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Cliff Edge
Can you ever escape the past?
When Sara is invited by Bette and Mike to spend Christmas in an idyllic cottage on the coast, she jumps at the chance.
The couple appear to have a perfect life but appearances can be deceiving and nothing is as it seems…
As secrets come to light, tensions in the cottage mount.
When a body is discovered near the cottage, DCI Jane Owen is given the case.
But how can she solve the mystery when so many lies obscure the truth?
And when Mike goes missing, Owen suspects the answers may lie in the darkest places.
When Sara is invited by Bette and Mike to spend Christmas in an idyllic cottage on the coast, she jumps at the chance.
The couple appear to have a perfect life but appearances can be deceiving and nothing is as it seems…
As secrets come to light, tensions in the cottage mount.
When a body is discovered near the cottage, DCI Jane Owen is given the case.
But how can she solve the mystery when so many lies obscure the truth?
And when Mike goes missing, Owen suspects the answers may lie in the darkest places.
228 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 7, 2020
21 people are currently reading
14 people want to read
About the author
Florrie Palmer
7 books3 followersOne of the first British female singer-songwriters, Florrie’s songs have been recorded by many, including Agnetha Faltskog - the blonde from Abba - Manfred Mann, Mike Rutherford of Genesis, Elaine Paige and Sheena Easton. Her biggest hits were recorded by Sheena Easton, who secured the number one spot in America for six weeks with 9-5 (Morning Train) resulting in a platinum record followed by a number 12 with When He Shines.
In 1994, Florrie wrote a comic novel based on her experiences in the music business called Never Final Till it’s Vinyl.
The Decoy is her first venture into crime fiction. She is currently writing her second. Having lived in various English counties, as well as the South of France and Italy, Florrie now lives in Cambridge.
In 1994, Florrie wrote a comic novel based on her experiences in the music business called Never Final Till it’s Vinyl.
The Decoy is her first venture into crime fiction. She is currently writing her second. Having lived in various English counties, as well as the South of France and Italy, Florrie now lives in Cambridge.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
October 7, 2020
I struggled engaging with Palmer’s writing style and this was the contributing factor that caused me to not enjoy this book as much as I had hoped.
Palmer writes the majority of the story in present tense. I always have a bug-bear with this and have often found that it is difficult for writers to execute successfully. Give me a book just in the present tense and my brain won’t critique it as much! In addition to this, I found Palmer’s narrative style rather “jaunty” and lacking a flow to the paragraphs. It feels difficult to explain… like the sentences could be broken down into bullet points, rather than continuous prose. Maybe I have read too much into it, and my brain was already disconcerted by the tense, but these are the key reasons why I did not enjoy the book.
The plot itself is pretty good, albeit rather obvious. There did not seem to be much mystery behind the murders and I wish that Palmer had added more suspense to the story. Consequently, I was pleased to reach the final reveal at the conclusion to really understand the motives and key events leading to the murders. It was this aspect that I found most enjoyable: Palmer really packs a punch at the end and I relished in the revelations that were unexpected and juicy.
There are a couple of sensitive issues that Palmer covers in this story. First and foremost: Sudden Infant Death syndrome (SIDS). The way that Palmer writes about this is incredibly emotive and I found myself choked up when reading it. Therefore, if you have suffered from something similar, I urge you to think twice about reading this book. I am incredibly lucky to not have experienced such a tragedy, but the narrative here was powerful enough to really upset me. Accordingly, be careful when reading this book.
Secondly, I applaud the diversity in Palmer’s characters. Meg, although is not a central character to the story, is disabled. We eventually learn the circumstances leading to her disability and I appreciated the attention Palmer gave to Jane, Meg’s sister and carer. I think this added colour to the plot’s characters, especially as I found the events themselves rather predictable. It is another touching element of the story and one that readers may find difficult to explore.
The ending of the book really helped redeem it. Otherwise, I found it too obvious and the narrative style not to my tastes. I wanted there to be more mystery, more suspense; Palmer provides readers with too many clues that means it does not take much to solve the murders. The final pages were surprising and I do wonder if Palmer will do a follow-up story, continuing to follow Jane and her police work.
With thanks to Bloodhound books for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Palmer writes the majority of the story in present tense. I always have a bug-bear with this and have often found that it is difficult for writers to execute successfully. Give me a book just in the present tense and my brain won’t critique it as much! In addition to this, I found Palmer’s narrative style rather “jaunty” and lacking a flow to the paragraphs. It feels difficult to explain… like the sentences could be broken down into bullet points, rather than continuous prose. Maybe I have read too much into it, and my brain was already disconcerted by the tense, but these are the key reasons why I did not enjoy the book.
