The Whitstable Pearl Mystery

‘What Colin Dexter did for Oxford, Julie Wassmer is intent on doing for Whitstable’ Daily Mail

Pearl Nolan always wanted to be a detective but life, and a teenage pregnancy, got in the way of a police career and instead she built up a successful seafood restaurant in her coastal home town of Whitstable – famous for its native oysters.

Now, at 39, and with son Charlie away at university, Pearl finds herself suffering from empty nest syndrome . . . until she discovers the drowned body of local oyster fisherman Vinnie Rowe, weighted down with an anchor chain, on the eve of Whitstable’s annual oyster festival.

Is it a tragic accident, suicide – or murder?

Pearl seizes the opportunity to prove her detection skills and discover the truth but she soon finds herself in conflict with Canterbury city police detective, Chief Inspector Mike McGuire. Then another body is discovered – and Pearl finds herself trawling the past for clues, triggering memories of another emotional summer more than twenty years ago . . .

ISBN: 978-1472118998

Publication date: 01 October 2015

Page count: 320

Imprint: Constable

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Reviews

The Whitstable Pearl Mystery

From the moment I started reading ‘The Whistable Pearl Mystery’ I really enjoyed this book. Pearl was an amazing character. She is a really hard working and kind woman and I loved the way she interacted with people. This book is written in a very descriptive kind of way, which made me love the little town of Whitstable and their citizens.

I think this book is the perfect example of a cozy mystery. It’s fun to read, exciting and the characters and the town life are just as amazing as the detective part. I would really recommend this book to everyone who enjoys cozy mysteries. This book is definitely a good one.. and boy.. I really love that cover.

 

 

Maureens Books

The Whitstable Pearl Mystery

As a former long-standing scriptwriter for the EastEnders, the author really knows how to keep the surprises coming and the reader enthralled. And she can also, with her experience as a writer of soaps, handle a large cast and their tangled personal relationships while at the same time painting a picture of  a warm and caring community. Not to mention the odd tasty fish supper recipe. This story, which is to be the first of a series, is very much for readers who like traditional British mysteries set in a traditional British seaside resort which incidentally sounds delightful and well worth exploring. Recommended.

Promoting Crime Fiction

The Whitstable Pearl Mystery

I really enjoyed this book, first of all for the food, I always love a book with a good foodies descriptions and this certainly had plenty.  The characters in this book are wonderfully real, you could imagine going in to Pearl’s restaurant and having a nice meal with her and her mum, who is a darling by the way.
 
For fans of cosy crime and not so cosy crime, you will enjoy this, I certainly did!

Red Heather Duff

The Whitstable Pearl Mystery

Cosy mysteries rule! That and I adore any shop based fiction. I loved the layers to Pearl’s life. It was refreshing that she had a grown up son – in other cosy mysteries the heroine usually is single and without children. I loved how Pearl balanced two job, probably because at the time of reading it I’m juggling my day job, my book reviews, my writing, and my newly started crochet shop. I understood all too well the dilemma of which job needs priority. Her son is rather sweet, and plays a central role to the story. Pearl’s mother is hilarious, especially when in front of customers. I like how Pearl’s two jobs frequently collided, each bringing insight to the deepending mystery.
 
The clues stacked up high, and somehow I ended up being partially right about the murderer – I say partially because murder is never ever as straight forward as it seems. I’d tweeted that I was reading it & Julie suggested I make a note of who I think the murderer is at a certain page. Thankfully I saw her tweet before I got that far, so I did and smiled in my partial success. This is the type of story that I simply had to keep reading ^o^ Eager for book two which is coming out later in the year, not 2016!!

Nayus Reading Corner

The Whitstable Pearl Mystery

Wassmer’s publishers are calling this ‘a traditional crime series’ a la MC Beaton, and they’re spot-on. This is a well-written page-turner, with enough twists and emotional hooks to keep you interested. Evocative descriptions of coastal Whitstable (Wassmer’s real-life home) make the setting a character in its own right. This is the first in a series so, if you like it, you’ve found yourself a new go-to heroine.
Corrie Macdonald

Tara Sharp.com.au