I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again- I love a good crime novel. From the real gritty novels of Jo Nesbo to the more beachside read of Janet Evanovich, recently I cannot get enough of them. It’s an obsession. 
And there is one series I am LOVING at the moment- ‘The Whitstable Pearl Mysteries’ by Julie Wassmer, ‘May Day Murder’ being the third in the series. Living in Whitstable myself, there’s a certain home pride when it comes to reading these novels, set in the picturesque seaside town in the South East of England. It’s amazing to be able to read these novels and really know the places Wassmer writes about. Of course, not everyone is from Whitstable and cannot enjoy this luxury, but that is no reason not to read them.
Following the life of Pearl Nolan, a single mother who owns a local restaurant and has recently started up her own detective agency, we follow this remarkably likeable and down to earth character as she solves murders in her home town of Whitstable. It’s a great light read (I finished it in a day!) that is warm hearted and almost an ode to the town and the people who live there.
Wassmer creates characters you can relate to, as well as become suspicious of. As someone who loves mystery but wants answers more, I’m always desperate to find out who the murderer is- but in this novel I was kept guessing right to the end, and was not disappointed when the killer was finally revealed. But the murder of Faye Marlow, big Hollywood star coming back to her birth town for the May Day celebrations yet instead causes old memories and conflicts to arise, is not the only mystery that is revealed by Pearl and her detective love interest Mike McGuire throughout the story. It’s a real nail-biter, trust me.
The story is a lovely mixture of mystery, crime, romance and family values that when combined creates a wonderful world to read about. It’s a picturesque novel that is thoroughly enjoyable and proves that these characters, and the world that Wassmer has created within Whitstable, has so much more to give. With 20 years of writing gritty scripts for Eastenders under her belt, Wassmer has chosen to write her prose with a lighter and warmer feel, and that even though the story is about murder, you still get the feeling that everything will work out in the end, that Pearl and her little comfortable life she’s living in Whitstable with her son and her mother Dolly (my personal favourite character) will spread out through the pages and bring some calm and tranquility into your own life.
My only criticism of the piece was that there was so much focus on trying to keep the murderer a secret, from both the characters and the readers, that the various twists and reveals with regards to the other characters sometimes felt a little obvious. I’m not going to give anything away, heaven forbid I reveal any spoilers, but maybe I’ve just read too many crime novels all in one go that I could guess the secrets before the reveal. But what I figured out quite easily was made up for in the huge shocker of who the murderer was. Did not see that one coming!
I would highly recommend reading this series, whether you’re from Whitstable or not, just for the light easy read it offers and the thrilling suspense of finding out ‘whodunnit’. I’ve already given at least four of my friends my copies and passed the name on to so many more.
And now I’m recommending it to you, so get reading!
7.5/10
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