The plot itself is pretty good, albeit rather obvious. There did not seem to be much mystery behind the murders and I wish that Palmer had added more suspense to the story. Consequently, I was pleased to reach the final reveal at the conclusion to really understand the motives and key events leading to the murders. It was this aspect that I found most enjoyable: Palmer really packs a punch at the end and I relished in the revelations that were unexpected and juicy.
There are a couple of sensitive issues that Palmer covers in this story. First and foremost: Sudden Infant Death syndrome (SIDS). The way that Palmer writes about this is incredibly emotive and I found myself choked up when reading it. Therefore, if you have suffered from something similar, I urge you to think twice about reading this book. I am incredibly lucky to not have experienced such a tragedy, but the narrative here was powerful enough to really upset me. Accordingly, be careful when reading this book.
Secondly, I applaud the diversity in Palmer’s characters. Meg, although is not a central character to the story, is disabled. We eventually learn the circumstances leading to her disability and I appreciated the attention Palmer gave to Jane, Meg’s sister and carer. I think this added colour to the plot’s characters, especially as I found the events themselves rather predictable. It is another touching element of the story and one that readers may find difficult to explore.
The ending of the book really helped redeem it. Otherwise, I found it too obvious and the narrative style not to my tastes. I wanted there to be more mystery, more suspense; Palmer provides readers with too many clues that means it does not take much to solve the murders. The final pages were surprising and I do wonder if Palmer will do a follow-up story, continuing to follow Jane and her police work.
With thanks to Bloodhound books for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
October 7, 2020
This is a good crime mystery.
A body had been found washed up in a cove and it’s clear it’s been there for a few weeks.
Jane and the team investigates but have trouble finding any leads.
We then follow the story of Bette and Mike who move to the area after falling in love with the house called Cliff Edge.
Their lives are happy for a while but soon tragedy strikes and they can’t find their way back from it.
Bette meets Sara whilst walking near her other home in Cambridge and they soon become friends.
Sara is invited to Cliff Edge to spend Christmas with Bette and Mike but it’s all a bit awkward.
The last part of the book felt a bit rushed as one minute Sara was being questioned and then another minute a man had been charged with the murder of another woman.
We do learn what has actually happened to Bette and Mike but it all seemed too rushed to me.
This is a good read however, it’s quite a short book.
Thanks to Bloodhound Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book.
A body had been found washed up in a cove and it’s clear it’s been there for a few weeks.
Jane and the team investigates but have trouble finding any leads.
We then follow the story of Bette and Mike who move to the area after falling in love with the house called Cliff Edge.
Their lives are happy for a while but soon tragedy strikes and they can’t find their way back from it.
Bette meets Sara whilst walking near her other home in Cambridge and they soon become friends.
Sara is invited to Cliff Edge to spend Christmas with Bette and Mike but it’s all a bit awkward.
The last part of the book felt a bit rushed as one minute Sara was being questioned and then another minute a man had been charged with the murder of another woman.
We do learn what has actually happened to Bette and Mike but it all seemed too rushed to me.
This is a good read however, it’s quite a short book.
Thanks to Bloodhound Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book.
December 29, 2022
The cover and the setting are what attracted me to this particular novel. Also, it was set during the Christmas season, so for me it was a seasonal read. I had never read anything by this author, so didn't know exactly what to expect...
The setting didn't disappoint, a spectacularly renovated old house near the sea in Pembrokeshire, Wales.
The police presence in the novel were appealing characters. diminutive DCI Jane Owen, her team, and her paraplegic sister, Meg were all interesting to read about. The other characters, Sara, Bette, and Mike were all highly unlikable and what's more... highly unreliable. I personally found the volatile Bette to be particularly grating. Sara, though she was quiet and self-effacing, was simultaneously devious and cunning.
Several themes run through this thriller. Parental guilt, missing persons, and foremost... revenge.
With a twisty plot and unreliable characters this novel was - on the surface at least - just what I like in a thriller. The underlying meat of the novel fell short of my expectations however. Though I can't really put my finger on the reasons, this novel just wasn't wholly to my taste.
The setting didn't disappoint, a spectacularly renovated old house near the sea in Pembrokeshire, Wales.
The police presence in the novel were appealing characters. diminutive DCI Jane Owen, her team, and her paraplegic sister, Meg were all interesting to read about. The other characters, Sara, Bette, and Mike were all highly unlikable and what's more... highly unreliable. I personally found the volatile Bette to be particularly grating. Sara, though she was quiet and self-effacing, was simultaneously devious and cunning.
Several themes run through this thriller. Parental guilt, missing persons, and foremost... revenge.
With a twisty plot and unreliable characters this novel was - on the surface at least - just what I like in a thriller. The underlying meat of the novel fell short of my expectations however. Though I can't really put my finger on the reasons, this novel just wasn't wholly to my taste.
