Really good read with great characters and the lovely Cornwall location. I enjoyed the descriptions of how the police team worked together. I felt the first chapter from the perpetrator’s POV gave too much of the motive away.

The prologue got this book off to a good start and set expectations for an intriguing plot. The plot itself was interesting although a bit predictable. The characters were shallow and there was a lot of repetition which detracted from the storyline. DI Lauren Pengelly repeatedly experienced chills down her spine and was constantly sighing and taking deep breathes. Also she didn’t appear to drive anywhere without gripping the steering wheel tightly with white knuckles. The whole investigating team seem to be constantly anxious about the case, their career or family matters. They jumped to conclusions and appeared to continually theorise about worst case scenarios. The conclusion was weak and some of the situations were not very realistic. Overall, a quick read but somewhat disappointing.

A quick, easy read. The characters were well-defined, and easy to tell apart, but a bit shallow - I never felt I got to know them well, or connected very deeply. Beautiful location, and the plot developed naturally to a believable, if not very exciting, conclusion.

To be honest, I chose this book as I'm soon going to visit Cornwall, and when I saw the title I knew I had to read it, even if it is already the fifth installment. Luckily for me, it can easily be read as a standalone, I didn't seem to miss any background information to follow the plot.

I liked the story and the characters but it was a bit tame for my taste, almost a cozy mystery. There are no major plot twists and there is an important focus on the personal life of one of the police officers. I guess this is closer to real life than most procedurals where it seems that once you are part of the police force, your personal life is over. The mystery wasn't very difficult to unravel, but still satisfying and there were beautiful descriptions of the surroundings, so I took that as an absolute bonus.
So all in all, an easy read and perfect for the coming summer months!

Thank you NetGalley, Storm Publishing and the author for allowing me to be an early reader. All opinions are my own.

Sally Rigby in Death at Porthcurno Cove sets up what seems to be a suicide by a young couple on the sand of the cove. As the police investigate they find that the man had a gambling habit and that the pair were murdered; they were drugged and then strangled. Suspicion falls on the two families of the dead couple. But who was involved? The moneylender? Romance gone wrong? As the police start peeling back the history of the two dead victims, new suspects emerge. Will the police find the killer in time or will others die? Read and find out.

"Death at Porthcurno Cove” the 5th instalment in A Cornwall Murder Mystery series featuring DI Lauren Pengelly and DS Matt Price by Sally Rigby. This is the first book I have read in the series, if you love mysteries set in Cornwall, England this is for you! An empty ring box and traces of silk fibres found at the crime scene could be vital clues to cracking the case but when another life is on the line, have Lauren and Matt run out of time to catch the killer?

I love visiting Cornwall while not a lot of descriptive scenes as in some books there was just enough to know we were in Cornwall. I liked the dynamics between the investigative team and how they played off each other.

The mystery was really interesting, well plotted, and had just enough twists to keep you engrossed and wanting to know what happens next. There is a secondary storyline, and wow the cliffhanger has me looking out for book 6 as I have a few questions I want answers for hee hee...

I recommend this book to all my cozy lover friends.

I requested and received an Advanced Readers Copy from Storm Publishing and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I had no idea that Death at Porthcurno Cove was the fifth in a series (Cornwall Murder Mystery). I enjoyed it so much that I plan on going back and starting with book 1.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced digital copy.

Death at Porthcurno Cove by Sally Rigby is book 5 in the Cornwall series featuring DI Lauren Pengelly and DS Matt Price. It is published on 19 March 2025. Thank you to Netgalley, Storm Publishing and the author for the advance copy to review. Whilst Lauren is walking her dogs on Porthcurno Beach, she comes across the bodies of a young couple. Initially, it looks like Jasmine and Finley have committed suicide, but they have everything to live for. I love this series. The characters are so genuine. Matt has an aversion to viewing dead bodies, which always lightens the moment, Lauren has been very standoffish but is gradually thawing, and we have Ellie, a character from another series by Sally, who is on secondment to the team. Ellie has slotted into the team very well. It has been fascinating thinking back over the series and seeing how the characters have grown. The emotions of those who are affected are portrayed so well as is the tension as it builds, so many lives affected. I find that there is a lot of empathy flowing through the story. I thought I had guessed who the murderer was, but again I was incorrect.

Lauren, a detective, is walking her dogs on the beach early in the morning when her dogs discover two bodies. A young, newly engaged couple are dead, with a note with the single word ‘Sorry’. What at first appears to be suicide turns quickly into a double murder. There are twists and turns in this story and I did suspect the culprit from the beginning. Seeing how the police solved the crime and the interaction in the tight-knit group made this an excellent read. This is a terrific series, but this will work well as a stand-alone.
Thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

This is book 5 in Sally Rigby's Cornish series featuring Lauren Pengelly and Matt Price. In this story, it is Lauren who discovers the bodies of a young couple on the beach in an apparent suicide immediately after becoming engaged. When the autopsy shows they were drugged and smothered the murder investigation begins. Having read previous books in this series, and living in Cornwall myself, I was expecting a lot of the local vibes that I have felt from previous books. However, I felt the local references were quite superficial this time around so there was less of a sense of place. These are standard police procedural novels so the local references are what enhance the story. I guessed the murderer almost immediately so, for me, the story lacked suspense. Definitely not the best in this series.

When the bodies of a couple were found at the beach with a note that read “Sorry” beside them, and investigation into how this occurred would take place and untangle a complex web of lies. This book was a bit repetitive at times but overall kept me interested! If you are a fan of shows like Broadchurch and Shetland and love a good twisty turning mystery, this is for you! Overall I enjoyed the read and look forward to more by this author.

Another tricky case for Lauren and Matt in Porthcurno. A young couple are found dead on a local beach on what should have been one of the happiest days of their lives. From the outsides it’s as though everything was going their way, but it’s far from an easy case to solve. I love the way the team has gelled together, with Matt bring a calming influence on Lauren, who is naturally a bit reserved. There are lots of enquiries that have to be done, starting with the basics, but this felt like the way a genuine murder case would or should be run. I like the way that it’s not all just about work, and personal lives are explored too, as in real life. Looking forward to what happens next. 4 1/2⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

3.5 stars

Another mystery from Porthcurno. Lauren and Matt are pulled into a double murder of a young couple. The book like the previous installments had a good mixture of intrigue, police procedures and camaraderie.

There was a decent set of characters who unveiled something new with each interview. I did somehow predict the culprit. But the read till the end was pretty engrossing.

Kudos to the author, for keeping the momentum as most of the time it can get repetitive. I liked how the author views personal stories into their professional lives keeping the characters authentic.

I give this book 3.5 stars for the engaging storyline.
I thank NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the E-Arc and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

PS: If the author is reading this, note that in Chapter 10 the character names have been jumbled.

Sometimes you just need a good murder mystery in you life. Sally Rigby will never let you down!

When a newly engaged couple is discovered on the beach intertwined, one would assume they were being interrupted in a compromising situation. But for Detective Lauren Pengelly, the discovery is a grim one- the couple has been found dead.

She and her partner Matt Price must solve the mystery, and digging into the lives of a close knit community is anything but transparent.

A great read that keeps you on your toes, I did not see the turn coming and was entertained the whole time!

A brilliant series. So well written and the plot is so good. I recommended this author to everyone and no one has said that they didn’t enjoy it. Loved the flow of the story and will wait with bated breath for the next one !

A case of all not being as it seems for the romantically dead couple of the beach.
A fantastic police procedural as the plot thicken and unfolds to reveal what really happened. Lauren is a fantastically written character with great depth and I look forward to more of the same!

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the eARC of this book, number 5 in the Cornwall Murder Mystery series featuring DI Lauren Pengelly and DS Matt Price.

Lauren is out walking her two dogs in a favourite spot, Porthcumo Cove, when the dogs discover the bodies of a pair of young lovers. Initially, everyone's thoughts turn to a tragic double suicide but certain things don't add up. It's not long before the deaths are ruled as homicide. The victims were childhood sweethearts that everyone said were perfectly matched. But as the investigation deepens it appears all was not so rosy in the young lovers lives.

You can read this book as a stand alone but it's an excellent series and I do recommend reading the others. 4 out of 5 starts.

Death at Porthcurno Cove is scheduled for publication on March 19, 2025. Thanks to #NetGalley for providing an advance copy for review.

#DeathAtPorthcurnoCove

Sally Rigby's upcoming novel, Death at Porthcurno Cove, is a captivating addition to the Cornwall Murder Mystery series. The storey begins with DI Lauren Pengelly's dogs seemingly intrigued by their find. On a sandy beach in Porthcorno a newly engaged young couple are found lifeless with an empty bottle of Prosecco and a note with "Sorry" written on it. Initially she believes this to be a tragic double suicide but then things do not quite add up and it is not long before we are drawn into the lives of the loved ones and close friends of this tragic young couple.

With a blend of emotion and mystery, you are drawn into the story which provides for another great Cornwall Murder Mystery by this author which fans and new readers will both enjoy.

Picture the sun's warmth as it rises over a peaceful Cornish beach and then witness the tragedy that lies below. As Detective Lauren Pengelly walked her border collies along the beach, her peaceful morning was shattered by the discovery of two young bodies lying in the sand. The victims were two talented university students, Jasmine and Finley, from well-respected local homes. The only evidence left at the scene was an empty ring box and a note marked “Sorry.”
Lauren and her partner, Matt Price, initially thought it might be a suicide. As they moved further into their investigation, they learned that Finley had a gambling addiction and a persistent admirer was pursuing Jasmine; it no longer appeared to be a case of suicide.
Hidden family secrets and the reluctance of members of the surrounding community to talk further complicated their pursuit of the facts surrounding the murdered couple. When Matt and Lauren learned that another life might be on the line, they quickly put their own lives on the line to find the killer.

The small jewellery box on the sand, a beautiful ring on a slender finger, and champagne flutes seem to suggest a promising and loving future but these young people won't ever exchange their vows. DI Lauren Pengelly was enjoying the beach at Porthcurno Cove with her dogs when she discovered the bodies but what was so devastating that the couple left a note and took their own lives? With DS Matt Price at her side and her team behind her can she find the answers before more lives are lost and other families are left shattered?

Book five in Sally Rigby's Cornwall Murder series is a tightly written, suspenseful police procedural which held my attention from the start. The storyline, added to a location I am very familiar with, produced a page turner with twists, turns, a secondary storyline, and cliffhanger which will definitely have me looking out for book six.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Storm Publishing, but the opinions expressed are my own. This is  excellent and can be read as a standalone or as part of the series. Highly recommended.