Another book for RIP XIX!
On a terrible stormy night, the Greystone lifeboat crew is called out to rescue a fishing boat in danger. When they reach the boat, it is not a fishing vessel but a tender with a naked body in it. The body is that of Jem Rosco, a former local boy turned famous adventurer who has been staying in the village for a few weeks, saying he was awaiting a visitor.
Although no one knows who the visitor may be, Alan Ford, the father of lifeboat helm Mary, reports seeing a blond woman walking towards Rosco’s rented house in the early hours. However, Matthew Venn’s team can find no leads about the woman or the car that dropped her off.
Rosco’s past is proving hard to track. His apartment hasn’t been occupied for months, and no one seems to know if he has any surviving relatives.
One possible expected visitor, they find, is Eleanor Lawson, Rosco’s ex-flame who married someone else, Barty Lawson, a local magistrate and commodore of the yacht club. Eleanor claims Rosco was her true love, but Barty clearly despised Rosco from the time they were both boys. Barty doesn’t seem to be a likely murderer, though, as he is regularly driven home drunk from the yacht club.
Venn’s team is having difficulty penetrating the secrets of the village, which contains lots of families belonging to the Barum Bretheren, the cult Matthew grew up in but left. Then Barty Lawson is found dead, apparently having fallen off a cliff. Not only does Matthew think it’s unlikely that Barty was out strolling the cliff trail, but Barty’s body is found at Scully Head, near where the tender containing Rosco’s body was anchored.
I still don’t know what I think about the character Matthew Venn, who seems unknowable. Maybe I prefer Vera or Jimmy Perez because I first encountered them on television, where they immediately assumed distinct personalities. However, Cleeves knows how to keep her readers rivetted as far as plot is concerned.
That said, the motive for the crime in this one seemed absurd and the murders overly complicated. Still, the journey was enthralling.
What? Me Read? 