Metropolitan police detective Eden Driscoll is quite satisfied with his single and childless life, but then the phone call comes. His estranged sister has vanished from her boat, leaving him the responsibility of Finn, a nephew he didn't know he had.
Resettled in the seaside town of Teignmouth, Eden finds adjusting to parenthood to be difficult, but he soldiers on. Problems mount when his sister's body is finally found. Her death is ruled an accident by the local police, but Eden isn't convinced.
Now the only thing he can do is search his sister's life for answers and continue to forge a relationship with a very recalcitrant little boy.
~
Being an unabashed cheerleader for William Shaw's standalone thrillers and his Alexandra Cupidi series, I couldn't wait to get my hands on The Red Shore, the start to a brand new Devon-set crime series. Wow! When my copy arrived from the UK, I jumped right in and was immediately hooked when I met Finn, a scared little boy alone on a boat at sea.
The Red Shore has an atmospheric setting (par for the course for Shaw) and a
fantastic mystery that kept me turning the pages-- and even thinking about it when I was forced to stop reading, but the characters bring this book to an entirely different level. Eden, seemingly satisfied with his life in London, yet unable to escape his unconventional childhood. Finn, a little boy who's scared to death by his mother's disappearance and wants nothing to do with this uncle he didn't know anything about.
While I was trying to figure out the mystery, I was constantly intrigued by the dynamics between Eden and Finn. I have to admit that I found Finn to be very mouthy and abrasive at first, but his circumstances made his behavior make sense, and I did gradually warm up to the little boy. (Hey, I'm childless, just like Eden.)
The Red Shore is probably the best book I've read in 2025, and I cannot wait for the next book in the series. Write faster, Mr. Shaw!
The Red Shore by William Shaw
ISBN: 9780008720407
Hemlock Press © 2025
Hardcover, 384 pages
Police Procedural, #1 Eden Driscoll
Rating: A+
Source: Purchased from Amazon UK.
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