This is a modern whodunit in more than just its setting. Samantha's death is like dropping a stone into a pool and watching the ripples grow wider. Everybody is touched by it in some way, and here is a crime that doesn't pay and has no glamour, only tragedy. The grief of the parents, terror of the Baxters, and other strong feelings are a world away from the clean puzzle murders of the classic era and more akin to news stories. Providing an impressive backdrop is rural Cornwall itself, a place of impoverished farmers, rural isolation, and sporadic tourism. As a resident of the West Country myself, I found the descriptions largely accurate, and fortunately devoid of any bucket-and-spade out-of-date misinformation. Highly compelling and realistic, this was a real page-turner that I couldn't put down. I do hope there will be more in this series - many more.