Coffin Cove by Jackie Elliott

Coffin Cove is the first book in Jackie Elliott’s Coffin Cove Mystery series. Set in a tiny fishing village of Coffin Cove, Vancouver Island, Coffin Cove is a smashing series debut.

Andi Silvers is in disgrace. Her married lover dumped her and this was followed by Andi getting fired from her job over a misreport – her lover had something to do with putting her under the bus, so to speak. She moves to Coffin Cove, a sleepy little fishing village in Vancouver Island, Canada. She gets a job as a reporter at the local newspaper – Gazette. A ‘crime’ – two dead sea lions – takes the village by storm. The environmental activists stage a protest – Andi learns the last time one of the activists visited town, a young girl went missing and her body washed up on the shore few days later.

Local fishermen are blamed for killing the sea lions. But when a dead body is found in one of the fishing plants, things take a turn for worse. The murder manages to capture the attention of a local newspaper – the one that Andi worked for, previously. Will Andi’s investigative journalist instincts kick-in? Will she solve the crimes and bring the killer to justice?

A cold case. A bitter feud. A fresh dead body. Something’s certainly fishy in the fishing village of Coffin Cove. What a smashing crime thriller debut by Jackie Elliot. I absolutely loved every bit of this book. Thrilling, engrossing and mind-blowing!

Where do I start? Be it the character introduction and portrayal or the suspense to keep you on the edge of your seats – Jackie Elliott is a master storyteller. We have two mysteries here – 1) the missing teenager from years ago 2) a fresh murder. As Andi starts to dig deeper, she learns someone is playing a mysterious game.

We have multiple PoVs in the story. Andi and her addiction to drinking, her dedication to finding the truth and her broken relationship with Gavin. Harry, a fisherman and his past – mostly got to do with an environmental activist; his sister Hepzibah and her café – one of the local gossip centers. Since Coffin Cove is a fishing village, we also have a couple of characters from the fishing plant – Adrian, Steve and Brenda. Each of these characters have side stories and somehow, their stories are interlinked.

The writing is excellent. I was hooked on to the story until the end. I absolutely loved the element of suspense – well-maintained throughout. Coffin Cove is a tad different from the mysteries I read so far and this is what makes this book special. The ending is mind-blowing. I certainly did not see the twists coming.

Coffin Cove is an engrossing, unique and riveting thriller by Jackie Elliott. Highly recommended!

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I received a copy of the book from the publishers in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.

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