The Corfe Castle Murders (Dorset Crime Book 1)

Love the carictures, all very real, a new person coming after the death of a colleague is hard, for both sides and is done well, as a back story to the murders. Look forward to reading more.

A great read, I love books that keep me intrigued and this one certainly did that, looking forward to reading more of her books

This book is so clever in all of its twists and turns, the author certainly knows her subject matter.It also shows her knowledge of the area around Corfe Castle , her writing style makes for the most excellent of stories.

Book 1 of Lesley Clarkes move to Dorset. Great start to a new series, I luv the way this author writes. It keep your interest and with short chapters it is a page turner you don't want to stop reading. On to book 2. X

Having been seriously injured by a bomb in Birmingham, DCI Lesuses Clarke had the choice of retiring or moving to a quieter patch. Quieter patch , rural Dorset, head of Major Crimes Unit.Arriving a few days before her appointment starts, on the Sunday before she officially takes up her new post, she is walking around the village of Corfe Castle with her daughter Sharon. Their leisurely stroll is interrupted by a piercing scream coming from two tents off to the side.Always the copper, Lesley and Sharon quickly make their way towards a deeply distressed young woman. Lesley looks inside the tent to see the very dead body of a male. It seems the woman, Leila has just discovered the body of her boyfriend, Archie.Both of them work with a woman called, Crystal and a man called Patrick on the site, which is an archaeological dog for 12th century artifacts.Baptism by fire, Lesley introduces herself to uniform officers and detectives alike.Next morning she takes up her post and is introduced to her team. Lesley uses bad language frequently , no offence meant ,it is part of her way of expressing herself. So to be presented with a swear box within minutes of her arrival, doesn't go down well. To say her DS is a puritan is an understatement. He has very strict ideas on people's behaviour and assumes much based on his narrow views . Lesley makes her feelings clear, evidence trumps assumption and the sweat box will not be receiving an donations from her.It transpires that the deceased Archie was a serial womaniser, married with a child living in Bristol, who he goes home to on alternate weekends.The story gains depth as the new DCI shakes up the team, so each person works with another , varying each day.This wins no praise from Dennis the prude, who likes things static and to suit him. His feathers definitely get ruffled.A prime suspect for Archie's murder is the next victim, and it appears the same weapon was used.Leslie's home life takes a knock, when a surprise visit back to Birmingham finds her husband in the arms of another woman. Unable to confide in her new team, she forms a bond with a criminal lawyer, who is currently helping out at a local pub.Discrepancies in the accounts for the dig, bring fraud to light - had the two victims found some incriminating evidence pointing to the murderer?A good read ,well written. The main character is very like Helen Mitten in Prime Susoect and hopefully the personality will fill out in future books in this Dorset crime series.

New author I thought I would try as I enjoy crime and police procedural books and always looking for a series to try.Book 1 set in Dorset with a small crime team and other units some trying to cope after a loss in the team. Enter a seconded new DCI Laura Clarke from a large city crime unit due to police orders to take it more quietly due to a pass event.D'S Frampton is unimpressed with the new arrival due to her attitude and way of doing things. The feeling are returned by the DCI who cannot believe what she has walked into.Characters very well developed and very interesting as they dance around each other trying to work together. A crime that has a lot of questions that needs answered and personnel stuff being thrown in the mix.Good crime procedural details run through the story at a good pace and feels correct. This compliments the flow of the story which keeps building up with twists and turns and I found I kept going back and reading a few pages as wanted to know what happened a good page turner.Will certainly be reading book 2 and can see this series really developing. A great find easy to read, keeps your interest

I wish I had read previous books about Lesley, to have the background in her past. However, the story moved along very well and the plot engaged me as a read er.

I always find Rachel McLean's books enjoyable to read and this is no exception. An easy read that encourages the reader to want to continue reading the series.