Evie was living a good life as the second wife of Robert Mead....that is until he drops dead of a heart attack and Evie finds out there was much about her very rich husband she didn't know. To start with it turns out he left her broke. Then a letter surfaces, the classic "to be read in case of my death" sort of missive. It's a good thing that Evie's sister Margot has flown from LA to support her sister in her time of need. The letter tells her that he loaned somebody a whole lot of money and took a hotel as collateral for the loan. Now it's hers. Margot it ready to go see it even though it is on Tregarrick, a remote island in the Scilly island chain 28 miles off the coast of Cornwall. Even calling it a birders paradise and that its climate resembles the French Riviera - it's still remote. But off the sisters go to see what Evie has inherited. And then the fun begins.
The sisters want to check it out without tipping their hand but that plan falls apart and the hotel owner insists that he is the owner and never heard of her husband. If so, why are there photos of him in the man's office? Well one thing leads to another, a murderer strikes and Evie and Margot, as outsiders, have to investigate or take the rap for the crimes.
This is a classic locked room mystery as the island keeps them prisoner at high tide. The killer is amongst them. The puzzle is well plotted and the various island residents are a colorful lot. The banter between Evie and Margot is great with Margot taking the lead from the start when poor Evie is stunned by the sudden shambles of her life. I have already added the next book in the series, Danger at the Cove due out August 17, 2021, to my must be read list.
My thanks to the publisher Minotaur and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Death at High Tide by Hannah Dennison is the first in the Island Sisters Mystery series. The series has great promise.
I love the idea of an older hotel on an island. The sisters make a great team. and are likeable as are some of the area residents. Even with multiple murders, it was easy to know the guilty party.
Hopefully the next in the series won't be so easy to figure out who done it..
I was given an ARC by the publisher and NetGalley for an honest review,

(sorry for the late post--I thought I had reviewed this one!)

This was a terrific cozy, and I had been anticipating it, since I did quite like Dennison's Honeychurch series (although that series had been running a bit out of puff for me, honestly). I thought the setting sounded intriguing as well as the premise of a woman inheriting a hotel in the Isles of Scilly off the Cornish coast. It delivered just what I was looking for.
Main character Evie was endearing--both grieving and yet tentatively curious about this mysterious inheritance. Her sister Margot, a bossy and somewhat superficial Hollywood producer, was longer to take to, but when she revealed some vulnerability she became a stronger character.

Sometimes you are just in the mood for a cast of weird characters, a tricky plot and a bit of an adventure. It was a bit like a grown-up Famous Five mystery, which in itself is not a bad thing when you are in the mood!

I went into this 1st in a new series book by author having read both her Vicky Hill and Honeychurch Hall cozy mystery series. I also am a fan of mysteries that have sister amateur sleuths.
The 2 sisters Evie and Margot.travel to the coast of Cornwall England to look into a hotel that Evie may have inherited with the passing of her husband Robert.
The 1st murder did not occur until half way through the book. Generally that is too far into the read for me, but I will admit it did allow for background information regarding the island and the hotel.A second murder happens shortly after and the story really takes off from there from information to action with many twists. I will read the next in the Iland Sisters series . Hopefully the sisters characters will be more in the forefront.

I was given an Advanced Copy of this book. Thanks to Minotauer Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to review

Evie Mead's older husband Robert suddenly dies of a heart attack. Then Evie gets another shock when their accountant Nigel informs Evie that she is penniless. But a forgotten note indicates Evie may own the rights to an old hotel on Tregarrick Rock in the remote Isles of Scilly off the coast of Cornwall. Evie's brash sister Margot, a film producer in Los Angeles, has arrived to support her. Together they abruptly take a precarious trip to see Tregarrick Rock.

Once there, Evie and Margot are both intrigued and dismayed at the state of the hotel. Its Art Deco facade and tacky 1970s decor are a wild clash of styles. And owner Jago Ferris claims to have never met Robert, let alone borrowed money from him. But framed photos of Jago with his artist wife Tegan with Robert and his first wife Joanna are found by Evie in the hotel. Evie and Margot want to leave but the high tides have cut off the hotel from the mainland so they are forced to stay overnight.

The next day, Evie go searching for Margot who has been acting strangely, and ends up finding Jago's body at the base of the cliff path. A bashed-in head indicates that Jago's death was no accident. Then eccentric elderly hotel resident Lily is found dead in her bed by Evie. There are signs that Lily was smothered to death with her embroidered cushion.

