Characters are crisp and even with this debut, there is a sense of connection that helps the reader feel something well worth their while. When a connection is made to something that happened on this same beach thirty years ago , multiple suspects come to light . Also, the readers of Death On Cromer Beach will understand the importance of supporting mental health. When the pair delve into the case, they struggle to understand who would inflict such suffering on their victims and hope the crime is a one off from a deranged and dangerous individual. As the body count rises it seems the likely suspect pool grows as well, all linked back to an incident in their past which has affected the lives of all who were present.

It's always difficult at first to come to grips with the characters in a new series, but Ross introduces them carefully, without an overload of information and feeds more snippits skillfully into the text as the novel progresses.It would seem that there is significant organisation to the crimes and as more bodies appear, DS Knight can only wonder who is planning these killings and for what reason. And I quite liked the principal character, DS Ashley Knight, a 50ish woman police officer, as well as her protege Hector Fade, the fast-track posh university graduate. As ever with Ross’ books I love the deep and intricate characters who are carefully built up with many dimensions and fully rounded backstories and personalities. Yes, I love this are of England and was really looking forward to reading a murder tale based there.

It soon becomes clear that the murders were carefully planned and the finger of suspicion points to an organised crime gang, but as the evidence mounts, a far more sinister theory emerges. The novel's exploration of the depths of humans dealing with pain, guilt, and the often heavy consequences of one's actions is thought-provoking and at times, even profound. A gripping debut novel in this series that proves Greenwood has all the elements for a strong series ahead.Plot development is also key to a great thriller, particularly in a debut when casting the net to capture the reader’s attention is key. Greenwood's writing is always imbued with a poetic quality, — most notably in the pacing and the imbedded light vs dark balance in the narrative — breathing life into the picturesque, real life landscape of Cromer Beach and its surroundings. This has a slew of crimes and a slew of suspects and complex back stories to be sorted out by the detectives.