Thursday, June 10, 2021

The Trawlerman by William Shaw

First Line: Something really, really bad was about to happen.
 
Due to the events that occurred in Grave's End, DS Alexandra Cupidi finds herself suffering from PTSD and on leave from the police force. There have been two constants in Cupidi's life: her daughter Zoë and her work. With Zoë showing signs of restlessness and wanting to fly the nest, it's Cupidi's natural inclination to bury herself in her work... but she can't. It's not a happy time.
 
Then the grisly murder of a married couple takes place right up the road from Cupidi's house. No forensic evidence was left behind, just a cryptic message and a report from the local pub of two ghostlike figures seen leaving the scene of the crime. With her partner Jill Ferriter seemingly at a loss, Cupidi just can't stay away from the case, and she's soon conducting her own investigation.
 
It's not long before she uncovers some interesting facts. The murdered couple appear to have lost all their savings in a bad investment-- an investment that Cupidi's friend Bill South also put money into. This only adds further incentive to Cupidi's going against orders. Besides, she's also uncovered some interesting secrets in the fishing village of Folkestone, and she just has to see where that information leads her, too.  

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This continues to be one of my favorite series due to its perfect combination of characterization, mystery, and sense of place. There are two juicy mysteries to solve: the murdered couple who lost all their money in a bad investment, and the death of a fisherman who was supposedly washed overboard one dark night. Both are strong and keep readers guessing, and both show how brilliantly intuitive Alexandra Cupidi is as an investigator. She asks questions that never occur to the other police officers. After all, what does a grocery order have to do with the brutal deaths of two people?

Alexandra Cupidi is at the heart of this book and of the entire series. Only two things bring real meaning to her life: her daughter and her job. Daughter Zoë is a force of nature just like her mother, and she's at the age where she wants to stretch her wings and fly her own path. PTSD has given a whole different perspective to Cupidi's life. She's undergoing therapy. She experiences panic attacks, and readers aren't always certain if what she's seeing and feeling is real.

Everything is so serious to Cupidi that the occasional flashes of humor-- especially between her and Zoë-- are a delightful surprise. Reading the entire series (which I highly recommend everyone do, beginning with the excellent The Birdwatcher) shows us Cupidi, a big city girl, slowly acclimating to life on the marshes of southeastern England. It's an elemental landscape that Shaw brings to life, and I enjoy watching Cupidi getting used to it.

The metamorphosis of Alexandra Cupidi has been at the very heart of this entire series. From a woman who's relentless in her push for justice, her push for the win, she's gradually realizing that there's a very real cost to others in her stubborn insistence on the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Alexandra Cupidi has always wanted her world to be black and white. In this series, she's finding out that the world also has infinite shades of gray. Her journey is a fascinating one that I sincerely hope all of you will share. I can't wait to read her next chapter.

The Trawlerman by William Shaw
ISBN: 9781529401820
riverrun © 2021
Hardcover, 336 pages
 
Police Procedural, #5 Alexandra Cupidi mystery
Rating: A
Source: Purchased from Amazon UK

15 comments:

  1. This series is new to me, excellent review, thanks for sharing

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    1. You're welcome, Shelleyrae. It's an excellent series, and I hope you get a chance to read it.

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  2. New to me as well. Sounds like a very good series.

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  3. Alexandra really sounds like an interesting character, Cathy. And the seaside setting for this one is enough to pique my interest. I really shouldn't start a new-to-me series right now, but this does sound like such a good one...

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    1. It is, and you'll wind up kicking yourself if you don't read it!

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  4. Love your review of this new addition to the series. It reminds me that the third book in the series, Deadland, is just not going to turn up at my library despite my request that they buy a few copies for the system. And it's not available in Kindle format. I've been procrastinating on buying a paperback copy because it's part of a series...and the collector bug in me doesn't feel right about owning just one book in a series...although, I suppose, I may end up with the same problem with the book that follows. I really need to bug the library again because I can't imagine why they aren't buying the rest of the series for themselves.

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    1. I guess it's up to folks like us to spread the word and let everyone know just how good this series is.

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  5. Replies
    1. I'll be giving my copy away soon. Stay tuned.

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  6. Thank you for this good report. I enjoy it, too, and Alexandra Cupidi, her daughter, Zoe, and their neighbor, Bill South. Also, the scenery is part of the books' assets.
    After the last book, no wonder Cupidi has PTSD. Who wouldn't? (Although I'm irked at the circimsunaces which led to the traumas, as they could have been avoided ... although we wouldn't have her with PTSD in this book. So, thus, these are plot devices.)

    I will read this book, as I like this entire series and its main characters. But it's amazing how many murders take place within Cupidi's environment. A bit of a Cabot Cove scenario.

    But it does NOT get boring.

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  7. That is circumstances. I think folks wonder if I"m imbibing gin and tonics at any given time, instead of typing without proper lighting. Aging tyes, need really good light.

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  8. Oy, yes, eyes. Have to really watch my typing late at night.

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Thank you for taking the time to make a comment. I really appreciate it!