Hell Bay

by Will Thomas

Everyone loves a good house party. Fresh air in the country or by the seaside while exchanging light gossip and friendly banter with the other guests. What could be more relaxing? Cyrus Barker had avoided such a party for a long time.  Now he was caught in the snare of a prospective job at the behest of Lady Philippa Asheigh’s closest friend whose husband happens to be the head of the RSUI.  Under the guise of the house party, a secret mission to negotiate peaceful terms between France and England are to be worked out and Lord Hargrave wants Barker and his partner Thomas Llewelyn to provide security.  Security jobs were Barker’s least favorite but he was stuck and when guests start dying his actual skills come into question. 

Reminiscent of Christie’s And Then There Were None, Thomas puts new shine on the theme of marooned guests with a killer on the loose.  His characters are wonderfully flawed and human.  You will find yourself pondering the characters and events of this novel as you go about your day. This is a divine addition to the Thomas and Llewelyn historical mystery series. Teen fans of Downton Abbey who like a more meat in their mysteries will enjoy this one.

I want to thank the publishers for generously providing this title through NetGalley and Edelweiss for my honest review.

ISBN:  9781250077950

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books

Pub Date:  October 25, 2016

Genre:  Historical Mystery