Monday 9 October 2017

Spooky Reviews: Death Knocks Twice by Robert Thorogood


Book: Death Knocks Twice

Author: Robert Thorogood

Pages: 400

Read: The Paperback pictured above

Read in: 4-5 hours

Plot Summary: Reluctantly stationed on the sweltering Caribbean island of Saint-Marie, Detective Inspector Richard Poole dreams of cold winds, drizzly rain and a pint in his local pub.

Just as he is feeling as fed up as can be, a mysterious vagrant is found dead in the grounds of the historic Beaumont plantation. Immediately assumed to be suicide, DI Poole is not so convinced and determined to prove otherwise. Never mind that the only fingerprints on the murder weapon belong to the victim. Or that the room was locked from the inside.

Before long, death knocks twice and a second body turns up. The hunt is on to solve the case – despite the best efforts of the enigmatic Beaumont family. 





Things I Liked: 
  • I am a big fan of the Death in Paradise TV series and so, when I found out that the creator of the series- Robert Thorogood- has written some companion books based on the original cast of characters of the series. So far I have read two of the three books that have been published and I am thinking of getting the other one very soon. 
  • First of all, I love the characters in this series. Richard Poole is a stereotypical Englishman- a cop, who is a stickler for rules, who insists on wearing his woollen suits even in the sweltering heat of the Caribbean. Richard would seem annoying to a lot of people but he is a good detective and he never backs down from getting the answers he needs. Richard's second-in-command is Camille Borday, who is driven by her intuition, along with sound detecting skills. She acts as the perfect foil to the ever-serious Richard and their banter is something I really enjoy. Dwyane is the player.. he is supposed to be the stereotypical Caribbean man- laidback, a player, does not much care for rules. Fidel is the youngest member of the team and he is earnest and hardworking! Together these characters make a great team! 
  • Now, coming to this particular book, the premise is very interesting. We have a typical locked-room mystery. A supposed vagrant is found dead, locked inside a shower room in an ancient coffee plantation in Saint-Marie. The family don't know who he is and it is immediately apparent to Richard that the death is not a suicide but a murder. The crime scene also poses questions like how did the killer get out of the locked room?! 
  • The key players in this book are all members of a family and the Beaumont family is supremely dysfunctional and has a ton of skeletons in the closet- all things that I love! There are secrets that keep tumbling out of the closet implicating one or the other member of the family, which keeps the reader guessing on the identity and motive of the killer. 
  • The book also has multiple red herrings and also dives into the history of the island, which is something, which I also love in all kinds of books. 
  • The ending has a nice little twist, which I also enjoyed! So, basically, this is a great book! Highly recommend it! 

Rating: 5/5
If you love good, old-fashioned mysteries, then this is a great book to read! Also, fans of Agatha Christie will also like this book! 

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