The Arts Trail Killer by Emylia Hall

#TheArtsTrailKiller #NetGalley

I think that Emylia Hall’s excellent series does not garner the attention that it deserves. I have found every title in the Shell House Detective books to be enjoyable.

The stories are set in Cornwall with the area brought to live in a way that lets me recall past time there and leaves me wishing that I could go back.

The Shell House Detectives are Ally and Jayden. Ally’s husband Bill was a local police officer who has died by the time that the series begins. She becomes close to a divorced writer, Guy, in the earlier books. Jayden stands out in the community where most people are white. He is married and at the time that this story begins, his second child has just been born. As a side note, credit to the author for acknowledging how difficult the days of parenting a newborn can be. Ally and Jayden began solving cases (of course) in the first of the series.

As this story begins, an arts festival is about to start. A famous artist has returned to be the guest of honor. Interestingly, he does not seem to bring his best work. He does bring an art dealer, semi significant other who (no spoiler because it happens early in the novel), is murdered. Was she the intended victim? Will there be other deaths? Is the graffiti that is popping up related to the murder? These are just some of the questions requiring answers in the story.

There are many characters to follow. The story line is involving.

Of interest to those who have followed Ally and Gus, a man from Ally’s past has arrived for the festival. Will he and Ally rekindle their relationship? What has brought him back?

This book is about 400 pages long which I loved as I was happy to remain in the company of these characters.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this book. All opinions are my onw.

Note: The e book costs under $5.00 which amazes me

Pub date: 08 April 2025

The audio book:

I toggled between reading and listening as I often do. Listening while I exercise makes the time so much more enjoyable.

The narrator here is spot on…easy to understand, able to speak in the voices of the different characters and able to bring the story to life.

Really well done!

Thanks to NetGalley and the audio publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.

From the publisher:

Some of the earlier books in the series:

The suspects abound: The Rockpool Murder

The Harbour Lights Mystery (Emylia Hall)

I enjoyed spending time with: The Shell House Detectives (Emylia Hall)