Displeasure Island

It was great to catch up with the characters after leaving them in Grave Expectations, one of my top reads of last year.
In this instalment Claire, Sophie, Alex and Basher are on holiday in Ireland when they are asked by a pirate ghost to investigate the theft of treasure. Theres another murder and some more ghosts in this instalment - what’s not to love 👻

'Displeasure Island' is the second novel from Alice Bell, following the hugely successful 'Grave Expectations'. In this book, we rejoin C, Sophie, Alex and Uncle Basher as they take a holiday at a retreat on an isolated Irish island. With undertones of a Christie 'locked room' mystery, this modern mystery has a well-balanced ensemble cast, excellent dialogue with good comic timing, and a good pace that encourages the reader to keep turning the pages.

The only thing that distracted me was that I guessed some of the ending very early on. Bell plays fair with the clues, dropping them into the plot with an often delicate touch, and sewing plenty of red herrings along the way, but I like to be kept guessing right to the last minute.

What I absolutely loved about this book is how much more we saw of Sophie and her own subplots - having Sophie, C and their relationship is what differentiates this book from a lot of others and makes it stand out in both paranormal and mystery genres. Genuinely cannot wait for book three, as I'll be first in line!