A Body in the Cottage

 

A Body in The Cottage by P.F Ford- Crime  

When a cottage is about to be demolished and the builders find a body, work is stopped much to the annoyance of the developer who comes across as not the most pleasant person anyway. Add to the mix a missing young woman who has reappeared after two years after her family had a meltdown after she found out that her father was her real Dad and it appears that the body may be that of her mother. Detective Norman and team have their work cut out- or do they when an elderly man confesses to the crime and even knows the name of the woman- something that's not been released as yet. 

This is my first book by this author and I really enjoyed it.Its number five in the series and happily stands alone- I didn't feel I’d missed out on anything having not read the others (but I may go and find them now!) I really took to Norman as he’s the one who says and does as perhaps the rest of us would want to do and has the kindest heart, someone you would want on your side. A clever premise and a perpetrator who took me by surprise. An excellent read. 

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A BODY IN THE COTTAGE (The West Wales Murder Mysteries #5) by P.F. Ford MEET YOUR NEW FAVOURITE DETECTIVE. Detective Norman is out of retirement and back on the beat in a rainy Welsh seaside town. Llangwelli might be short on sunshine, but it’s certainly not short on murders . . . Norman may seem a bit old-fashioned, but he’s always willing to learn from his band of misfit recruits. A battered body. A missing handbag. A false confession? The call comes on Monday afternoon. About to demolish a row of derelict cottages, workmen discover a body in the bedroom of Number 9. A young woman, expensively dressed in designer clothes. It’s a mystery what she was doing there. She’s been badly beaten. But with no handbag or phone to be found, her identity remains unknown. Then an elderly man comes forward claiming to be the killer. Case closed, it would appear. But there are things about the old man’s story that don’t add up. Detective Norman isn’t convinced. Then a second body is discovered in a skip behind the cottages — and the case takes a disturbing new twist. Norman and his team are in a race against time to uncover the truth before more bodies turn up.

This absolutely gripping detective mystery full of twists and turns is perfect for fans of Rachel McLean, J.D. Kirk, Pauline Rowson, Elly Griffiths, Matt Brolly and Simon McCleave.

READERS LOVE THE WEST WALES MURDER MYSTERIES:  ‘P.F. Ford is getting better and better. His characters are wonderful, his plotting is excellent and the reader really cares about the detectives.’ Philip  ‘Impatiently waiting for the next one.’ Steve  ‘A fun book to read with many plot twists and turns.’ John  ‘What a gentle, kind-hearted man this guy is! I do hope we can hear more about this Welsh team of detectives.’ A reader in the UK  ‘Fantastic! I'm really enjoying following the characters as they develop more fully. The only bad thing is having to wait for the next amazing book!’ Shawndy  ‘Can't wait for the next book!! I'm loving this series. I'm so happy for Norm!!’ Amber  ‘Great characters and enjoyable mysteries. Love the way the characters overcome adversity to come out on top.’ SeafordMuse THE DETECTIVE Meet DS Norman Norman. He’s so good they named him twice. He thought his policing days were over when he took early retirement. But then he gets called into Llangwelli Police Department to help train up the new recruits. Out on the west coast of Wales, the town is known as something of a dumping ground for screw-ups, but Norman believes no copper’s career is ever beyond salvaging, so he’s going to whip these youngsters into shape. Even if it kills him. THE SETTING Llangwelli (pronounced Hlangwelly) is a seaside harbour town in West Wales that sits on the edge of a wide, shallow river estuary. Thanks to West Wales’s rainy climate, verdant green hills dotted with cows and sheep make for idyllic surroundings. But that doesn’t mean it’s free from crime — as Norman is about to find out. ALSO BY P.F. FORD THE WEST WALES MURDER MYSTERIES Book 1: A BODY ON THE BEACH Book 2: A BODY OUT AT SEA Book 3: A BODY DOWN THE LANE Book 4: A BODY AT THE FARMHOUSE Book 5: A BODY IN THE COTTAGE DS SOUTHALL SERIES Book 1: A DATE WITH DEATH