Walking into the Ocean

February 13, 2012
Set in England, Canadian lawyer Whellams’s enjoyable first mystery introduces 67-year-old Peter Cammon, a retired Scotland Yard inspector who still assists the police on occasion. A husband-wife murder-suicide takes Cammon to the coastal town of Whittlesun, where local authorities are focused on finding a serial killer of young women dubbed “the Rover” by the press. Cammon is open to theories other than the official one regarding the marital violence, including the possibility that the husband faked his own death to start a new life elsewhere. Predictably, Whittlesun’s lead investigator, Insp. Roger Maris, isn’t delighted by Cammon or his unorthodox methods. Though it takes a while for the book’s energy to shift from potential to kinetic, the plot builds to a dramatic and suspenseful climax. The author’s refreshingly clear-eyed portrayal of his hero (“Peter Cammon felt superior to psychology, in the way that many people do who have never studied it”) is a plus.

Starred review from April 1, 2012

Semiretired Scotland Yard detective Peter Cammon is called to help an overwhelmed Dorset police department. An apparent husband-and-wife drowning murder-suicide is not resolving cleanly since the husband's body has not been recovered. Meanwhile, an elusive serial killer is steadily moving up the picturesque English coastline, ever closer to this area, killing teen girls at a systematic clip. When Peter teases out the connections between the missing husband and a shady car-export business, he finally gets the break needed to open up that case. An unexpected trip to Malta adds to the swelling adventure tone, but when Peter returns to Dorset, the loose threads from both cases come together in a stunning conclusion. VERDICT Don't miss this engrossing and complex debut, the first volume in a projected trilogy. Rich prose, literary allusion, and a strong nod to women's intuition provide a romantic touch to a crack police procedural. It's perfect for those who love travel and history mixed with crime.

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.