The tiny police constabulary arrives on scene and Penny quickly suspects the outsiders, Evie and Margot, are responsible for the murders. It's up to Evie and Margot to wade through a bunch of long-held secrets to find the motives for the murders and the real killer.

This was an ok debut mystery. There was a lot of setup and the murders did not occur until more than halfway through the story. The main protagonists were not that likeable, especially the annoying Margot. The identity of the killer was pretty obvious from early on.

I received an eARC from Netgalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur books with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

I adore Hannah Dennison’s Honeychurch Hall series, so I was really pleased when another series turned up, and set in such a great creepy location too. The author is great with characters, and that’s obvious here, and I enjoyed pretty much all of them. I knew who the killer was quite quickly, but the journey was entertaining and I didn’t mind it one bit that it took Evie a while to get there. Loved the cat too! Hope to see more of the cat in future books.


Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Death at High Tide is a first-rate combination of the credible characters of a cozy mystery and the joy of solving a difficult crime.

Evie’s husband, Robert has died from a heart attack. Her sister, the flamboyant film producer, Margot, arrives from California to provide moral support during the funeral. Nigel, Robert’s attorney, has some bad news. Robert, and now Evie, are almost flat broke. Even their house must be sold. Luckily, Evie’s luck changes when she discovers she owns an entire hotel on Tregarrick Rock in the faraway Isles of Scilly off the Cornish coast.

However, when they arrive, they find a fixer-upper of a property with a family who has owned the entire island for centuries. Worse, there is a murder. And worst of all, a neap tide prevents the sisters from leaving the island where a murderer is still at large!

Death at High Tide is an original fusion of a cozy mystery and an Agatha Christie-style amateur detective tale. Everyone is a suspect with a motive to kill the victim. Everyone had the means to commit the crime. But who had the opportunity? The mystery was a challenge to solve though all the clues were in plain sight.

The ongoing characters of Evie and Margot are just fun to spend time with. The sisters’ relationship is genuine. Their romantic lives are realistic as are their reactions to the actions of others. I can’t wait to catch up with their lives in the next book in this series! 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 stars!

Thanks to Minotaur Books, Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours, and Edelweiss+ for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Death at High Tide paints a wonderful picture of the rugged English coast. Ms. Dennison's descriptive powers bring the area and its inhabitants to life. Each character is unique and their position in the mystery is woven into the plot in a masterful way.

I enjoy Hannah Dennison's writing, especially her Honeychurch Hall series, but my reaction to Death at High Tide was decidedly lukewarm. The setting is perfect, and a lot can be done with the tired old hotel, but the problems arose in both plot and characterization.

Whodunit was altogether too easy to deduce. I had strong suspicions the first time a character was introduced, and I was certain I was right shortly thereafter. That always takes some of the sparkle out of the proceedings. However, there were some excellent red herrings and damsel in distress segments.

Then there were the characters. Detective Sergeant Patricia Williamson didn't set well with me. I found her sense of humor difficult to fathom, and most of the time she seemed more interested in her latest date than in doing any sort of policing. Evie was much too timid, and I don't think the reasons why can all be laid at the feet of grief. My reaction to Evie's sister Margot was swift and sure. For much of the book, she's a diva-- a type of person I have very little use for. For a weekend getaway she packs enough designer labels for a two-month stay. When warned about the swiftness of the tide and the difficulty of getting to Tregarrick Rock, she purposely drags her feet and takes as long as possible to do what she needs to do. And she's the sort who needs a four-member Beck-and-Call Staff to do her bidding. By book's end, the detective sergeant and Margot have changed a bit, but will it be enough for me?

The jury's still out and probably will be until the next book in the series makes its appearance.

A nice start to a new cozy series set in the Isles of Scilly! Margot more or less pushed her grieving sister Evie into traveling to Tregarrick Rock to look at the hotel she might have inherited from her deceased husband. Her husband, btw, left her pretty much nothing else and it's not even clear if she or Jago Ferris, to whom her husband lent money, actually owns the place. Evie's nice and sympathetic, Margot, a Hollywood producer, not so much. It's clear something's up on Tregarrick, with a whole cast of characters (starting with Jago) and, best of all, a cat with an instagram account. When someone is murdered (no spoilers from me), this becomes a locked island mystery because it's high tide and there's no way to get off the island. Evie and Margot are suspects of course, being outsiders, but there's more afoot and they uncover the true villain. I liked this for the unusual setting and the contrast between the sisters, who no matter what support one another. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. Looking forward to the next one.

