Today I am sharing my review of HELL’S HALF ACRE by Jackie Elliott as part of the Blog Tour. This is book 2 in the brilliant COFFIN COVE series set in Canada. Available from Amazon at a special release price of 99p/c for a limited period.
HELL’S HALF ACRE (Coffin Cove #2) by Jackie Elliott
Format – Kindle
Publisher – JOFFE BOOKS
Publication Date – 11th May 2021
Genre – Crime Fiction
Author – Jackie Elliott
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AN ADDICTIVE MUST-READ WHODUNNIT FROM THE NEWEST TALENT IN CRIME FICTION
One betrayal.
Two suspects.
Three murders.
Andrea “Andi” Silvers thought moving to the tiny fishing village of Coffin Cove, on the Vancouver coast, would be a fresh start. But she got shot during a murder investigation.
Her boss at the Coffin Cove Gazette keeps telling her to take it easy. But she’s back on the booze and won’t get help. Instead, she’s going to do what she does best and follow her next lead.
Now Ricky, the former mayor’s son, has disappeared. The police don’t seem to care. Ricky runs the town’s new cannabis shop.
Then two dead bodies are discovered in an abandoned chapel.
Has Ricky finally turned up?
Discover a web of murder and mystery laced with humour and a thread of romance in this fast-paced whodunnit set on the gorgeous coast of Western Canada.
Fans of Joy Ellis, L.J. Ross, Peter Robinson, Thomas King, Louise Penny and Shari Lapena will devour this mesmerizing crime thriller.
WHAT EVERYONE IS SAYING ABOUT HELL’S HALF ACRE:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “This is the second book in the Coffin Cove series and it’s even better than the first . . . I am really enjoying this series and looking forward to the next book.” Barbara
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Really good mystery including a wiiiiiiiiide range of characters, few of whom you can be really sure of. Leaves you wanting more.” Paul
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Very talented author. I can’t get enough of the story.” Sasha
⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Heart-racing, action-packed, race against time for fear of what diabolical atrocities might be next has the pages flying by until the dynamite finish. I couldn’t put the book down and lost sleep just to get to the end.” Kirsty
MEET ANDI SILVERS
Andrea “Andi” Silvers is an investigative journalist in her late thirties. She is driven to uncover mysteries and expose truths. She’s attracted to local fisherman Harry Brown, and he’s interested in her, but he won’t engage in a casual relationship. It’s all or nothing for him.
THE SETTING
Coffin Cove is a town of contradictions. It was once a thriving community on Canada’s beautiful Pacific coast, surrounded by spectacular nature. But the town’s stunning ocean front is marred by an ugly pulp mill and abandoned fish plant. Fiercely close-knit, kindness and community spirit are hindered by suspicion and mistrust of outsiders.
COFFIN COVE MYSTERIES
Book 1: COFFIN COVE
Book 2: HELL’S HALF ACRE
My Review
This is book 2 in the Coffin Cove Mysteries series and although it does work well as stand alone I would recommend you reading book 1 first to get to know the characters.
The story begins with a group of boys ‘hunting’ another boy. The significance of this event doesn’t become clear until later in the book.
Andi is recovering from being shot and is not officially back at work when she is asked, by Sandra Havers, to investigate the disappearance of her son, Ricky. Ricky has been missing for some time but he is an adult so although the RCMP had gone through the motions of investigating the general opinion was that he had chosen to leave Coffin Cove and was living a life elsewhere.
Clara and Kate are looking for interesting historical sites for the Heritage event and go in search of the ruins of an old Chapel deep in the wilderness. They find much more than they were looking for as a skeleton is uncovered. This sets in motion a series of events that will affect everyone in Coffin Cove.
This is a very intriguing story that had me hooked from the very beginning. Secrets, drugs, bullying, revenge, love and hate all play a part and there are many red herrings along the way as Andi and Andrew try to uncover the many secrets hidden. Secrets the residents of Coffin Cove want to keep hidden.
The characters are realistic and intriguing and the potential is there to develop them further despite growing over the course of the first 2 books.
An excellent read and very much looking forward to more in this series.
Thank you to the author and Joffe Books for the advance copy.
JACKIE ELLIOTT
Jackie is originally from the UK, but she settled on Vancouver Island, Canada in 2004. She’s married to Bob, a commercial fisherman and accomplished storyteller – like most fishermen!
It was a culture shock to swap a fast-paced city life for Island living. It wasn’t at all how Jackie had expected. She was intrigued by the pioneer spirit of their small communities, and the fight to hang on to traditional ways of living. In her experience, small towns ‘with a heart’ have claws and teeth as well and that makes the perfect back drop for a good murder!
When Jackie’s not writing, she is gardening, reading, or poking around local museums, looking for inspiration.
BOOKS BY JACKIE ELLIOTT
COFFIN COVE MYSERIES SERIES:
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COFFIN COVE
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HELL’S HALF ACRE
I am always on the look out for bloggers and reviewers if you are interested you can sign up via the links below:
Bloggers or reviewers interested in joining Blog tours: https://mailchi.mp/74b299fbb681/bloggersignup
Reviewers who would like the opportunity to review advance copies: https://mailchi.mp/269c6ce3e0d7/stewart-giles-advance-readers
