The weather here in the UK has been rather wonderful as we have had a mini-heatwave. This has involved lots of sitting in our terrace, drinking orange squash and generally enjoying the sun on one's bones. Our weekend was a quiet one but much needed as I recovered from a rather horrid cold. (Honestly, only I can catch a cold in the middle of a heat-wave!)

Read my review of Holy Island by L.J. Ross

My thoughts are now firmly fixed on summer reads. We have booked a rather big holiday for next year and so I am enjoying reading lots of summery books. But I still love my crime. And my next review balances the need for a summery book but with a juicy crime.

The Plot

Gabrielle Adams has it all - brains, beauty and a handsome fiance and a dream job in publishing. Until one day, everything changes.

'The Tube Killer' takes his victims when they least expect it: standing on the edge of a busy London platform, as they wait for a train to arrive through the murky underground tunnels of London.

Gabrielle soon learns that being a survivor is harder than being a victim and she struggles to return to her old life. Desperate to break from the endless nightmare, she snatches up an opportunity to run a tiny bookshop in a picturesque cove in rural Cornwall. She thinks she's found the perfect escape, but has she swapped one nightmare for another.

Suspense and mystery are peppered with romance and humour in this fast-paced thriller, set amidst the spectacular Cornish landscape.

My Thoughts

This was an extremely easy-going, and very readable crime novel and would be perfect for anyone who likes their crime light, set in a beautiful part of the world and with relatively little peril.

Now this is not to say that the idea of someone committing serial murder by pushing unsuspecting women onto the tracks at an underground station is not terrifying, but because the action swiftly moves to Cornwall, the peril feels very far away.

As Gabrielle joins the community in the cove, a collection of a small number of houses, she visibly begins to relax. She throws herself into running the bookshop cafe and as readers, we find ourselves tempted by new releases and sweet treats. There is even a romance with a man recovering from the death of his wife.

Of course we have our suspects, but like the action in London it all feels very far away. Indeed the action level is kept to a minimum and feels almost Agatha Christie-esque. It's delightful. When I think of how utterly terrifying (and excellent) Holy island was, I was ready to read this from behind a cushion. So this was a nice, pleasant summery surprise. Perfect for those relaxing summer holidays.