It is always fun to get in at the beginning of a new series. This cozy mystery features 2 sisters who take a trip to an old hotel in Scilly, off the coast of Cornwall. Evie’s husband has just died and they find a note stating they may have a claim to this hotel. Once there, they meet an unusual group of people, murder and chaos ensue.

Cozies the golden age of detective fiction. This was my first read of this genre and I found I really liked it. The premise is simple but it works and now the main characters.
Evie Meads husband has died and her future is uncertain. She stands to inherit a hotel on one of the Isles of Scilly so what do you do, well you get this wonderfully, hairbrained idea that you go out there and see what is all like.
An island and the people dependent on the tide, all of secrets and all have something to loose. The book kept me engaged and it was fun to read. Rachel’s sleuthing is very low key, subtle but it works.
However at times it was glaringly clear to the reader (or me) who the culprit was.
I look forward to continuing with this series.

The description calls it delightful, and I have to agree. I enjoyed learning a little about the island of Scilly. A little more character development would be nice, but I somewhat expect that in future installments. Review copy provided by the publisher and Netgalley, all opinions my own.

Death at High Tide by Hannah Dennison is a fabulous start to a new series with two marvelous sleuths and a very different setting.

Will Evie and Margot figure out who the killer is before one of them are next?

Evie and Margot
Two sisters, one freshly widowed and one on the way to divorce. Both unsure of the future and looking for clarity and hope. So, a sisters' weekend to a small island in the off-season (November) at a luxury hotel. Ok, so luxury is a stretch, but the hotel grounds are beautiful, even if the owner is rude, obnoxious, and overbearing.
I like Evie, although I believe that she is mousey and perhaps slightly gullible. However, she wasn't the only one taken in by the killer. She had a wonderful husband, even if he was older. You can tell from her memories that she loved him. It seemed like Evie was slow, figuring it all out, but honestly, it all hit her once.

Margot is a riot. Although her husband is a cad and never deserved her. Margot throws some of the craziest stuff out there. She will be an excellent funny man to Evie's seriousness. These sisters are going to shake up the Scilly Isles and give the locals something to talk about.

The Mystery
The mystery was good. I figured it out about halfway through. The flow is outstanding, and the plotting is spot on. The writer's style is brilliant, knowledge of pop culture, and the whole "Doctor Dolittle" vicar is very entertaining. Seriously, Star Wars is everywhere. The hotel with the Art deco parts and then the 1970s theme (complete with shag carpet) in the main areas is crazy. I can imagine how crazy it all seemed to Evie and Margot.

Five Stars
I laughed out loud in many places; these sisters are hilarious. I especially love their snark with each other. My rating for Death at High Tide by Hannah Dennison is five stars. You should check out this first book in this new series; it will make you laugh.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Death at High Tide by Hannah Dennison.

This Guest Review is for Baroness' Book Trove.

Until the next time,
~Jen

If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out BaronessBookTrove.com.

I watch a lot of British television, so when I read the description of Death at High Tide and saw that it was set off the coast of Cornwall, I knew I had to read it. Cornwall is such a beautiful place. Though I've never actually been there in person, I've been there through shows like Doc Martin and Poldark. Through this book I got to travel to a place I've heard of but know nothing about...the Isles of Scilly.

Well, let's just say that after reading Death at High Tide, I'm not sure I'd want to jump in a boat and head there...especially not in the fall. If I were already there, I might be okay. Anyway, Margot did not think things through. When she hears that her recently widowed sister may have inherited the only hotel on Tregarrick in the Isles of Scilly, she immediately makes plans for them to visit it. I've read some reviews for Death at High Tide, and several aren't very kind to Margot. Yes, she comes off brash, pushy and self-centered but keep reading. I think she's probably not always that way (I hope not!). She's got a reason. As for the other characters, they're not extremely likable; however, all of them are going through stuff, and some of them just aren't nice.

When the book ended, I found that I had really enjoyed the mystery, and I understood the characters better. The whodunit is pretty obvious, but how everything plays out still makes putting the clues together and solving the mystery fun. I think you'll feel the same. This is a series that I'm really curious about. I am excited to see how the characters behave in the next book. Give Death at High Tide a read! It earns four stars from me.

