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Jim Kelly
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Death's Door (DI Peter Shaw & DS George Valentine series Book 4) Kindle Edition

by Jim Kelly (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 169 ratings
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An idyllic island holds a dark secret . . . - On a hot August day in 1994, 76 holidaymakers travel to an island off the North Norfolk coast. Only 75 return alive – a young man is murdered, the case left unsolved. Twenty years later, using state-of-the-art forensics, the DNA results of a bloodsoaked towel prompts DI Peter Shaw to summon all 75 original suspects to a mass screening, but one of them, the beautiful Marianne Osbourne, is found dead in her bed. Is there a link to the 1994 murder? DI Shaw and DS Valentine become immersed in the dark secrets of an isolated community.
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  1. Book 4 of 7
    DI Peter Shaw & DS George Valentine series
  2. Print length
    256 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publisher
    Severn House
  6. Publication date
    October 1, 2012
  7. File size
    734 KB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Kelly’s masterful fourth procedural starring Det. Insp. Peter Shaw of the West Norfolk Constabulary centers on a highly unusual cold case. Deft plotting and shrewdly drawn characters help make this the best installment to date" ― Publishers Weekly Starred Review

About the Author

A previous Dagger in the Library winner, Jim Kelly is the author of four Peter Shaw crime novels and six previous novels in the Philip Dryden series. He lives in Ely, Cambridgeshire.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B008L1FTWY
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Severn House (October 1, 2012)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 1, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 734 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 169 ratings

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Jim Kelly

Jim Kelly

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
169 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Serge Pesic
5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning Series
Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2014
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They don't make them like this anymore. Except Jim Kelly does. This ingenious, masterful combination of gritty, contemporary crime drama, and old-fashioned play by the rules, giving away slowly clues, mystery writing. People don't do it, mostly because they can't. It takes exceptional skill to write like Peter Lovesey, Reginald Hill, P .D. James. So, new, less skilled writers go for twists and turns that come out of thin air. Speedy, not too demanding books for people in a hurry. Well, if you are in a hurry don't read. Reading is a slow, absorbing process, not a computer game. I am excited that number 5 in this stunning series comes out soon. Can't wait.
3 people found this helpful
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D. Bates
4.0 out of 5 stars Slow starter but what an ending!
Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2013
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I thought I wasn't going to like this one (loved the rest of the series) because the first couple of chapters seemed a bit slow to me. However, it soon picks up the pace and DI Shaw, the Norfolk copper, is back on form in no time. A series of murders all linked to a another murder a few years before and mostly set in the seaside Norfolk town of Wells. DS valentine develops a little more in this novel, too. Great characterization! I love this series and hope Jim Kelly keeps with it and supplies us with many more.
One person found this helpful
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Boomer
5.0 out of 5 stars Kelly book
Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2019
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First, I don’t like being required to write a post before closing the site and to move on to another book. The 5 star recommendation should be enough. I would like to see this requirement removed.
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Magpie
5.0 out of 5 stars perfect -again!
Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2013
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Once again Jim Kelly gives us the most ill matched pair in crime fiction - Shaw and Valentine - a plot that never lets you go and a sense of place that is simply unmatched by any other writer in the genre. Total enjoyment! Very highly recommended! I am waiting impatiently for the next one........but given the work that goes into each one I am happy to wait!
One person found this helpful
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Daniel J. Herkes Jr.
4.0 out of 5 stars A good book.
Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2012
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I have enjoyed reading Mr. Kelly's books for a year now. This is a nice solid read with well developed characters, and an involved plot. I must say I like complex stories, and if you do too, then this book will be an OK read.
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Kindle Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good page turner.
Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2016
Keeps you guessing as to who did it but the characters were not very believable to me. Ok as a fun read.
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CW_Indy
5.0 out of 5 stars I've been steadily working my way through Kelly's Shaw and ...
Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2015
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I've been steadily working my way through Kelly's Shaw and Valentine mysteries. The characters are well developed, and the plots are incredibly twisted.
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Dr. James E. Kelley
5.0 out of 5 stars A good yarn
Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2012
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This is a well-crafted story; good character development with an engaging story line which definitely holds interest enough to want to "not put it down".
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Top reviews from other countries

Milly
5.0 out of 5 stars Descriptive language puts you in the heart of the setting
Reviewed in Canada on October 8, 2020
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A thoroughly good read
Couldn’t put it down
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Suzan
5.0 out of 5 stars Difficult to put down
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 20, 2012
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Other reviewers have given excellent plot reviews. What I would like to add is that the characterisation of Shaw, his wife and Valentine are extremely sharp and realistic. It is so easy to connect to Shaw's fear around his sight and Valentine's loneliness. Their partnership retains awkwardness but their relationship is shifting and there is an understanding of each other's strengths. I think this is so cleverly thought out and written by Jim Kelly.

From Norfolk I love the fact that I identify immediately with the setting and Kelly conveys the atmosphere almost poetically, ie. his description of the fret, which always bring an eerie silence with it.

