The Shell House Detectives by Emylia Hall

Thank you Cath at Read-Warbler for your very fine review of The Shell House Detectives (2023).  Its the first novel in Emylia Hall's new mystery series and it takes place in West Cornwall in the fictional seaside town of Porthpella.  I was drawn in to the Shell House Detectives right from the start and I already have the second book in the series The Harbour Lights Mystery stored in my kindle.   

When the Shell House Detectives begins we are introduced to Ally Bright, a widow in her 60's.  She is an artist and beachcomber who makes beautiful paintings and sculptures from the items she finds on her walks along the beach.  Ally has a cute little dog named Fox and everything seems to be going well.  But Ally is dealing with grief.  Her husband Bill, a retired police officer, died  a year ago and life hasn't been the same since.

And then one night a young man, Lewis Pascoe, knocks on Ally's door. Bill told Lewis that he would be there for him if he ever needed help.  Lewis needs help now because he has just gotten out of prison only to find that his grandmother who raised him passed away and new people are living where his grandmother used to live.

Ally wants to help.  She remembers Lewis Pascoe's father, Paul Pascoe, who committed suicide 20 years ago when Lewis was a baby.  She is tempted to invite Lewis in to talk but Ally is a woman alone and it's late at night.  She breaks the news to Lewis that Bill passed away and that if Lewis is in trouble he needs to go to the police.  

The next day Ally is walking along the beach with Fox and notices that there has been an accident up ahead.  She gets closer and discovers it's Lewis.  He has fallen from the cliff. Lewis is barely alive and the police are calling it a suicide attempt.

And that introduces us to Jayden Weston who is also there at the scene.  Jayden is 30 and recently left the police department after his partner was killed in the line of duty.  Jayden, like Ally, is somewhat lost.  He moved to Porthpella with his wife who is expecting to have a more peaceful life.  But Jayden is bored because being a detective is in his blood.  Ally and Jayden are not convinced that Lewis's accident was a suicide attempt and they are determined to find out what happened with Lewis particularly after a woman goes missing and the two cases seem to be related. 

Ally and Jayden are well drawn characters who have very nice chemistry together.  And there are other characters I really liked.  Saffron the young woman who owns the Hang Ten Coffee Shop and likes to surf.  Gus who is working on a detective novel and Mullins a young Porthpella police officer with an admirable sense of duty.  

And finally there is the town of Porthpella.  I would love to live in a seaside community like this particularly when the sea we are talking about is the Atlantic Ocean.  I highly recommend The Shell House Detectives.