The Only Child by S Englefield

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The Only Child by S Englefield

How well do you really know the people you love?

After her parents are killed in a tragic accident, Amelia Simpson retreats from her old life and moves to the sleepy Isle of Wight to be near her grandmother, her last remaining family.

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But as the people closest to her start to die and secrets from her parent’s past are uncovered, Amelia is forced to question everything she thought she knew about her childhood and the people that she loved the most.

In order to find the killer, Detective Inspector Jennifer Stone will have to delve into Amelia’s past where she learns that there’s no such thing as a perfect family and that stopping them may end up costing her everything that she holds dear.

My Review

Three years ago we went as a family to the Isle of Wight to celebrate my granddaughter’s sixth birthday (she’s about to turn nine). We stayed in Ryde and spent her birthday on the seafront. I hadn’t been there since Bob Dylan played the Isle of Wight Festival in 1969 and I was still at school.

So I was very excited to read a book that takes place on the island as it’s pretty rare. It’s not exactly the crime centre of the universe, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Something a bit Midsomer Murders probably.

Amelia Simpson’s parents both died in a car accident when she was young, and a number of years later she decides to move to the island to be near her grandmother, her only living relative. She owns a flower shop, has a lazy boyfriend of six years called Sam, a cat named James (who Sam is jealous of – yes really), and a ghastly best friend Megan, who has anger issues – sorry but I thought she was dreadful.

Initially, the most exciting thing to happen is when the owner of a rival flower shop puts a brick through Amelia’s shop window. But when people close to her start to die, Amelia realises something far more sinister is going on, but she has no idea who would want to target her. Quite a few people have a minor motive it would appear, but not enough to carry out a revenge vendetta on this scale.

The Only Child is an interesting concept and for much of the book I was convinced I knew who the killer would turn out to be. How wrong I was, but then it wouldn’t be half as much fun if it was that easy to work out.

This is the first in a series featuring Detective Inspector Jennifer Stone and her team, so we are also setting the scene for more to come.

Many thanks to @ZooloosBT for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the Author

Scott Englefield grew up on the Isle of Wight. Despite being surrounded by idyllic beaches and woodland walks, he was often to be found with his head buried in a book. His love of reading endured into adulthood and now he spends his free time writing crime and psychological thrillers, often having to stop to fend off his cat James who believes his keyboard is the perfect place to sleep.

He is in his mid-forties (and feels it) and lives with his wife, son and cat in the East of England. He grew a beard once – his wife hated it.