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2025: Winter storms lash the Isles of Scilly
Deadman’s Pool
What you need to know before your trail
Winter storms lash the Isles of Scilly, when DI Ben Kitto ferries the islands’ priest to St Helen’s. Father Michael intends to live as a pilgrim in the ruins of an ancient church on the uninhabited island, but an ugly secret is buried among the rocks. Digging frantically in the sand, Ben’s dog, Shadow, unearths the emaciated remains of a young woman.
The discovery chills Ben to the core. The victim is Vietnamese, with no clear link to the community – and her killer has made sure that no one will find her easily.
The storm intensifies as the investigation gathers pace. Soon Scilly is cut off by bad weather, with no help available from the mainland. Ben is certain the killer is hiding in plain sight. He knows they are waiting to kill again – and at unimaginable cost.
Travel Guide
St Helen’s
St Helen’s is one of the fifty or so uninhabited islands in the archipelago of the Isles of Scilly
On the south side of the island is one of the earliest Christian sites in Scilly, an early medieval religious complex, which is thought to be the remains of St Elidius Hermitage, an 8th-century chapel lived in by Saint Lide.
There are also the remains of an isolation hospital used to quarantine sailors with plague – this pest hospital features in the novel.
Booktrailer Review
Oh I loved this! An instalment in the Scilly Isles series now snapped up by Orenda Books and I am not surprised! This is a great series- lots of drama, twists, great characters and ultimate scene setting. There’s always something unusual about the stories as well- something eerie or harking back to the past, secrets bubbling under the surface etc. Kate Rhodes clearly loves the Scilly isles and you can tell. She has got under the skin…and as this is a crime novel, picked off the scab to find the blood within.
There is a body of a small child found, wrapped in a bag and buried deep on a remote island. Remnants of a bonfire sit nearby. This is an island where no one comes – so this is all very odd. And very sad. There’s snippets of a girl being trapped in a cave somewhere. Someone watching, someone waiting. Jeez, don’t read this if you are of a nervous disposition.
The way this drama plays out is very impressive. Lots of delicious scene setting detail. Wow, the weather and the natural landscape are characters in themselves. This is gloriously done. I was on that remote, raw island, open to the elements as well as a killer…
You don’t find out how all the threads weave together until the end and …yup, its a good ‘un. But it was the journey getting there that was the most impressive for me. Sad, poignant with a sense of desperation and foreboding. This book , with its mix of history, legend and myth just blend with its criminal element, great characters and brilliant scene setting is everything you want from a gripping crime novel and more.
BookTrail Boarding Pass: Deadman’s Pool
Destination/location: Scilly Isles, St Helen’s Author/guide: Kate Rhodes Departure Time: 2025
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