November 12, 2020
This book was told from a couple of people’s point of view. Firstly was DCI Jane Owen who not only has the tough job of solving her first missing person/murder case she is also the main carer of her sister who was disabled during a train accident where both of her parents were also killed.
Then there’s Bette and Mike who have the perfect life and perfect marriage however their relationship is put under serious strain when Bette and Mikes baby dies a sudden cot death at just 4 months old. Both Bette and Mike struggle to return to life after the death of their baby. Mike burries himself in work whilst Bette gets herself a dog; whilst out walking she meets Sara the pair instantly click and become good friends.
Bette, Sara and Mike head up to Mike and Bettes cottage in Whales to spend Christmas together, whilst they are there tension grows between Bette and Mike and it becomes clear to Sara that things are bad between the 2 of them. Bette and Mike decide to go away together for a couple of days to try and fix their relationship however when they don’t come back a missing persons hunt gets under way.
I love how much we find out about each character in this book. They all have their own history and their own story to tell and it’s written in a really clever way. I was kept interested the whole way through the book and continuously learnt and enjoyed reading about the different characters in this book. The only thing I did find is that this book could be quite predictable however there was a wicked twist at the end and it didn’t finish at all how I expected.
Then there’s Bette and Mike who have the perfect life and perfect marriage however their relationship is put under serious strain when Bette and Mikes baby dies a sudden cot death at just 4 months old. Both Bette and Mike struggle to return to life after the death of their baby. Mike burries himself in work whilst Bette gets herself a dog; whilst out walking she meets Sara the pair instantly click and become good friends.
Bette, Sara and Mike head up to Mike and Bettes cottage in Whales to spend Christmas together, whilst they are there tension grows between Bette and Mike and it becomes clear to Sara that things are bad between the 2 of them. Bette and Mike decide to go away together for a couple of days to try and fix their relationship however when they don’t come back a missing persons hunt gets under way.
I love how much we find out about each character in this book. They all have their own history and their own story to tell and it’s written in a really clever way. I was kept interested the whole way through the book and continuously learnt and enjoyed reading about the different characters in this book. The only thing I did find is that this book could be quite predictable however there was a wicked twist at the end and it didn’t finish at all how I expected.
October 7, 2020
Cliff edge will have you on the edge of your seat.
DCI Jane Owen is called to a case where a woman’s body has been found off a cliff. Her first job is to identify the body.
During the investigation, a couple are reported missing. Could the woman whose body has been recovered be that of Bette Davies. If so where is Mike? And did he murder Bette?
We then go back to before the couple go Missing. Bette and Mike, appear on the outside to have the perfect relationship, but behind closed doors things are quite different. Circumstances have added more pressure onto what is already a fraying relationship and it seems Mike is more invested in their relationship the Bette is.
Bette has befriended a woman called Sarah and they form what can only be described as quite a “strange” friendship, and it has you wondering why! All becomes clear though creating some deadly twists.
No one’s past is quite as it seems, and because of that this will keep you guessing right up until the end.
There just HAS to be a sequel to this! I would like DCI Jane Owen to pursue this case further so as this doesn’t become a cold case.
Great writing again from Florrie Palmer.
DCI Jane Owen is called to a case where a woman’s body has been found off a cliff. Her first job is to identify the body.
During the investigation, a couple are reported missing. Could the woman whose body has been recovered be that of Bette Davies. If so where is Mike? And did he murder Bette?
We then go back to before the couple go Missing. Bette and Mike, appear on the outside to have the perfect relationship, but behind closed doors things are quite different. Circumstances have added more pressure onto what is already a fraying relationship and it seems Mike is more invested in their relationship the Bette is.
Bette has befriended a woman called Sarah and they form what can only be described as quite a “strange” friendship, and it has you wondering why! All becomes clear though creating some deadly twists.
No one’s past is quite as it seems, and because of that this will keep you guessing right up until the end.
There just HAS to be a sequel to this! I would like DCI Jane Owen to pursue this case further so as this doesn’t become a cold case.
Great writing again from Florrie Palmer.
October 7, 2020
I enjoyed this suspenseful thriller. This is my first book by this author and I look forward to reading more in the future. This is an engaging story that has characters that bring the story to life. I had no issues connecting with them and they made the story easy to read. They made it fast paced and kept me turning pages. This is a story about escaping the past. How much do you really know anyone? As looks are decieving and you never know who might be a killer. What will happen when a body is found and someone goes missing? I really enjoyed this book and the twists and turns it brought me on. I highly recommend reading this book to find out what happens to these characters.
