my attention to the novel and I was not disappointed.The whole story gripped from first page to last, the pace, whilst changing, never flagged and my attention was held throughout.I enjoyed seeing the story from the eyes of the DS, rather than via the DI or DCI as is more usual in novels and I felt this allowed more possibility to be in on the action with someone of this rank.A brilliant story, very clever plotting, sympathetic detectives and an absolutely wonderful * assistant *. I do hope he is going to appear in future books of this series, he is a total one off and the star of the show.My only disappointment was in realising that this is the first of the series. I had somehow hoped I might have stumbled across book 5 or 6, then I would have had the pleasure of reading several more books.Am now waiting hopefully for many follow ups !

Almost missed this first book by a local author, so very pleased I didn't because this book marks the debut of a talented and exciting talent. This was an original idea set in a very real and recognisable place but one which could be any English seaside resort struggling with the 21st century. The location matters to the plot and for those of us lucky enough to live here a tremendous bonus, how refreshing to see my town portrayed with such honest affection and in a way, respect. But the plot is a cracker which moves as fast as any, it carries the reader along wonderfully, the only problem being the necessity for sleep! I genuinely couldnt put it down.The plot is a suspense filled crime story worthy of any of our crime writers, it has shocks and twists, great characters and sub plots, and it doesnt disappoint right up to the last page. All I want now is the sequel.