Published by Mira Books
Fans of the hit BBC TV series ‘Death in Paradise’ have been clamouring for this ever since the show started – an original novel.
Series creator Robert Thorogood has put pen to paper (finger to keyboard?) to craft a new mystery of the Saint Marie Police to solve.
However, if you have been watching the show for series three and four, you will be slightly disappointed as this story is set between series one and two and we return to the days of Detective Inspector Richard Poole (brought to life on TV by the excellent Ben Miller).
Aslan Kennedy runs a spiritual retreat on the island until one morning he is stabbed to death.
At the time, he was locked in a room with five people, with no way in or out and Richard has a confession.
But, Richard being Richard (hot and bothered and bemoaning his life on such a humid island), the facts don’t seem to add up – in fact, he thinks that the person who has confessed to the murder is the only one who couldn’t have done it.
Following the meagre clues he has at his disposal, Richard and his team – Camille, Dwayne and Fidel – start to research into the victim’s life and finds that the people in the room with him at the time of his death aren’t all that they seem.
And in fact, Aslan isn’t exactly what he seems to be either.
As he is the creator of the series, Robert is the perfect person to pen a novel based on the series, and as expected, he has done a great job.
The printed words come to life just as if we were indeed watching it on TV and it would be a great episode to watch.
All the twists and turns of a typical episode are included, as well as the famous whiteboard upon which Richard writes all the salient points, and which is periodically reproduced in the book.
And speaking of twists, there is a twist of epic proportions towards the end.
Fantastic book, great story, and the first of hopefully many.
Oh, and Harry the lizard is heavily featured as he is the subject of a sub-plot.