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Jack Le Claire Mystery #1
Blood In The Sand
Be careful what you wish for, it just might come true. DCI Jack Le Claire has left London, the Metropolitan Police and, for the most part, his recent troubles far behind him. Returning home to Jersey in the Channel Islands, and bored of run-of-the-mill cases, Le Claire cannot help but miss his days at the Met and secretly longs for something more challenging. A chance file review throws up more than anyone could have expected. How far would you go to claim your birth-right? When family tragedy strikes, New York lawyer Grace Howard travels to Jersey. However, all is not as it first appears in this island community and before long Grace is caught up in a murder enquiry. In her time of greatest need Grace doesn't know who she can trust. The island's wealthy inhabitants hide their secrets well. Everyone has something to hide, don't they? Running from his own past, and struggling to prove he is up to the job, Le Claire battles against a web of lies and half-truths as he tries to stop an elusive killer. Does Jersey + inheritance = murder? Find out in Blood In The Sand.
330 pages, Paperback
Published December 11, 2015
93 people are currently reading
637 people want to read
About the author
Kelly Clayton
10 books59 followersI was born in Scotland but have lived most of my life in the beautiful Channel Island of Jersey. I live in a house by the sea with my husband and three cats. (I know!)
I have been writing for the last decade and Blood In The Sand is my first published novel. My second book, Blood Ties, was published at the end of November 2016.
I love walking on the beach and reading, reading, and reading.
I have been writing for the last decade and Blood In The Sand is my first published novel. My second book, Blood Ties, was published at the end of November 2016.
I love walking on the beach and reading, reading, and reading.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
April 12, 2017
A rich widow apparently overdoses on her insulin and falls to her death from her balcony. Things are just too perfect, though. Can it really have been an accident? This is just the beginning of an increasing body-count for DCI Jack Le Claire. The holiday island of Jersey suddenly has a surfeit of ‘blood on the sand’
This author and her books have been on my radar for some time but I’ve not had a break in my reading schedule until now. I bought this and read it – devoured it – in two days. The story is complex, interesting, plausible and exciting. It’s peopled with three-dimensional characters who are so real, so human, that you can’t immediately say who is the perpetrator. Everyone has some financial need or some family feud and it’s only right at the end that the tangle is sorted out. I enjoyed it immensely and I’m going to do what I very rarely do and immediately buy Book 2 in this series.
Highly recommended.
July 17, 2017
Well I never saw that coming! Had to stay up until the early hours to finish this and find out who done it. A great easy read to lose yourself in and get wrapped up with the cast of characters Kelly Clayton has devised. I really want to know what's going to happen next for Jack Le Claire and the rest of the cast. Great read.
May 25, 2016
My first "summer read" of 2016 - I took this with me on a trip and it made great airplane/travel escape reading. Well defined characters, lovely descriptions of Jersey, and a good plot with some unpredictable twists and turns.
I enjoyed the depth of structure, beyond a formulaic romance/suspense, and it held my attention throughout. Reminded me a little of some of Mary Stewart's classics - This Rough Magic, for instance.
I enjoyed the depth of structure, beyond a formulaic romance/suspense, and it held my attention throughout. Reminded me a little of some of Mary Stewart's classics - This Rough Magic, for instance.
August 17, 2016
A good read and set in my lovely island so I loved the references to our little quirks especially the straying cows. I read that part on a day when our lead news story was of a loose bull in the north of the island. Jack Le Claire is a hit with me.
February 13, 2018
Another new author to me and I did enjoy this book. I think the way it was constructed kept my interest alive. There are quite a few twists and I was surprised with the ending. I will read more from this author in the future.
December 10, 2017
Though this is labeled a 'mystery' and the lead investigator is a DCI, most of the focus seemed to be on the romantic lives of the other characters. I'd say it was more of a romantic suspense type novel. As such, it was fine.
I wasn't surprised at all by who the main perpetrator was, though there were a couple of aspects of the solution that felt like they came out of nowhere. It was the first of a series -- not sure if I'll continue or not.
I wasn't surprised at all by who the main perpetrator was, though there were a couple of aspects of the solution that felt like they came out of nowhere. It was the first of a series -- not sure if I'll continue or not.
April 1, 2018
A really enjoyable read with echoes of agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes in the ties that made the crime happen, an engaging cast of characters who weren't all entirely likeable and an interesting look at Jersey as an island, I really enjoyed this book and read it in effectively one sitting and will look forward to reading more from this author, I'm glad I chose it as my book for the #ukcbcauthormemberchallenge
September 25, 2017
Reading this book in Jersey where it is set was lovely. I really liked the characters and it keeps you guessing until the end with a twist. Great book to pick up each night and get back into the story. Are all these deaths connected and if so then how? It keeps the police puzzled until the end but a good story.
