THE LONE ISLAND MYSTERY by Emylia Hall

 5* Good catch-up with the characters, although a sad tale. 

I'm not sure how much time has lapsed since the previous book, but Jayden and Cat have a 1yo son and a 3yo daughter now. An former teen love is trying to become a more permanent fixture in Ally's life, but she's still stuck on her late husband Bill, and there's her good old friend Gus, who's finally stopped talking about finishing his novel and has gotten there, and is doing edits. Add in DS Mullins and the café owner whose name I forget, and the same characters all muck in to make a going tale. Even Mullins's 'I hate the Shell House detectives' boss seems a tad more likeable and on-board. 

There's a sad tale of inheritance, of trying to right 'wrongs'; of living with PTSD and loss; of dysfunctional families; of the price of war; of betrayal by a loved one - or more - and lies. The dovetailing is excellent and the flawed but understandably so characters, I warmed to. Except one who seemed so charitable but turned out to be anything but. There's great sleuthing, some danger, a thawing of relations between Ally, Jayden and the police, with hints of respect and more collaborations in future tales. The Axel part of the tale is very sad, especially so as it sounded as if he might be trying to turn his life around...the prologue catches at the heart... It's an excellent tale, with some doors opening and others closing.

ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer, for my reading pleasure. 

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