Life is hard on the Scilly Isles, and the RNLI – the Royal National Lifeboat Institution – volunteers are a crucial part of that life. But when the boat belonging to Jez Cardew – one of the most talented lifeboatmen – is found drifting on the ocean, DI Ben Kitto and the other volunteers are deeply concerned. There is no trace of Jez anywhere, but why and how did such a talented sailor get into such difficulty on a calm sea?

Soon the remaining volunteers are receiving strange messages – quotes from the Tempest and RNLI badges – and then a hand is found washed up on the shore with a medal attached to the index finger. As another volunteer disappears, it seems that a killer is hunting them? But why? And who is next?

Okay, a couple of things to get out of the way first. Sorry the blog has been slow this week, but life has been getting in the way massively. And, more importantly for the blog at least, NetGalley has been a tad annoying with this one. I’m a fan of the series, and made a point of catching up on the previous title in order to review this one in a timely fashion – only to discover that NetGalley’s release date was completely wrong and it’s been out for ages. Maybe it’s the US release date… OK, on with the review.

There’s always two narratives in this series – I was a bit disappointed with the second voice in The Brutal Tide as the two stories were almost completely distinct. Here, we follow an ex-con volunteer who is determined to find the truth about what happened to his friend while dealing with the fact that most people consider an ex-con is the most likely murderer.

Kitto’s life takes an additional step forward here (and it’s good to see his family aren’t in danger this time), and there’s plenty of room for his dog too. As I’ve mentioned before, Kitto isn’t that much of a detective, so while this is a whodunnit, it’s structured more as a thriller. Not for the first time in the series, Kitto kind of stumbles across the killer in the act rather than actually solving anything. Not that that’s a criticism, just a statement of the kind of mystery that this is. And it’s a very good example of that kind of mystery.

So strong characters, evocative atmosphere and an fascinating tale. Definitely a modern series to take a look at.