Winter storms lash the Isles of Scilly, when DI Ben Kitto ferries the islands’ priest to St Helen’s. Father Michael intends to live as a pilgrim in the ruins of an ancient church on the uninhabited island, but an ugly secret is buried among the rocks. Digging frantically in the sand, Ben’s dog, Shadow, unearths the emaciated remains of a young woman.

The discovery chills Ben to the core. The victim is Vietnamese, with no clear link to the community – and her killer has made sure that no one will find her easily.

The storm intensifies as the investigation gathers pace. Soon Scilly is cut off by bad weather, with no help available from the mainland. Ben is certain the killer is hiding in plain sight. He knows they are waiting to kill again – and at unimaginable cost.

I made a basic rookie mistake, accidentally of course, and for first time since my teenage years, I read the last paragraph of Deadman’s Pool. However, I managed to keep it at the back of my mind as I got pulled into the unknown world of the Scilly Islands which after a while felt like the landscapes and realities of the distant Nordic areas. That was a strange experience as I’ve been to distant edges of Cornwall before but no further. My non-existent knowledge of the tightly knit communities on the archipelago ‘You can’t sneeze without someone knowing round here’ changed as I followed the story. The unique  location, shaped by unforgiving nature, sea and wind, becomes a character of its own in the series featuring my new favourite policeman / investigator. The islands are beautiful. Harsh living conditions make their inhabitants and the visitors truly appreciate the atmosphere, fauna and flora. They also created self-assured groups of people who feel they can trust and support one another as they’re bound by the same values, similar hardships, hope for the future. In this context of being close together, and dependable on the weather to reach mainland, it seems impossible that anything truly bad can happen: ‘Tight communities offer you protection, unless you have something to hide.’ Sure, past historical events never neglected the archipelago, perfect for pirates and smugglers. There were death, disease, riches, conflicts… But times and things change, yes?  Well…

DI Ben Kitto is a solid character and I would absolutely spend time in his company. In a way this is my chance to read seven earlier novels in Kate Rhodes’ Isles of Scilly Mysteries series. The snippets of background information of how he had developed as a person and a professional were scattered around the story and inviting to reach for previous books. Having left  for London years ago and then returned home to settle down with his wife Nina and a year-old son, Ben feels deep connection to the place and the locals: ‘Reassurance is our biggest role in a community like this, where policing often feels more like social work.’  The most recent events shake his beliefs, though.

Second in command at the police station, he takes charge of the investigation as his superior (and sadly a micromanager) DCI Madron has to withdraw due to health reasons. Finding a young woman’s body on the uninhabited island, followed by  discovery of a barely alive baby left to die, push Ben to the brink as the hunt for the killer unfolds, and his personal life is affected in a terrible way. The difficult process of police work among friends, colleagues and neighbours forces him also to rethink the role of people with authority and whether trust can be given or earned: ‘The islands’ mindset of rugged individualism doesn’t sit well with law and order.’ Additionally, islands’ youngsters claim that there is danger lurking underneath the surface of safe environment, local power holders and conspiracy theories about human trafficking. They talk about children brought from poor countries and then sold as slaves. Which in itself is horrifying.

Kate Rhodes brilliantly creates strong characters, believable crimes and realistic island locations that perfectly evoke Cornwall’s complex history and stunning geography. Haunting mood of Deadman’s Pool brings other distinct locations to mind, such as Faroe Islands or isolated places in Iceland or northern Norway. The plotting is superb, with many strands of emotion that culminate in chilling realisation that evil might live very near us. Deadman’s Pool, published by Orenda Books, is out on 25^th September and can be pre-ordered now.