The Cove (Summer Suspense Mystery #1) by L.J. Ross

The Cove (Summer Suspense Mystery #1) Reviews

• 
  Aisha

  This was a fast read. I finished it in one sitting!
  It's set in the beautiful Cornwall coast and the first third of the book opens with a nice description of the weather, the people and the sea in the Cove. I read a little more after that and was just about to put the book down that something happened. Enough to keep my attention. And I continued flipping the pages. From a breezy summer read about a laid-back life in the Cove, it turned into a whodunnit quite seamlessly.
  The book is not a great literary achievement by any means - the language is simple, the writing is fluid and the character arcs are straightforward. It is the story that is at the centre of things and if you read it for the story alone, you'll have a good time flipping through the pages. I really enjoyed the read. It is a breezy book that took me to some beautiful parts of England through a story that kept my attention. If that's not a good book, I don't know what is.
• 
  Magdalena

  Easy but well written book. Great pace, likeable and interesting characters, amazing setting. Perfect summer reading.
• 
  Danielle

  LJ Ross NEVER disappoints!
  
  The Cove was published yesterday in ebook and I devoured it in one sitting!
  
  Gabrielle Adams works in London in publishing, her boyfriend is an agent and she loves her job! Her world is turned completely upside down when she is pushed from a tube platform by an unknown assailant. This leads to a battle with PTSD, although the physical injuries begin to heal, the emotional and mental injuries Gabi suffers are still very much there. Needing a change, she escapes to Cornwall, where she finds a job as a Bookseller. But is it the perfect escape Gabi craved?
  
  LJ Ross has yet again threaded a gorgeously atmospheric mystery, where the strings of tension are tightened as we journey throughout the story. We meet an eclectic range of characters who you can't help but enjoy sharing the fictional world with. They'll grasp you and tug you further into the storyline! I loved the coastal location, the beautiful Cove that could also be deathly. The contrast between London and Cornwall felt like a reflection between Gabi's traumatic states as she tries to heal.
  
  The Cove is carefully crafted and perfectly executed for all the thrilling bookish satisfaction!
• 
  Alan Cotterell

  Although this is not your typical LJ Ross book, her brilliant writing style and character creation and development shines through. I
  I am a little late to the party with this series, but will definitely be staying to the end. Wish I had read it on a beach in the sunshine, but it works well in October as well.
  For most of the book I was thinking 3.5 to 4 stars, but the last few chapters as the story is wrapped up made an easy 5 stars.
• 
  Sherrie

  A very quick read, possibly a new series set in Cornwall. Much better than the psychologist series.
• 
  Lisa

  I needed to do a lot of chores today and having this book with me kept me going!
  
  It's a mix of genres; there's some romance, some drama, some mystery and some cosy.
  
  It was pretty good (although formulaic) for a quick, fun read.
• 
  Austra

  Kādā jaukā rudens sākuma brīvdienā man ienāca prātā papildināt savu mansijas kopšanu ar kādu vieglu detektīvu audio formātā. Nolēmu pārbaudīt kaut ko no Audible pakaļmetamā [lasi - bezmaksas] kataloga. Acs uzkrita uz šo, jo ideja jau ir gluži laba - Gabrielai ir sapņu darbs izdevniecībā, sapņu līgavainis bla bla bladī bla. Līdz kādā ziemas vakarā viņa krīt par upuri “metro maniakam”, kurš viņu nogrūž no perona priekšā pienākošam metro vilcienam. Gabrielai par laimi tas beidzas tikai ar dažiem lūzumiem un posttraumatisko stresu, kā rezultātā viņa aiziet arī no darba, un līgavainis arī izrādās sušķis, kurš viņu krāpj.
  
