Crime Thriller set in Northumberland (+ top tips for visiting the county below)

• Book: Monument to Murder (Kate Daniels 4)
• Location: Bamburgh, Northumberland
• Author: Mari Hannah

Review Author: tripfiction

“The surf was pounding the shore, great white waves rolling further and further inland before being absorbed into the sand”

This is the fourth in the DCI Kate Daniels series, set this time along the coastal areas of north Northumberland, mainly Bamburgh, down to Low Newton-by-the-Sea and Alnwick.

Britain’s northerly and least populated county is in the grip of Winter, snow showers have forced the investigating team to set up an investigation room in a B & B in Alnwick, as they look into the discovery of the skeletons of two young females, buried within spitting distance of the imposing, fairy tale castle at Bamburgh, overlooked by Holy Island. At the time of burial, both girls had been dressed in specific clothing, and certain items are to become key to the investigation…. it almost seems like there is a devotional element in the way the bodies have been buried in the sand.

Meanwhile, over at HMP Northumberland Emily McCann is getting back to her work in the psychological services of the prison, having had time off to mourn the death of her husband Robert. At home her daughter Rachel has responded to her father’s death in a way that has caused her mother great concern – Rachel has closed down, become erratic and secretive, they just cannot communicate and be supportive to each other at this difficult time. At the prison, Emily is becoming increasingly alarmed by the behaviour of Walter Fearon, a prisoner who is due to be released, but who has pronounced psychopathic tendencies; his beady focus is on her. Will anyone take her seriously?

Kate’s team is hard pressed to make sense of the burials, Nominal 1 and Nominal 2 (we learn that only the media refer to older, unsolved cases as “cold cases”), but the team, under Kate’s direction, pulls together well. A couple of new members and old stalwarts all bring skills to the investigation. But Kate’s focus is not only on this investigation, she is also struggling with the unresolved ending of her personal relationship with Jo Soulsby (is the lingering flame sufficient to reignite the relationship?), and she is hard pressed to offer her friend Emily her support, who seems to be losing the plot. Kate is overwhelmed by the demands of her work, her frantic lifestyle as a DCI is palpable. The fast pace of developments and dead ends keep the reader engrossed as the story develops. Find out how the two storylines dovetail….

This review first appeared on our blog and on the post we offer a few top tips for your visit to Northumberland.

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