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  • Hell Bay

  • The Isles of Scilly Mysteries
  • By: Kate Rhodes
  • Narrated by: Stephen Perring
  • Length: 8 hrs and 52 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (1,143 ratings)
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Hell Bay cover art

Hell Bay

By: Kate Rhodes
Narrated by: Stephen Perring
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Summary

THE ISLES OF SCILLY MYSTERIES #1 

DI Ben Kitto needs a second chance. After ten years working for the murder squad in London, a traumatic event has left him grief-stricken. He’s tried to resign from his job, but his boss has persuaded him to take three months to reconsider.

Ben plans to work in his uncle Ray’s boatyard, on the tiny Scilly island of Bryher where he was born, hoping to mend his shattered nerves. His plans go awry when the body of sixteen year old Laura Trescothick is found on the beach at Hell Bay. Her attacker must still be on the island because no ferries have sailed during a two-day storm. 

Everyone on the island is under suspicion. Dark secrets are about to resurface. And the murderer could strike again at any time.

©2018 Kate Rhodes. All rights reserved (P)2018 Oakhill Publishing. All Rights Reserved.

Critic reviews

Gripping, clever and impossible to put down. I’ve been a Kate Rhodes fan for years and in Ben Kitto she has created a detective who is just as complex and compelling as Kate’s elegant plotting and stunning prose. The claustrophobia and paranoia of the island are so brilliant evoked, I could almost feel the tide encroaching as time ran out to find the killer' Erin Kelly, author of He Said, She Said

What listeners say about Hell Bay

Average customer ratings
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  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
  • AB
  • 18-05-18

An enjoyable murder/mystery...

Firstly, I want to make clear I enjoyed this murder/mystery, and would recommend it.
However, I thought it could have been better in many ways. I notice other reviews have referenced Peter May's Hebridean trilogy as a comparison, so I will too - and i'd agree they're similar in many ways, however I think putting them on the same level would be wrong.
I feel Hell Bay lacks the depth and feeling that is apparent in May's books. The characters lack the personalities apparent in the Hebridean trilogy, and the story isn't quite as compelling. That said, the lead character (Ben Kitto) is quite a complex individual, and is similar in many ways to Finn Mcleod.
Listeners won't be left disappointed, but those (like me) that found Peter May's work truly exceptional will feel that Hell Bay lacks that special spark that would bring it to parity.
Similarly, I thought Stephen Perring performed well, but lacked that feeling and intensity that would have brought something special to the finished product. I think of Peter Forbes reading May's work, or Anton Lesser reading Phil Pullman and this doesn't reach that sort of level.
This review is probably overly critical, but when comparing to similar stories then it just doesn't quite get there...

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44 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Atmospheric and Evocative!

Hell Bay does for the Scilly Islands what Peter May's The Blackhouse did for the Outer Hebrides. A talented but conflicted detective returns to his remote rural roots and is plunged into a disturbing investigation involving many of the people he once called friends. The atmospheric evocation of the islands and the people that live there is a genuine triumph. While I never like to compare authors as everyone gets different things from each of them the feeling of being transported to a place that Kate Rhodes achieves here is reminiscent of May's efforts. It really is that good.

The plot twists and turns and while it never quite hits fever pitch it's very satisfying as DI Ben Kitto unravels the strands of paranoia that the conflicting evidence weaves around him. Stephen Perring does a fine job of the narration being clear, articulate and providing a good range of voices for the characters without resorting to caricature accents.

This book is definitely at its most impressive in bringing a remote island to life both in the warmly emotional intelligence used to draw the characters and the starkly beautiful yet cold-hearted nature of a small, remote island. I'd thoroughly recommend this if you like darkly atmospheric murder mysteries.

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29 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Ok

This may have been better had the narrator been better. A very flat delivery that made the book slightly dull.

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Started well then deteriorated

Detective fiction is a crowded category so I would hope that any new entrant would try to avoid all the usual cliches and inject some freshness into the genre. Unfortunately not here: we are presented with yet another psychologically damaged detective who is considering leaving the force and has escaped to a lonely place. Predictably the lonely place has a murder and our troubled hero is co-opted to help. True to form his new boss is a hectoring bully who doesn't appreciate the maverick DI. Good grief can't we ever have senior policeman who are supportive of their juniors.

Despite all the above the Scilly Isles is an interesting location: I suppose the success of Peter May's Hebridean Island trilogy is an inspiration, however Hell Bay is not in the same class as a novel, not least because the characters are so two-dimensional and so numerous that I found it difficult to keep track of who was whom. We get far two much about how they are dressed and not enough about their personalities. The few that stand out are caricatures.

I skipped over the love scenes are they are so schmaltzy with endless descriptions of the woman's beauty. Why do so many writers depict all their young female characters as being exceptionally beautiful: few are in real life?
It was a bad sign that I several times checked to see how much of the recording was left as I was hoping it would end soon. I persevered to find out who was the culprit only to find the revelation preposterous.
The narrator is fine: it'swhat he has to read that's poor.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A locked room but bigger

Gripped by the thought that a killer is on an island of 72 people. Which one of these people could be the killer and why?

There are atmospheric descriptions of the Island and good descriptions of the islanders. The narrator is excellent and the story gripping. I look forward to the next book, if there is one.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Really good story and narration

This is the first book I have read by Kate Rhodes and I can't wait to read another (will be downloading next book in series in next 5 minutes). Convincing characters and lots of twist and turns and never guessed who the murderer was until it was revealed at the end. Plenty of emotion and variation in Stephen Perring's narration.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Not bad but stop with the description of everyone

This story is okay, if clearly unlikely. The protagonist is somewhat smug and self-satisfied but not entirely detestable. Stopping off to describe everybody and all the supposedly perfect looking women is grating. An easy listen if you want an unchallenging story. There are no gripping moments and you could take it or leave it but it’ll keep you going if you like crime drama.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A thoroughly enjoyable novel

A good reader and a good book what's not to enjoy as the nights draw in

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant

Brilliant performance and great story. Can’t wait for Audible to record the next one in the Hell Bay series.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Bryher is a wonderful place!

Had a fantastic two week holiday there some years ago, the book picks at my memories I loved it, Hell Bay in my humble opinion is best viewed on a wet windy day after a walk around the island, we stayed in a chalet opposite hangman’s rock and conveniently by the pub, all of this book picks away at the place wonderfully we hope to return one day.
Fantastic listen thank you.

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4 people found this helpful