Death at Porthcurno Cove, the fifth in the Cornwall Murder Mysteries, start off with a bang as DI Lauren Pengelly finds two bodies on a beach whilst walking her dogs. Though it looks like suicide, the postmortem will reveal that Lauren, DS Matt Price, and the rest of the Penzance Major Crimes team will have two murders to solve. A few red herrings do add to this already strong storyline. Sally Rigby does give us a well written police procedural. Her portrayal of the characters and how they interact throughout this book makes for a very good read. Looking forward to the next story in this series. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to Storm Publishing and Netgalley for the arc.
Golden sunlight bathes the rugged cliffs casting long shadows across Porthcurno’s sandy beach. Within a cove, lying on a blanket, are two bodies. Their limbs are twisted at unnatural angles, vacant eyes staring blankly at the sky. Beside them is an empty Prosecco bottle and a note with one chilling word written in black Sorry.
Only something tells the inspectors Lauren and Matt that this could point to a murder.
It's such an engrossing read trying to fathom out who did it. I was hooked in and absolutely did not see the end plot twist. Definitely a shocker.
Rugby is a talented crime author and creates a compelling story that has you invested from the opening paragraph.
Her characters are normal people that you could easily meet in the street making them believe and realistic.
The backdrop of Cornwall gives it an almost sinister edge.
Definitely a book for your tbr.
Kerry Kennedy Author

Another great addition to this series. I have read and enjoyed every book and this was no exception. Fast paced storyline that gripped me from the start. I can’t wait o read more by this author

I’d say this book is a good choice for an easy read when you want something to distract you in the evening after a long working day. It will also fit your mood if currently you don’t want to be overtensed by the plot and its development - just easy going and clear storyline.

DI Lauren Pengelly is walking her dogs along a beautiful Cornish beach when they draw her attention to a young couple - dead, apparently a double suicide or murder/suicide pact. She and DS Matt Price have a compelling case to solve. The two were local students and had just got engaged - on the beach. Henry, the pathologist, however, determines it's double murder. Although there are rather few suspects the red herrings and deductions are well presented. Lauren's whole team now work very well together, she's mellowing under Matt's influence but. fortunately, they're not getting romantically involved. I had my suspicions early on about the perpetrator but the road there was quite twisty. Descriptions of the Cornish countryside are very well written and realistic. Fifth in the series but ok as a standalone - each time there's more background and some personal stories but not to the detriment of the detecting. An obvious hook for the 6th book but not a cliff-hanger in terms of Matt's life. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

Love this series of DI Lauren Pengelly and her partner, Sergeant Matt Price based in Cornwall.

Lauren walks her dogs at Portcurno Cave and discovers newly young couples bodies looking like a double suicide. The team gets into action and reveal it’s actually a murder investigation. Lots of twists, pageturner and an easy read

Thank you to Netgalley and Storm Publishing

A great read.
Really fast paced which I like in a book.
Can't wait for more of the series
4****

Another great addition to the series, Lauren and her team are back investigating the death of a pair of teenagers on a beach.

Who would kill them and why?

A lovely fast paced read which I raced through

4 stars

The fifth in Sally Rigby's Detective Inspector Lauren Pengelly and DS Matt Price series and the first I've read.

Lauren is walking her dogs on the beach at Porthcurno Cove when she comes across the bodies of newly engaged couple Finley and Jasmine, a note next to the bodies indicating that they'd taken their own lives. Early enquiries soon reveal that there is more to this tragic event than first thought and its not long before a murder investigation is underway.

A well written police procedural set on the Cornish coast, the area as much a part of the novel as the characters. The pace was good and the characters engaging though I do feel I missed out somewhat by not starting this series at the beginning.

What I really liked about this novel was the team at Penzance CID, the obvious cameradrie and the very different approaches of Lauren and her Sergeant Matt, chalk and cheese but together they make a great team and they're the reason I'm going to add the earlier books in the series to my reading list.

Due for publication Mar 25 - My thanks to Storm publishing for the early read and the introduction to a series of books I know I'm going to love reading.

Part of a series set in Cornwall. Suicide or murder,secrets and lies . A lot for Laurens detective team to unravel. A good read.

Another good book in the DI Pengelly/DS Price series - it does help to have read the previous books but there is enough back info given to enable you to read it as a standalone.

The way the storyline emerged for this book did seem a bit different to the others I have read, more story and working out who was responsible than gory death upon gory death. I think I prefer this style of storyline as it meant you got to know the characters better and how they worked out who was responsible.

Definitely a book to recommend!

Great to be back with the detectives. Whilst out dog walking DI Lauren Pengelly finds two bodies of two young lovers after what appears to be their engagement.
They are two university students but soon their stories take an unexpected turn. Who killed them and why make it look at first glance to be a suicide pact? Jasmine was the girl everyone loved and Finley had his own secrets and a gambling addiction.
Lauren, Matt and the rest of the team rush to solve the case before someone else gets killed.
Brilliant read as usual Sally Rigby has you hooked from the first paragraph.

Thank you netgalley and storm publishing for ARC.
Police procedure
Bodies on beach
Tragic
Engagement
Hidden secrets
Engaging characters
Cozy read set in cornwall

Book Title: Death At Porthcurno Cove
Author: Sally Rigby
Series: Cornwall Murder Mystery #5
Publisher: Storm Publishers
Genre: Mystery/ Thriller
Pub Date: March 19, 2025
My Rating: 3.7 rounded up
Pages: 231

This story is the fifth in this series and my third. I have read " The Lost Girls of Penzance|" which was the first and " The Camborne Killings" Book #4 loved both!

Story features Detective Inspector Lauren Pengelly and DS Matt Price. Matt had transferred to small town of Penzance after his wife died and his parents want to help with his young daughter, Dani.

In this story DI Lauren Pengelly is out walking her border collies Ben and Tia on Porthcurno Beach which is one of the most picturesque and her favorite of the Cornish beaches. (Based on the beautiful cover-it certainly would be mine as well!)
The dogs take off on a run and when Lauren caches up with them she finds they are sniffing at two bodies dead on a blanket. They are lying haphazardly with their arms and legs twisted in an unnatural position. Lauren also found an empty Prosecco bottle and a heart-shaped ring box – it seems the couple just got engaged!
At first glance, this appears to be a double suicide.

The victims Jasmine Dodd and Finley Glenister who have been dating for years were both third year students at Southampton University. Jasmine an only child and Finley has a twin sister Faith.

As Lauren and her partner Matt Price unravel the case they find that Finley had a gambling addiction and perhaps was in debt. Jasmine has been bothered by an unwanted admirer. Was her admirer connected to Finley’s gambling?

An empty ring box and traces of silk fibers found at the crime scene could be vital clues.

This was a quick read. Have to admit I was on the right track as to whodunit it. Doesn’t mean it wasn’t enjoyable because it was!!!
I am now excited for Cornwall Murder Mystery Book #8!!!!

I want to thank to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this early this early eGalley
Publishing Release Date scheduled for March 19, 2024.

Really good plot. This book did not waste anytime in getting to the crime and the investigation. I personally prefer a but more intricate details of the case and the methods used to find certain evidence etc.

However with that being said it is a really nice quick and cosy read for a weekend.

Massive thanks to netgalley and publisher for an arc of thia book.

Thanks to NetGalley and th publisher for my copy of this book.

When Lauren is walking her dogs on the beach early one Sunday morning, she comes across the bodies of a young couple. Newly engaged and celebrating with champagne a note is left saying ‘sorry’. When the pathologist says they were murdered, Lauren and her team must investigate.

The description of this book really appealed to me. The descriptions of the scenery were beautiful. This was a really good story. I did have my suspicions from very early on as to who the murderer was. I was proven right, but I enjoyed how the story unfolded and the evidence came together.

I haven’t read any of the other books in this series so I was apprehensive that I would have missed too much. However, I found it a good standalone read. I’ll look out for future (and past books!)

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

This is #5 in the Cornwall Murder Mystery series but can easily be read as a standalone.

DI Lauren Pengelly is walking her dogs on the local beach when they come across the bodies of two young people. The man and woman are lying on a picnic blanket with an empty prosecco bottle beside them – it seems as though they had just become engaged.

The victims are Jasmine and Finley, two university students who seem to be popular and well-liked, but there are things to be uncovered in both their lives.

Lauren, with her DS (Matt Price) and the team set out to find the perpetrator before anyone else is targeted.

A brilliant and gripping read, the latest instalment in a highly recommended series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.

I enjoyed this story! This is a complicated story of different kinds of love, loyalties
and the final answer, while pretty boldly available, probably will keep most of us
enjoying the story with not much concern for the conclusion. Until it becomes
more,than clear. I find myself fascinated with UK crimes. Differences in the
commission of crimes, that is, In this story the motivation might not be
unheard of, but the guilty party and the methodology are pretty interesting.
The book is pretty quick, leaving me ready to enjoy the next book from a
favorite Author. I recommend this book!
My thanks to Storm Publishing via NetGalley for the download copy
of this book for review purposes.

I'm surprised that I haven’t read this author before, given the amount of books she has written. Anyway I enjoyed this book. Although I thought I had it twigged from the start, I had to wait until all the information came out. The opening chapter was clever, giving us the motive, but not the name or gender of the person.Clever use of misdirection and lots of twists! What I did like was the respect within the police team and the relationships between them. Although this is part of a series, it is fine as a standalone book, but I would like to read more. Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for a chance to review this book.