Death at the Three Sisters by Jo Allen is a masterful mix of crime mystery, police procedural and domestic noir.
This is the tenth book in the DCI Satterthwaite series, which can be read as a standalone.
Blurb:
Three feuding sisters. A faded spa. And a woman, dead in the water...
As they head towards retirement, Suzanne, Hazel and Tessa Walsh are locked in bitter disagreement about the future of the lakeside beauty spa they jointly own. Should they keep The Three Sisters going as their parents wished, or should they sell to a neighbouring hotelier who seems determined to acquire the failing business, even at a preposterously high cost?
When their employee, Sophie Hayes, is found drowned close to the spa one cold January morning it rapidly becomes clear that it's not an accident. Sophie has been murdered. But who could possibly want to kill her - or was she mistaken for someone else? As DCI Jude Satterthwaite seeks the answers he and his team dig ever deeper into the complicated and embittered relationships between the sisters and their neighbours.
As the investigation proceeds Jude becomes convinced that Sophie's murder may only be the beginning. It's not long before a shocking and tragic turn of events proves him correct and he and his team find themsleves in a race to prevent a further, final tragedy overtaking the Three Sisters. Can he uncover what deadly secrets the sisters are prepared to die - or kill - for, or will he be too late?
When a weary young mother, Kirsty, arrives to The Three Sisters lakeside spa for a relaxing massage, she cannot help noticing that the place looks tired, with a peeling paint, and the masseuse seems rather harrassed. It is certainly far from being sophisticated or glamorous, but harmless enough. The location is everything, with the serene views over the lake from the glass panels of the massage parlour pods. Nobody can predict that this quiet peaceful location could be a murder scene. It is Kirsty who notices the hand of the dead woman in the water through the glass panel.
When the body is recovered, it becomes clear that it's not an accidental drowning. Sophie Hayes was killed before her body was dumped in the lake. What is the motive of the murder? Did someone want her dead, or is it a case of the mistaken identity?
DCI Jude Satterthwaite and his team begin their investigation, questioning the owners of the lakeside spa, where Sophie worked. It appears that she was an ambitious young woman with good prospects, supported and advanced by the oldest of the Walsh sisters, Suzanne. Did the other sisters, Hazel and Tessa, see her as a potential rival who would destabilise the family business?
The tension between the sisters is palpable. Three frustrated women are trying to hold on to the failing legacy founded by their authoritarian parents. The parents are no longer alive, but their influence is still damaging lives of their children.
Their major disagreement centres around their livelihood. The business is failing, it needs funds and new ideas to keep it afloat. Along comes a tempting offer from the owner of the neighbouring hotel. The offer is preposterously high, so what is the agenda of the hotelier?
The antagonism between the Walsh sisters is spiralling out of control, dragging more bystanders into their hellish maelstrom. Soon more ghastly events follow.
Will Jude and his team be able to prevent further tragedies?
This book accentuates the police-procedural-side of the mystery more than the previous books in the series. There is less emphasis on the personal lives, and some major characters barely appear in this story.
Death at the Three Sisters is a skilfully constructed mystery/police procedural, remarkably evocative of the Cumbrian countryside. It is a compelling page-turner with realistically flawed protagonists. The agonising family dynamics makes for a fascinating character study.
P.S. Having read several books in the series (I started with the book no.4), by now I am well acquainted with the relationships among all the main protagonists. They have become as close as good friends, and I am at times exasperated by their yo-yoing love affairs.
I've been following Jude's personal storyline for a while, and just wish he would stop his irrational obsession with Becca. It's not clear what's so special about her. I just want to tell Jude, ditch her for good. Please.
This post is part of the blog tour for Death at the Three Sisters.
Many thanks to Jo Allen and Rachel's Random Resources for my copy of the book!
Purchase Link - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BVRP624W
Author Bio –
Jo Allen was born in Wolverhampton and is a graduate of Edinburgh, Strathclyde and the Open University, with undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in geography and Earth science. She's been writing for pleasure and publication for as long as she can remember. After a career in economic consultancy she took up writing and was first published under the name Jennifer Young, in genres of short stories, romance and romantic suspense. She wrote online articles on travel and on her favourite academic subject, Earth science. In 2017 she took the plunge and began writing the genre she most likes to read -- crime.
Jo lives in the English Lakes, where the DCI Satterthwaite series is set. In common with all her favourite characters, she loves football (she's a season ticket holder with her beloved Wolverhampton Wanderers) and cats.
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