Tradmouth, a little town nestled on the Devon coast, is a far cry from the metropolis of London.

DC Wesley Peterson thinks he has opted for the quiet life, having transferred from the Met to CID in the country. But he soon finds that crime is rife in the sticks around Tradmouth.

When a veteran GI from the second world war, back in the area for a memorial service after 50 years, is brutally stabbed to death in an ancient chapel popular with courting couples, Wesley finds himself embroiled in a world of jealousy, secrets and old grudges. And when his old university friend, archaeologist Neil Watson, who, when excavating the chapel, comes across the 400 year old skeletons of Spanish sailors shipwrecked during the Spanish Armada, history and the present day become intrinsically linked, as Peterson races against time to solve the crimes before another tragedy strikes.

This novel is addictive. Its lively narrative draws you in so that you feel you're there, and it's written like a screenplay, so it feels like you're watching an episode of a crime drama like Midsomer Murders or Frost. It's fast paced, with a few twists and turns guaranteed to keep you hooked right until the final page.

Updated: 16:21 Friday, May 12, 2006