  Pusgadu vēlāk viņa nolemj pamest Londonu un pārceļas uz Kornvolu, lai strādātu kādā mazā grāmatu veikalā. Viss rit kā smērēts, līdz kādā vētrainā vakarā viņa redz, kā no klints tiek nogrūsta sieviete. Un tomēr - kāpēc neviens nemeklē pazudušo? Labs stāsta pieteikums, ne? Bet būtībā šis ir tālu no detektīva, tāds totāls mājsaimnieču romāns, pilns visām iespējamām klišejām. Jo, protams, te ir noslēpumains skaistulis ar namu kalnā, brīvs un daiļš, un bagāts kā Krēzs, bet kas notika ar viņa bijušo sievu??? Vai Gabriela arī kļūs par viņa bijušo? Jo, protams, ka viņi salaiž - kā gan savādāk. Tev atliek tik pārcelties uz kādu angļu ciematu kā precinieki pilnīgi kaklā karas. Vai arī tas vienīgais cērtamais. Ak! Lai būtu vēl klišejiskāk, veikala saimniecei ir šausmīgi šaubīgs (lai arī skaists un jestrs) dēls, kurš tik ļoti tiek uztiepts par potenciālo vainīgo it visā, ka tas jau nudien kļūst smieklīgi. Ak, ja man būtu iekšā atstāstīt visas tās muļķības, kas te tiek laistas uz riņķi... Bet nē, man jāiet cept svētku vakariņas. Jums paliks tikai šis nelielais uzmetums par biedinājumu turēties tālāk no šitās autorītes. Es darīšu tāpat.
• 
  Julia Buckley

  I loved this book. Perfect escapism! If I really did escape one day, I'd love to go to Cornwall, and L.J. Ross has allowed me to do so vicariously.
• 
  Barbara Rogers

  Barbara’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
  Series: Summer Suspense Mysteries #1
  Publication Date: 7/22/21
  Period: Contemporary London & Carnance Cove
  Number of Pages: 194
  
  I am a huge fan of this author’s DCI Ryan series, so it was a delight to learn she was starting a new series. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but I don’t have a real feel for what the series will be like. For instance – in the DCI Ryan series, I know that Ryan and his crew will be solving a crime in each book. I’m not sure that is the case with this series because the author wrapped up all of the loose ends and futures of all the main and subordinate characters in the epilogue. Future books in the series could certainly feature our main characters and the beautiful cove where they live, but the way this one wrapped up makes me wonder. Perhaps we’ll have a series comprised of mysteries taking place in various summer vacation spots and featuring different protagonists each time. It will be interesting to see.
  
  It is Christmas and Gabrielle Adams is on top of the world. She has the job she has always wanted in a field she is passionate about, and she is engaged to a man she loves. That world falls out from under her when she becomes a victim of the ‘Underground Killer’ who pushes people off the underground train platforms in front of oncoming trains. Though her broken, battered, and bruised body survives, her mind is in a much more delicate state. The doctors assure her the nightmares, OCD, PTSD, etc. will get better over time, but it has been six months and she is tired of the pity (and impatience) she sees in everyone’s eyes. Her fiancé Mark is having an affair, she can’t handle working – and – well – she’s just got to walk away from it all. So, she does.
  
  Gabrielle (Gabi) has made it to the picturesque Carnance Cove where she has accepted the position as manager of Carnance Cove Books & Gifts shop. It is the quaintest, loveliest place she has ever seen and all 5 of the residents welcome her with open arms. Yes, there are a couple of things her new boss ‘forgot’ to tell her – first, the cove can only be reached when the tide is out – and yes, there are only 5 other residents. Cell service and internet service are almost non-existent and she still adores the place. Of course, the handsome painter who picked her up and delivered her to the cove isn’t bad either.
  
  As Gabrielle begins to heal, she witnesses a murder. She knows her mind plays tricks on her, but she’s been so much better lately – she is sure that is what she saw. Isn’t she? Gabi’s OCD won’t let her turn loose of the murder and let the police handle it – she has to do a bit of investigating on her own. When strange things begin to happen to her – well – stranger than usual – she almost doubts herself, but she is sure, absolutely sure she isn’t imagining things. The folks at the Cove support her – especially her boss and that handsome painter. Does the murderer think she can identify them? She can’t. Do they just want to drive her away? She’s not going. Between the murder she saw – and the attempted murder from London, Gabi and Luke have so much to contend with that they might not be able to save Gabi after all!
  
  This was a delightful read with humor (wait until you read about Jackson, Mark, and Frenchie in the epilogue). The romance is lovely and the characters are wonderfully likable and relatable. A great start to a new series.
• 
  Sarah

  A cosy mystery with a somewhat disappointing/anti-climactic ending.
  
  After nearly being murdered by the "tube killer" Gabrielle Adams is eager to get out of London and finds a fresh start at a charming and secluded book shop/café on the coast of Cornwall. Gabrielle meets some good people and gradually starts to heal from her PTSD, until she sees something that plunges her right back into the nightmare.
  
