The Shell House Detectives by Emylia Hall - a series launch

Ally Bright is a recent widow living with her dog in the picturesquely named Shell House on the Cornish coast. Like any of us, she is startled when a young man bangs on her door late at night. It turns out that Ally’s husband Bill, a compassionate policeman, had put this young man in prison but offered to help him when he got out. When Lewis was released, he returned home, only to find that his grandmother’s house is gone – an ostentatious new house, Sea View, has been built there instead.

When the owners abruptly tell him she is dead, Lewis freaks out and seeks the only person who ever tried to help him, not knowing Bill is also deceased. Ally offers to call someone for him but he leaves, very upset. The next day, she and her dog learn his body has been found on the beach, possibly a suicide. Also, Helena Hunter, the woman who lives in Sea View, is missing and the local police (not as fair-minded as Bill) are sure that Lewis was involved.

Jayden, a former police officer, is another witness to the discovery of Lewis’s body. He recently moved to Cornwall with his pregnant wife and is at loose ends, although has been helping out on his father-in-law’s farm. When he reaches out to Ally, they pool their knowledge and are convinced the police are not doing enough to find out what really happened. It also turns out that Lewis’s father died in the exact same place as his son, twenty years earlier, and it was also considered a suicide. It was Bill’s case and that was why he felt especially bad when Lewis committed a robbery. Jayden contacted Detective Skinner, who is investigating Lewis’s death and was stung when the man condescendingly told him to stop playing detective, which he shares with Ally.

“Playing detective?” she says, and her quick outrage makes him smile. “He really said that to you? Right, okay, in that case . . . perhaps we should give him something to really talk about. Jayden, I did some digging earlier. Can I tell you about it?”

“Definitely yes.”

He hears her take a breath. And he feels a fizzle of anticipation.

I suspected the Cornwall policeman's disdain is partly because Jayden is of mixed race and from the big city (Leeds - over 800,000!), as well as his having heard that Jayden "washed out" of the police.  While Ally and Jayden team up to solve the mystery of Lewis’s death and Helena’s disappearance – and are more successful than the police – the real appeal of this book is the development of their relationship, despite the 30 years or so age difference, and how it gives purpose to both of them at a time when both are floundering. Ally considers herself quiet compared to her outgoing husband and has been wondering if she should move to Australia, where her daughter and grandsons live. Jayden was a policeman in an urban area and left the force when he was traumatized after his partner was stabbed to death. He is suffering from a loss of self-esteem and hasn’t been sure what to do next. 

It is lovely to see their friendship evolve, despite the age difference, and to see them both gain confidence. When Jayden proposes that they continue their partnership and carry on as detectives, it seems like a great opportunity for each – and there is clearly not a dearth of crime on the Cornwall coast (at least in fiction) because the author has published four additional books since this came out! This was a solid series launch with an appealing location, and it will be interesting to see how the series develops.

This is at least my twenty-first book for the Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge.  Thanks to Cath for recommending this book: her review is here.

Title: The Shell House Detectives
Author: Emylia Hall
Publication: Thomas & Mercer, paperback, 2023
Genre: Mystery/series
Source: Library