Review: Broadchurch by Erin Kelly (4/5)

Friday 5 September 2014
Inspired by the first season of the BAFTA award-winning ITV series, this is the official, unmissable Broadchurch novel. Incredibly moving and containing never-before-seen material, it takes you inside the minds and motivations of the unforgettable cast of characters.

It's a hot July morning in the Dorset town of Broadchurch when Beth Latimer realises that her eleven-year-old son, Danny, is missing. As Beth searches desperately for her boy, her best friend, local police officer DS Ellie Miller, arrives at work to find that the promotion she was promised has been given to disreputable Scottish outsider DI Alec Hardy.

When Danny's body is found on the beach Ellie must put her feelings aside as she works with DI Hardy to solve the mystery of Danny's death. As the case becomes a murder investigation the news hits the national press, jolting sleepy Broadchurch into the national spotlight.

As the town's secrets begin to unravel, members of this tight-knit community begin to consider those in their midst. Right now it's impossible to know who to trust...


I must be one of the few people in the UK not to have recently watched Broadchurch and so I went into this book with only a vague idea of what it was about and with absolutely no idea of the twists to come. Having read film/TV adaptations in the past I find they work quite well despite knowing what's going to happen as the books can develop the story further, get you inside the character's heads further and perhaps allow you to see things you missed first time round. For that reason I'd say you can absolutely read this book if you've already watched the TV show.

As for my review? Well what can I say that hasn't been said already? From the book's haunting and chilling opening to its gripping and jaw dropping finale I was well and truly hooked on this book and had serious trouble dragging myself away from my Kindle when I needed to. The world of Broadchurch is brought to life on the page. It takes a talented author to make you feel as if you are a part of the story, as if you are within the book watching from afar as I felt when the body of Danny Latimer was discovered on the beach. All the small town politics are present, where everybody knows everyone's business except who killed Danny and why. It certainly makes for an intriguing read as for me pretty everybody was a suspect.

The characters are so well drawn that the story takes on a more realistic tone, as books about the murder of a child often do. They are on the one hand difficult to read yet on the other hard to put down. The writing is simply stunning and as the story progresses my emotions were all over the place. I'll definitely be looking to watch the TV show as soon as possible, despite knowing what will going to happen it sounds like a series not to miss. Apparently the book contains some sort of clue regarding series two but whatever it is went totally over my head.

Thanks to the publisher for the NetGalley review copy.

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