Death Ship

DS George Valentine has a task of watching for a killer, but this one is no ordinary killer.  A little old lady had passed out candies at a bus stop, and one older gentleman had died as a result.  The candy had contained strychnine.

Meanwhile DI Peter Shaw has his hands full with a missing Dutchman.  As he was talking to his wife, their conversation was interrupted by an explosion in nearby Hunstanton.  As he casts about the beach where the explosion occurred, he discovers a backpack, which could have belonged to the missing man.  But, where is the body of the owner of the pack?  Coincidence or otherwise?  Could the explosion have been caused by an old WWII bomb?  If so, was it British or American? 

When Valentine shows up at the scene, he has an elderly woman who he picked up handing out sweets at the bus stop he was watching.  Fortunately, there weren’t any deaths as a result of the explosion, but the death of the man from the sweet was particularly gruesome.

Is it possible that the bomb was laid by someone who wants to stop a pier that is under construction nearby?  Shaw and Valentine’s investigation leads them to some potential suspects if that is the case.  Head of forensics, Tom Hadden is able to confirm that it wasn’t a WWII bomb.

Later, divers in search of the bomb remnants, discover a dead diver tied to the remains of the old pier.  Shaw is sure that he has found the missing Dutchman.

A young history buff tells Shaw about a WWI Zeppelin attack over the area in which three bombs were dropped, but didn’t explode.  Could one of them caused the explosion?  However, an army disposal expert tells Shaw that their air survey discovered three possible bombs in a line out from the beach, which means that the beach will have to remain closed until they are disposed of.

Are the cases of the bomb and the dead diver related?  Was he in the wrong place at the wrong time or was he involved in some way?

The next thing the police have on their hands is a case of attempted murder on the rig constructing the pier.  The owners of the rig are calling it sabotage.  Who is behind this? 

Author Jim Kelly has written a murder mystery that is full of knots in a very twisted plot.  Whether Shaw and Valentine are capable of solving not just one death, but several remains to be seen.   A thoroughly enjoyable read.