Robert Thorogood's Death Knocks Twice - Review

Death Knocks Twice by Robert Thorogood

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


DI Richard Poole and the team return in the third 'Death in Paradise' novel, for yet another brilliant and entertaining mystery.

A woman arrives at the police station, anxious and on edge, reporting that she is being stalked by a mysterious vagrant who watches her at her home - a coffee plantation where she lives with her family, the Beaumonts. When Richard and Camille accompany her to the plantation, they are searching the jungle when they hear gunshots, leading to the discovery of the vagrant's body in a secluded shower room, locked from the inside. It is initially assumed that his death is suicide. But nothing is as it first appears and Richard soon becomes convinced that the man was murdered.

The Beaumont family have a long and controversial history on the island, while their recent family history and current feuds and misdeeds seem to have done little to improve their reputations. Uncovering secrets, lies and misdirection, Richard and the team are determined to uncover the truth. But can they solve the mystery before death knocks twice?

It's always a joy to revisit the original team in the novels. I absolutely loved this book, my favourite of the three in the series so far, and read it in just one weekend. Some of its themes are also quite topical - weaved throughout the narrative are domestic abuse and racial prejudice, the societal injustices that have allowed male and/or white dominance and criminality, as present today as through history. Thorogood's characterisation of the four leads on the page is perfect - as you read, you can hear the voices and imagine the mannerisms of the cast, which is especially effective in the comedy elements. 'Death in Paradise' has always expertly balanced the crimes and comedy - the characters and some of their predicaments bring the humour, while the investigations and the nature of the crimes retain the necessary seriousness of their nature. A cleverly orchestrated locked-room mystery, packed with twists and turns and skulduggery, presents the perfect challenge for both the police team and the reader.

Something of interest to note: I regarded the first two novels as taking place between and around episodes of the first two series, prior to the first episode of series 3. However, assuming series 3 took place in the year it was broadcast in 2014, that sets this book as taking place after that date (in its year of publication, 2017) - thus the novels present an alternative narrative to the TV series, undoing what is perhaps the only slight misstep the show has made in almost ten years.

While I identified the murderer and their motives before the reveal, part of the fun of a whodunnit is trying to solve the mystery yourself and solving it takes nothing away from the enjoyment. Robert Thorogood's writing is very skilfully done, so, during Richard's summing-up, I still found myself questioning my theory right until the final moment. Much like the first two novels in the series, this feels like a feature-length episode in novel form, transporting you to the sandy beaches and locales of Saint Marie.

'Death Knocks Twice' is another entertaining and engrossing novel; I'm looking forward to soon reading the fourth, 'Murder in the Caribbean'.



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