Guest Review: Dark Mire (Kildevil Cove Murder Mysteries #2) by J.S. Cook

You never know what trouble will rise from the bog.

When the body of an unidentified woman is found in a Newfoundland bog, Inspector Danny Quirke must scramble his team of investigators to find her killer. But what initially seems like a straightforward case soon becomes mired in a tangled web of lies and deliberate obfuscation.

With the strange mutilation of the body—one eye gouged out completely—evidence seems to lead to a fringe religious group with bizarre beliefs. But while the pathologist indicates mushroom poisoning as the cause of death, Danny thinks circumstances point to something more sinister—especially when he begins to receive anonymous messages with links to horrific pictures of damaged human eyes.

Three more bodies join the first, with seemingly nothing to link them but a little girl in a yellow party dress who flits in and out of the mystery like a creature from the old legends. Then an old friend from his childhood reappears, and Danny is forced to confront uncomfortable truths about his own nearest and dearest.

On an island, everyone is a suspect…

Reviewer: Annery

J.S. Cook firmly brings us back to the world of Kildevil Cove, amplifying it and its inhabitants. I think reading Dark Water first will aid in your enjoyment of this as would be properly aligning your expectations. What I mean by this is that this isn’t really romance, M/M or otherwise, even though three same sex couples feature to one degree or another in the story. It’s just set in the XXI century.

Deiniol Quirke is now permanently back in Kildevil Cove as an Inspector for the newly established local constabulary. And not a moment too soon. Kildevil Cove may be an outback community steeped in its own peculiar culture and social mores but it’s not isolated from the modern world and it’s attendant evils. A series of disappearances and later deaths land on Quirke’s lap. Are they connected? Is it one killer? Are they even murders?

As in the previous book the author, through beautifully evocative language, the author immerses us in this world, with its characters and local mythology. As a mystery the story works very well and the author does a good job of presenting the story through the eyes of the participants and not via an omniscient narrator. We know what the characters know. I also liked that though the story is set in modern times the past isn’t far behind and it’s grip on local life is palpable. This part worked very well for me. What didn’t work for me were the personal relationships.

A good portion of the first book was dedicated, albeit in a roundabout way, to establishing the relationship between Danny and Tadhg, former adolescent friends who reconnect as adults. However in this outing Tadhg’s participation is almost like a cameo and to my mind whenever they are together they seem more adversarial than not. Danny’s quick to snap at Tadhg and think badly of him and vice versa. It’s all washed over by the requisite “I love you” and I know that relationships between grownups, with adult problems and preoccupations, are vastly different (rightfully so) than those of younger couples but even so I had issues with these two as a couple. Don’t know if their longevity (a given in romance) will be more due to practicality than to all consuming love.

Some interesting new characters were introduced and others filtered in from the previous book but their stories are left … open? I can only surmise that they’ll play a role in future stories set in this world. We’ll see.

Recommended with the aforementioned caveats.

I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Guest Review: Dark Water (Kildevil Cove Murder Mysteries #1) by J.S. Cook

They say trouble comes in threes. Detective Danny Quirke is already mourning his wife and mired in an internal investigation that will likely spell the end of his career. Now he must return to the Newfoundland fishing village of his youth to bury his abusive grandfather. At least his three are up. Right?

Then the bones of local boy Llewellyn Single, drowned thirty years before, wash up on the beach, and secrets Danny thought were buried forever rise violently to the surface. Only two people know what really happened: Danny Quirke and his former best friend, millionaire Tadhg Heaney.

Danny and Tadhg have been bitter enemies for years. But when Danny is accused of Llewellyn’s murder, he needs Tadhg’s help exposing the truth—before those who believe he is responsible get their revenge.

After all, on an island, nothing stays secret forever…

Previously published by Dreamspinner Press as Wind and Dark Water, March 2020.

Reviewer: Annery

The blurb for this book needs to be rewritten. It sets up expectations that are not met by the narrative thus turning off some readers. That would be a shame because this is a very well written and engaging story about adults reckoning with the past that shaped them and isn’t quite past.

Deiniol Quirke returns to his hometown of Kildevil Cove in Newfoundland to bury his grandfather and dispose of his earthly goods. His plate is full. He’s dealing with recent events in his professional life, the still painful loss of his beloved wife, and a fraught relationship with Tadhg Heaney.

Danny and Tadhg were bosom buddies for a few years as teenagers. A misunderstanding/secret changed that and for thirty years each went in different directions living lives full of both satisfaction and disappointment. Danny pursued a career in law enforcement which has given him great highs and disheartening lows. Tadgh is a businessman, mostly a real estate developer, not well loved by the community.

I really liked this story, I liked the writing which had the flow & ebb of a good literary novel. Flashes of memories are seamlessly integrated without jarring you out of the present story but more than anything I loved how beautifully and atmospherically the culture of Newfoundland is limned. I went on deep dives, learned a whole bunch of stuff, and was overall delighted.

This didn’t rate higher for me for a few reasons. A number of narrative avenues really weren’t anything, they were misleading or didn’t go anywhere. Maybe in the next book? It seemed to me that in thirty years Danny and his sister (who happen to be twins) would’ve found time for some much needed conversations. Danny tends to fly off the handle pretty easily, jump to unwarranted conclusions, which is at odds with his reputation as a keen detective. I didn’t see the purpose of some characters or rather the time spent on them. Also for those interested this is neither really an M/M nor a murder mystery procedural. Two men do find happiness together (more of the HFN variety) but the drive of the story isn’t about that and they don’t begin to move in that direction until about the 80% mark. Neither of these were a problem for me but as I said at the beginning, expectations matter.

I’ll happily read the next book in the series hoping the author keeps up the same level of writing and that the dangling threads of this story are dealt with and resolved.

I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.