October 7, 2020
Overall 3.5*
Set in Wales, we are introduced to DCI Owens who's first task is to look into a missing person however when a body is found, it turns out not to be who the police were expecting it to be! Alongside this we have Bette, Mike and Sara who decide to join up to have a nice Christmas get away but that doesn't go to plan. The clues to what is going on are gradually fed to the reader bit by bit with some good twists and turns at times. It is basically a good story at times though it lacked pace possibly due to the dearth of characters.
Thanks to Bloodhound Books for the ARC to review.
Set in Wales, we are introduced to DCI Owens who's first task is to look into a missing person however when a body is found, it turns out not to be who the police were expecting it to be! Alongside this we have Bette, Mike and Sara who decide to join up to have a nice Christmas get away but that doesn't go to plan. The clues to what is going on are gradually fed to the reader bit by bit with some good twists and turns at times. It is basically a good story at times though it lacked pace possibly due to the dearth of characters.
Thanks to Bloodhound Books for the ARC to review.
October 12, 2020
I enjoyed the previous book by this author so was looking forward to reading this. I wasn’t disappointed in Cliff Edge.
DCI Jane Owens is the main character. We have a couple, Bette and Mike, who seems to be the perfect couple. They ask their friend Sara to spend Christmas with them in their cottage. A woman found dead and a missing couple has DCI Owens trying to solve the cases.
A story that had me guessing all the way through.
DCI Jane Owens is the main character. We have a couple, Bette and Mike, who seems to be the perfect couple. They ask their friend Sara to spend Christmas with them in their cottage. A woman found dead and a missing couple has DCI Owens trying to solve the cases.
A story that had me guessing all the way through.
October 7, 2020
DCI Jane Owens is a strong female detective and a great main character in this book. The story itself calls in the past of a couple to help figure out why they are dead and who would want to do that to them. This story has suspense and is a great whodunit. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book thanks to Bloodhound Books and the author.
October 7, 2020
I was excited to read this book, but when I finally got it I found the pace a bit slow for me. While I did enjoy DCI Jane Owen and all the things she has going on in her life, both professional and personal. I was hoping for the pace to pick up a bit more the more I read it, but for me, it really didn't. The story is good. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book from Bloodhound Books.
November 4, 2020
Whilst certainly enjoying this read, I found that the story drifted and lapsed a little at times when I wanted more dynamism. Also my concentration waned at times which is usually a few stars downgrade, however the final twist brought back a star and left me with an OK feeling. New author for me, possibly may read other books by Florrie in the future.
October 7, 2020
Good book the twists were good the plot and story were good as well. But for some reason it didn't flow for me and that might have just be me. All in all a good book and definitely would try another book from the author 📚
October 16, 2020
Beautifully written !
I loved reading Decoy, the previous book by this author, and as soon as I spotted Cliff Edge I ordered it. I’m so glad I did.
There’s something about the authors style that intrigues me, it’s intelligent, observant, quirky even, and the descriptive passages are sublime. I was there on the edge of that cliff in the prologue.
After being sucked into the mystery at the start of the book I was hooked, I had to know more about the characters such was the way the author eased me into their lives.
Two very emotive subjects were sensitively handled and I felt as though the author reached out via the characters, touching me as a reader. I also liked that the author focused on a handful of players allowing me to know them better.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story and felt like I’d been transported to a windswept coastline, delved into the complex lives of strangers and was rewarded with a great plot, twists and a fabulous finale. I hope to read more from the author soon.
I loved reading Decoy, the previous book by this author, and as soon as I spotted Cliff Edge I ordered it. I’m so glad I did.
There’s something about the authors style that intrigues me, it’s intelligent, observant, quirky even, and the descriptive passages are sublime. I was there on the edge of that cliff in the prologue.
After being sucked into the mystery at the start of the book I was hooked, I had to know more about the characters such was the way the author eased me into their lives.
Two very emotive subjects were sensitively handled and I felt as though the author reached out via the characters, touching me as a reader. I also liked that the author focused on a handful of players allowing me to know them better.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story and felt like I’d been transported to a windswept coastline, delved into the complex lives of strangers and was rewarded with a great plot, twists and a fabulous finale. I hope to read more from the author soon.
October 8, 2020
This was a fabulous murder story that had me hooked form the beginning and I couldn’t put it down. It had lots of twists and turns and kept me on the edge of my seat while reading this was the first book I had read by this author and won’t be my last. Was a brilliant read.
October 9, 2020
This was a steady and easy enough read, the storyline well written but I would say is more of a cosy mystery read. Some twists and turns that I wasn’t expecting and I had a few theories on what was happening some correct and some completely wrong.
January 15, 2021
A brilliant read. Thought that I had it all worked but I hadn’t.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews