Another brilliant story about the Shell House detectives! This series is getting better and better as we learn more about all the characters, their relationships and the local community. There were some interesting new characters introduced in this book so I’m looking forward to seeing how their story develops; but I’m still hoping for a happy ending for Gus! The mystery side of the story was excellently plotted as always, with plenty of twists, turns and red herrings. I love the way Emylia Hall writes crime stories in such an elegant, literary way. One of the best crime writers around today!

The Fifth novel in the Shell House series sees a killer on the loose during the village's Arts Trail festival. To complicate matters Ally's art school boyfriend returns and Hayden is dealing with the traumas of fatherhood. I love the setting, all the characters and their contribution to the storytelling.

The fifth book in the Shell House Detective series; although you don't have to have read the previous four, I'd recommend it because the series is wonderful

The annual Arts Trail hits a major snag when one of the gallery owners is found dead - and then people start getting threats and one of the artists is killed, too.

Jayden and Ally (the Shell House Detectives) are commissioned to find out who's behind the threats and the murders - and they have a vested interest, as Ally's also one of the artists.

These books get better and better - there's a lovely community feel to it, the setting's gorgeous and the characters are very relatable. Lots of good twists, and lots of emotional depth with it. Thoroughly recommended.

The Arts Trail Killer is the fifth book in Emylia Hall's Shell House Detectives series. The village of Porthpella is preparing for their annual spring tradition, the Art Trail. The celebration turns deadly when a man Is found murdered. Soon threats begin appearing and a second death occurs. The Shell House Detectives are hired to investigate the crimes by some of the artists involved in the Art Trail. Jayden and Ally square off against the police department to find the killer.

This is such an enjoyable series. The small village on the Cornish cliffs setting is wonderful and I love the community that Emylia has built. The books always have a nice mixture of Ally and Jayden's personal lives and mystery. They are a great team and I love that we have a duo that is a man and a woman that are friends and not in a relationship. The mystery had some nice twists. I can't wait to see where the story goes next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Two of my favorite things - art and mystery! This was my first Shell House Detectives book and I loved it. I wasn’t sure at first. The first few chapter which introduced the characters seemed forced and full of awkward, overly poetic expressions, but…. Once the first murder occurred and the sleuthing began I was hooked and couldn’t put it down. I loved the relationship between the two amateur detectives and how they worked together. There were lots of red herrings and side stories and I truly could not solve the multiple murders and other side mysteries until the solution was revealed. I will be looking to read the other books in this series.