  It's a decent story. Pretty good characters. Beautiful scenery. And I will read pretty much anything that's set in a bookshop by the coast. There were a few problems with this, which keeps it from getting a higher rating.
  
  I actually didn't mind so much that in the middle 50% of the book fuck-all happened. I was getting to know the cove and the people and was enjoying myself with a low stress kind of story. BUT, the random and poorly done head-hopping that happened for just one sentence here and there really irked me.
  
  A good 90% of the story is seen from Gabrielle's POV, with the odd sentence in the middle of a chapter suddenly clearly being from someone else's POV. You don't have to be
  Virginia Woolf, but if you do head-hopping within chapters, you have to be good and you have to be consistent. That just wasn't the case here. Towards the end there's a few chapters consistently told from someone else's POV which I have no problem with, it's just this wishy-washy nonsense that makes me irrationally annoyed.
  
  Also - mild spoiler - Gabrielle magically figures out whodunnit, seemingly out of thin air. There's literally no explanation, even afterwards. She even asks someone else why the person did what they did, so she didn't even know that, but somehow, based on... nothing.. she knows they were the one who did it. So that was kind of infuriating. Also, selective amnesia is a bit of a lazy plot point.
  
  Even so, I did mostly enjoy this because of the setting and the characters and the overall warm feel. It's also a short and easy read.
• 
  Amelia Burton

  right then. i’m still tryna figure out what this book actually was. a lot of irrelevant parts, which i’m surprised at for a short novel like this one. maybe the whole thing was just irrelevant. guess we’ll never know.
• 
  Jennifer

  I didn't realize that L.J. Ross was starting a new series this year and I was so happy by this surprise! Engagingly told, this was a nice addition to the books already published by this author. While hardly a police procedural, it did have the right amount of mystery for a work of women's fiction. So if you're in the market for a story about something that could easily happen to any of us a tragic incident resulting in psychological issues that also includes a touch of mystery, give this book a whirl. I liked the super small town feel of the community, and the relationship that the heroine had with her boss and landlady was lovely. My only complaint is that it could've been longer and the ending felt very rushed.
  
  Safety The heroine's ex-fiance was cheating on her. He makes a quick appearance at the end, engaged to her best friend, but he doesn't really cause any trouble. Hero not a manho, heroine not a virgin, heroine has OCD, anxiety, suffers from PTSD due to her attack, and has panic attacks. She takes meds for a lot of her psychological issues.
• 
  Julie Lacey

  As a huge fan of LJ Ross’ DCI Ryan series I thought I’d give this one a go.
  It’s a great mystery thriller with a sprinkling of romance.
  Gabi suffers a traumatic attack in London and later splits up with her boyfriend.
  She decides to start afresh in Cornwall and gets a job managing a book shop.
  The village is very remote but the few residents welcome Gabi with open arms.
  However, Gabi witnesses a murder and soon her own life is being threatened.
  This is a great read that I really enjoyed.
• 
  Debbie Hauser

  Meh
  
  Predictable romance. The plot felt undeveloped and rushed. It was one of those books where things just fell conveniently into place. She has written far better books than this one.
• 
  Cathy Ryan

  3.5*
  After an argument with her fiancé at the Frenchman Saunders Christmas party, Gabrielle Adams was left to take the tube home alone, despite the recent reports regarding two women who were pushed onto the train tracks. The assailant was still at large. Gabrielle became the third victim of the man the press had dubbed the Tube Killer.
  
  Six months later, still trying to cope with post traumatic stress disorder, nightmares and obsessive-compulsive disorder she has resigned from her job and was on a train to Cornwall. When she’d seen the add for the position of manager at Carnance Cove Books & Gifts, she applied without much hope of a reply. Her forté had been on the publishing side, she knew nothing about bookselling, ordering stock or dealing with customers. So she was shocked but delighted when she received an invitation for an interview.
  
  I listened to The Cove, narrated by Clare Corbett, who did a creditable job. It was an easy, quick listen at just over five and a half hours. The setting is delightfully picturesque, the characters varied and engaging, and the Cove has a wonderful community spirit. But the actual plot line was a little lacking in substance for me, although it did ramp up towards the end where a measure of suspense kicked in. I did love the idea of the shop and its setting though. If it’s based on the place I have in mind, it’s truly beautiful.
  
