This book recreates the atmosphere of the golden age mystery, with a murder occurring in a hotel that has been more or less cut off from the rest of the world because of the sudden onset of a violent storm. It offers an additional twist in that the events take place during a staged murder event held on New Year’s Eve.

The scene is set with references to the nearby lighthouse, which has been the subject of conflicting planning applications, and to two separate deaths from years ago. It soon emerges that, for a variety of reasons, much of the population of the local town, and virtually all of the people attending the murder party, has reason to resent the prospective developer. Surprise, surprise! Who should turn out to be the last arrival for the party than the developer himself.

As a long-time crime fiction junkie, I enjoyed this novel, although I think it was all a bit too contrived, and I felt that the characterisation was a bit weak, with no cliché knowingly overlooked. I also worked out who the murderer was very early on which, while gratifying to my never sated vanity, is probably not a good sign. ( )

New Years Eve and at Hamlet Wick on the Devon coast, a group assemble for an evening of fine food and a murder mystery. All are linked to the village through the death of two people many years ago, one an accident, one an unsolved murder. However just as the evening is about to begin properly, one of the guests is discovered dead.
I liked Hindle's first novel and I admire the sentiment behind this one. In updating the classic 'locked room' mystery Hindle has put his writing up against many of the genre's masters. This is a clever novel but I didn't find it particularly convincing, the plot has huge holes in it and the ending was weak to my mind. Unfortunately the book sits between two rocks and didn't engage me as much as I would hope. ( )