The plot is strong and gives the element of surprise. It's pacy throughout with a mixture of longer and shorter chapters mirroring the speed of the investgation.

A brilliant series - my only gripe is that the publisher confirmed to me that this would not be out on Kindle until next year. Why does it take so long?
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B.Blanco
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic
Reviewed in Canada on October 27, 2013
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Just finished reading Kelly's latest Shaw/Valentine and I loved it. Keeps you guessing every page. I can hardly wait for the next one.
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Stanwegian
4.0 out of 5 stars An intriguing and atmospheric mystery, well worth reading
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 16, 2012
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Jim Kelly published his first crime novel in 2003; this is his ninth book, and the fourth featuring DI Peter Shaw and DS George Valentine of West Norfolk Constabulary. The force is based at (King's) Lynn and presumably covers the local authority areas of West Norfolk, North Norfolk and Breckland - the Western half of the area of the real Norfolk Constabulary. In this novel, most of the action takes place in the neighbourhood of Wells-next-the-Sea, pretty much in the middle of the North-facing section of the Norfolk coast and roughly 30 miles North East of Lynn and 20 miles West of Cromer.

West Norfolk has a new Chief Constable, Brendan O'Hare, a young, aggressively ambitious ultra-high flyer fresh from the number two slot in Northern Ireland, with his eyes firmly fixed on the office of Metropolitan Police Commissioner. Keen to make a dramatic first impression, he decides to re-open a 17-year old unsolved unsolved murder case using Shaw as front man and flak-taker until such time as success is guaranteed - when O'Hare will of course take over to claim the credit.

The case seems fairly straightforward. East Hills island - less than half a mile long - lies a couple of miles East of Wells and just over a mile from the mainland. It consists of a pinewood, some high grass-grown dunes, a beach - and absolutely nothing else. Despite the lack of facilities, the possession of a South-facing beach on a North-facing coast makes it popular with sun seekers; responding to this demand, a single local boat offers an outward trip from Wells each morning and a return trip in late afternoon. On the day of the murder, 75 passengers travelled out, but only 74 returned alive; the council lifeguard was found floating in the sea, a deep slash wound in his midriff, from which he had lost a large amount of blood. He was brought ashore, but died shortly afterwards. The police were called and were able to piece together most of the lifeguard's movements, but there were no clues directing suspicion towards any specific individual. However, they did find a bloodstained towel, which none of the survivors admitted to recognising. The case remained unsolved.

Following the advances in DNA analysis, the towel has been re-examined. The blood is definitely that of the lifeguard, but intermingled with the blood in such a way as to be clearly contemporary are skin cells from another male. West Norfolk is therefore arranging for all surviving males from the original group to provide a DNA swab, and for similar swabs to be taken from close family members of those who have died since the murder. Analysis of the new DNA samples will produce a match with the skin cells on the towel and -hey presto! - the identity of the probable murderer will be revealed. Meanwhile, Shaw is distracted by a present-day murder in the vicinity, and soon the body count rises ....

The historic murder looks like a classic mystery; perhaps not exactly the locked room scenario suggested by another reviewer, but certainly very closely akin to it. Back in the present, the clues steadily accumulate but point in apparently random and contradictory directions. It's a very satisfying conundrum, and only the most percipient reader will be able to work out the correct solution before all is revealed. I confess that I failed miserably! This was my first experience of Jim Kelly's writing, and I was much impressed. As a successful career journalist perhaps his talents should not be unexpected, but his style is colourful, accessible and happily lacks the pretension of some of his peers. If I have a criticism - and I admit that it's trivial - I'm not sure that the focus on Shaw's sight problems really works. Perhaps empathy-building is most successful when the hero's frailties are of a kind with which the average reader is more likely to be familiar.

Finally, I have to agree wholeheartedly with another reviewer who commented upon the quality of the editing, if indeed the proofs were edited at all. That reviewer quoted three examples; here are another three, the incorrect words actually printed being shown in brackets: rites (rights) of passage; passed (past); taken (took). I wouldn't say that I found such errors particularly distracting, but they are certainly disappointing because they are such glaring examples of basic proofing fodder. Unhappily, the publisher [Severn House / Creme de la Crime] seems to be making a practice of economising on editing; I've read three recent books from this source in the past month, and in all three the editing was pretty awful.

In short, an interesting and enjoyable tale, from an author whose future output I await with eager anticipation.
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Mr. Jonathan Pratt
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book - sham about the pruf reeding
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 9, 2012
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If you analyse all Jim Kelley's books in this series you will find the same elements: the intensity of family relationships, the impact of the past on the present, the beautiful yet menacing landscape of north Norfolk, the closeness of small communities and the ambiguous relationship between the two main characters. Yet each book does not fail to deliver because of the sheer quality of the writing and plotting. I think this is a great addition to a wonderful series.

But the proofreading! Was it a monkey?
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