February 7, 2020
Really enjoyed this book. The description of the island was beautiful. Learning about the characters and their background made it very interesting. LeClaire had to find who killed 3 people and why, all the while trying to put his life back together. There are many suspects, twists that keep you interested. Read this story in one sitting, just had to find out "who done it ".
January 4, 2018
I read about this book on Facebook and thought I would give it a go. Really pleased I did, I enjoyed meeting Jack Le Claire for the first time. I like a good plot with twists and turns so was happy with this book.
June 10, 2020
This is an intriguing story in a unique setting, with great characters in the midst of a series of murders that need solving. I read the book straight through, and you will also find yourself gripped by the storyline!
March 21, 2019
Nice holiday read
Not too taxing, but not too boring. Worth reading on holiday if it is raining & you can’t get out.
Not too taxing, but not too boring. Worth reading on holiday if it is raining & you can’t get out.
August 14, 2019
Quite good tho I did lose interest at one point but got it back
February 7, 2020
Neat murder mystery with plenty of twists and turns with a little romance for added seasoning. Quite an enjoyable read.
March 1, 2020
It was a slow read. A good read.
March 4, 2020
Good story
I enjoyed this book ,I must admit I guessed wrong but it was fun to read on and find out the ending!
I enjoyed this book ,I must admit I guessed wrong but it was fun to read on and find out the ending!
September 5, 2020
A hard-to-put-down mystery. Almost every character in the book could have been the guilty party.
February 23, 2021
Good read
I finished the book and it kept my interest until the end. It is a who done it and I was never sure who the antagonist would be.
I finished the book and it kept my interest until the end. It is a who done it and I was never sure who the antagonist would be.
April 8, 2018
I've been wanting to read one of Kelly's books since hearing about her, I'm glad I made the time, an enjoyable read with a great twist. I'm a regular visitor to Jersey, so nice to try and guess places mentioned. Would definitely read others by her.
October 4, 2016
Kept me intrigued
Intriguing construction, kept interest all the way through to the end. Back stories of the characters woven into the narrative to keep the reader guessing who the protagonist could be.
Intriguing construction, kept interest all the way through to the end. Back stories of the characters woven into the narrative to keep the reader guessing who the protagonist could be.
February 21, 2017
I don't know why but, when reading this book, I kept thinking of the cheesey crime programmes that are on day-time TV and you spend more time rolling your eyes at than guessing who actually committed the murder(s).
The plot line was extremely far-fetched and predictable, although there were some parts that were intriguing (hence the two stars as opposed to one).
The characters were what really bugged me I think, which is why I struggled to care who had killed Kate, Harriet and/or Emma. Throughout their dialogue was very stilted and simple. I also think certain characters could have done with more development in terms of the way they spoke. For example, Grace was supposed to have been from an affluent American family but spoke more like a British aristocrat in places! I also did not understand the random, and quite frankly unnecessarily nasty, jibes thought by Le Claire about Dewar in terms of her weight. Was this supposed to imply that no other woman could come close to his wife in terms of looks in his eyes? But then why comment on how attractive Susannah Avery was and say how 'lucky' her husband was? It just didn't make sense that he seemed to find his colleague repulsive when Dewar was not of any real concern to him personally and was simply a work acquaintance who does nothing but do her job diligently throughout the novel.
As far as crime novels go, it was OK for a light read (I chose it because it was nice and short to read in between Book Club books) but certainly won't be rushing out to buy the next Le Claire novel.
The plot line was extremely far-fetched and predictable, although there were some parts that were intriguing (hence the two stars as opposed to one).
The characters were what really bugged me I think, which is why I struggled to care who had killed Kate, Harriet and/or Emma. Throughout their dialogue was very stilted and simple. I also think certain characters could have done with more development in terms of the way they spoke. For example, Grace was supposed to have been from an affluent American family but spoke more like a British aristocrat in places! I also did not understand the random, and quite frankly unnecessarily nasty, jibes thought by Le Claire about Dewar in terms of her weight. Was this supposed to imply that no other woman could come close to his wife in terms of looks in his eyes? But then why comment on how attractive Susannah Avery was and say how 'lucky' her husband was? It just didn't make sense that he seemed to find his colleague repulsive when Dewar was not of any real concern to him personally and was simply a work acquaintance who does nothing but do her job diligently throughout the novel.
As far as crime novels go, it was OK for a light read (I chose it because it was nice and short to read in between Book Club books) but certainly won't be rushing out to buy the next Le Claire novel.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 13, 2016
I really wanted to love this book - based in the place where I lived. Unfortunately I thought it was at best average. It was easy to guess the killer and although it was lovely to try and guess the places, the writing seemed basic.
September 8, 2016
Blood in the sand
Not all the action seems to be plausible but that doesn't change the flow of the story. The ending has a twist in the tail
Not all the action seems to be plausible but that doesn't change the flow of the story. The ending has a twist in the tail
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews