Sally Rigby, The Lost Girls of Penzance

 

I enjoyed this audiobook set in Cornwall. On her return from leave, DI Lauren Pengelly finds herself rushing unexpectedly to the scene of a crime - a body has been found. However, she finds herself being refused access to the scene, because she hasn't got her ID card with her. Although she tells the unfamiliar officer who she is, he's convinced she's a reporter trying to pull a fast one - he's new on the job, and doesn't know anyone, but has been sent to the scene as the only person available. It's a bad start, Lauren has been rubbed the wrong way, and the new officer, Matt Price, is rather more vulnerable than he'd care to admit. Then, on top of what looks like a historical crime, a child goes missing and things get much more complicated - Pengelly and Price are going to have to work together, whatever their feelings. 

The Cornish setting isn't particularly evident, except in that it's reflected in the accents of some of the characters - quite useful in an audiobook, where it can sometimes be difficult to know exactly who is speaking. One of the reasons I was keen to listen to it is that it's read by Clare Corbett, of whom I have a good opinion. I can be picky about narrators, and she stands out as one of the most reliable.

The two threads of the plot - missing children and the historical crime - weave together quite nicely, ramping up the tension towards the end as personal issues make things more urgent than ever. Pengelly and Price become interesting characters with enough quirks to bode well for future instalments in their partnership (I see a second is promised for next year). If, like me, you prefer murder mysteries that aren't too gritty, then this is for you. I might give some of her other series a try, but I note the words "psychological thriller" and "serial killer" are mentioned, so I suspect I'm on safer ground with this series.

Thanks to Netgalley for a review copy.