  Most of the narrative was a slow burn romance, bar the beginning and end which veered into cosy-ish crime albeit with a few darker scenes. Gabrielle believes she sees a crime being committed but her unreliability bring the facts, as she sees them, into question. Despite the following occurrences and her initial doubts, she’s convinced it isn’t her imagination playing tricks.
  
  The after effects of trauma and the day to day living with them were described believably. The characters, their interactions and relationships were enjoyable. A light summer listen, free to Audible members.
• 
  Norrie

  Cute story with a bit of mystery and light suspense. Definitely not a thriller, focusing on a murder case, but quite enjoyable. I love Cornwall and the descriptions of the small village (population: 6) were pretty cool. The main character, Gabi, works in a bookshop cafe, and she gets involved in a possible murder mystery for a little while, but the focus is on her mainly, not on the investigation. The writing is very easy to read. Ideal book for the beach!
• 
  Janice

  I enjoyed this. A simple who dun it with a few twists. A good change from the Northumberland series which seemed to run out of steam A touch of romance and some likeable characters. I hope that there is enough here for a series of summer suspense mysteries which I would love to read.
• 
  Mel Richmond

  After over a month of struggling to finish a book, LJ Ross has yet again saved me with a BRAND NEW and completely different story. No DCI Ryan you say? What about Dr Gregory? Alas lads, apart from a VERY SUPER AMAZING but very super tiny cameo from one of our loved characters, The Cove introduces a whole brood of new people to learn about and - obviously - adore.
  
  We meet Gabrielle (Gabi) in the fast paced publishing world of London where she seems to really have it all. But never judge a book by its cover. After a harrowing and traumatic event, Gabi decides it’s time to leave her life behind and sets her sights on a tiny, picturesque cove in Cornwall where she will be the new manager of a small book store. A huge change, but sometimes change is what we need. As we witness Gabi move from strength to strength and build her mental and physical well-being back to its prime, we also witness another traumatic event through the eyes of her, but this time there is a strength and purpose to solve this case and find justice.
  
  PHWOAR. I’ve literally just put this down and wow wow wow. My mind is reeling. Never… NEVER have I experienced such a talented author. It seems that as soon as her hand touches a pen - her ideas flourish into the next best seller, and I am HERE FOR IT. Even if you haven’t read DCI Ryan (what is wrong with you btw) please pick up this unbelievable and quick read. You won’t be disappointed.
• 
  Mark

  Gabrielle Adams enjoys a dream job in publishing until, one day, everything changes when she comes into contact with ‘The Tube Killer’. She soon leans being a survivor is harder than being a victim and struggles to return to her old life. Desperate to break free from the endless nightmares, she snatches up an opportunity to run a tiny bookshop in a picturesque cove in rural Cornwall and thinks she found the perfect escape, but has she swapped one nightmare for another?
  This is my first LJ Ross novel and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I’m not usually a reader of cosy crimes but this is well-written, has some great characters, a nice thread of romance and a hint of intrigue. Combine that with very atmospheric Cornwall location and a good pace and it works wonderfully well. I’d recommend it.
  
• 
  Jenni

  LJ might not be the world’s greatest writer but I really enjoyed books from the Dr. Gregory series. However, this book was nonsense! The ending was so rubbish it still irritates me thinking about it now.
• 
  Florence

  acab
• 
  Eileen

  My first book by this author and will happily read others. I enjoyed the style of writing and was gripped by the storyline.
• 
  Carol-ann Gibson

  I didn't read the blurb for this book so I was very much expecting a cuteish story with some mystery based on the cover. Was I wrong or what!
  
  The Cove starts out as a book where the main character Gabby is starting a new life in the cornish seaside. She moves to the cove where everything is picturesque and everyone is happy to help. She had a very traumatic experience in London and this is the fresh start she needs. Until she witnesses something that quickly makes her doubt her decision.
  
  This was the first book by L.J. Ross that I've read and it won't be my last. The characters and the story were well written.
  
  I was not expecting the twist that happened in the book at all. I started doubting all the characters and thought that maybe Nell had brought Gabby here on purpose.
  
  The book had lots of suspense in the 2nd half of the book and I just had to keep reading to find out what would happen next.