Rod Reynolds is fast becoming a favourite author of mine and therefore I was delighted to be able to join the blog tour for his latest Black Reed Bay.
Black Reed Bay starts with a panicked phone call to the police from a woman who is running away from an upmarket gated community and believes her life is in danger. The call gets disconnected before the police can find out any more information. Detective Casey Wray is sent to investigate when it seems that the young woman has disappeared without a trace. At first she thinks it is just a simple domestic dispute gone wrong, until more bodies appear and more secrets are uncovered.
This was an interesting story that I very much enjoyed. What I really liked was the pace of the novel, the only way I can think to describe it is an ebb and flow of a novel. Everytime I felt like it was slowing down and I was going to take a break something shocking was thrown in and I had to keep reading. This is a really atmospheric book and the contrast between the perceived privedged background of a rich gated community and the dark misery of the criminal world gives it an extra depth.
The character of Casey was interesting, there was enough of a back story given to make her seem real, yet there was a sense that there were hidden depths not explored in this story. She works hard and clearly cares about her cases but not to the detriment of everything else.
There was lots going on within Black Reed Bay and at one point it’s difficult to see how on earth things are all going to be tied up. However Rod Reynolds manages to wrap all of them up neatly in a satisfying end. Overall a great story.
To find out what others though of Black Reed Bay visit the other stops on the tour.
A crime readers blog 