This is the first in a new series by this author -- and it's a great start! Really enjoyed this story of two sisters, one of whom may have just inherited an old hotel in one of Britain's Scilly islands. The finances and the will are a little murky, and the financial adviser is pretty cagey, so they decide to go check it out for themselves one weekend to see what they just might be getting in to. The intrigue builds, until there is a murder, and then it builds even faster. Great characters, great setting, and a perfectly paced plot.

DEATH AT HIGH TIDE by Hannah Dennison
The First Island Sisters Mystery

Evie Meade is coming to grips with the sudden death of her husband. Then her accountant tells her she's pretty much broke and could very well even lose her house. Upon discovering Evie may be the owner of a remote hotel due to an unpaid debt, her sister, Margot, decides they should visit for a weekend. The sisters soon discover the residents of Scilly are unique, to say the least. From the animal communicating vicar to the elderly social media junkie, the stalker, and the inhospitable hosts, Tregarrick Rock isn't the most welcoming place. When Evie stumbles upon a dead body, she soon becomes a suspect. However, almost everyone on the island had a motive. Will Evie be able to prove her innocence or die trying?

Although promoted as a cozy mystery I consider DEATH AT HIGH TIDE to be a traditional mystery, and a very atmospheric one at that. The characters are unique, many of whom are quite mercurial in nature...and quite unpleasant. Tregarrick Island is more threatening as a location than comforting. It's intriguing, unique, and has its own mysterious ambience. I love the hotel's Art Deco design...although the 1970s decor can probably go!

The first Island Sisters mystery is full of secrets, love, and betrayal. It starts off slowly, seeming less like a mystery and more like contemporary fiction. While there was a vibe early on that things weren't quite right, the book was half way over before Evie discovered the body. And while danger lurked in the first part of the book, there wasn't true cause for alarm until almost the end. At which point there was a thrilling rush to stay alive.

DEATH AT HIGH TIDE is an atmospheric mystery that looks at relationships, loyalty, and betrayal. With a compelling setting and unusual characters it offers a wealth of possibilities for future books in the series.

This is a first in the Island Sisters Mystery series and the first book by this author that I have read. I have several marked as want to read but haven’t gotten around to them.

I found the cover inviting and the description intriguing. This is the third series I have read that the island is hard to access at high tide. The premise is very different. Evie may be the inheritor of a hotel/spa when her husband suddenly passes away. The current proprietor states he doesn’t know Evie’s husband even though there are pictures up that have both men in them.

Margot comes across as unfeeling and selfish in the beginning of the book. I found the book’s pace well set.
Looking forward to the next installment.

I was given an advanced reader’s copy from Netgalley. I am not required to leave a positive review.

I definitely chose Death at High Tide based on the cover. Which is a credit to the designer and illustrator. It’s a fun cover and conveys that it is a cozy mystery. I was thrown off at first hearing that protagonist Evie Mead’s husband just died and that he is over 20 years older than her and that she actually loved him. I almost quit right there and reader I’m glad I didn’t. This fun cozy mystery starring sisters on location to the British island of Scilly saved my sanity this week. I read it during lunches at work and was transported away from a world of face masks and hand sanitizer to a mystery that honored the golden age of detective novels and gave a nod to Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. This was fun and unexpected with a cute cat to boot! Give this new series by Hannah Dennison a shot!

Death At High Tide is a new series by Hannah Dennison. For me, it was a cross between a cozy mystery and a soap opera. Everyone has a secret and they all unfold as the story progresses. The cozy mystery did keep me guessing! Evie Mead's husband recently died so her sister Margot Chandler comes to visit and help. Evie finds out she may be inheriting Tregarrick Hotel on the Isles of Scilly. Needing a distraction, the two sisters decide to visit the island for the weekend. Unfortunately, the tide is dangerous and the ferry only runs at random times so they are stranded with all of these odd people. About halfway through the book, an island resident is killed. Evie and Margot are visitors so they are prime suspects because of their reason to be there and their interactions. Margot is a film producer in LA so their cover story to visit the island is they are doing a site investigation for a possible movie shoot on the island. They are suspicious of everyone and everyone is suspicious of them which is where it resembles a soap opera. I can't decide if I like any of the characters or not including Evie and Margot. The sister's relationship was a bit distant. All of the secrets and the cozy mystery kept me interested so it was enjoyable. #NetGalley. #DeathAtHighTide