“Tides of Death” by Luke H. Davis

I was a fan of the Detective Cameron Ballack mystery series, set in St. Charles County, Missouri, part of metropolitan St. Louis. Author Luke H. Davis published three novels about the wheelchair-bound detective, and I thoroughly enjoyed all three. Davis moved on to a theological series aimed at young adults and also a book that tackled tough issues from a Biblical perspective. But I missed the detective series. 

No longer. Leaping across the Atlantic, Davis has a new detective, DI Gareth Benedict of the North Wales Police, or Heddlu Gogledd Cymru. (I googled it to identify the force; Wales has four geographic forces, and I don’t speak or read Welsh). This first in the series is entitled Tides of Death, and it’s a winner of a story.

 

Benedict has been on personal leave for several months, trying to deal with the death of his partner in an operation neither of them thought was well planned, but orders are orders. His DCI pays a visit to tell him it’s time to return. A new detective sergeant has been appointed to take his partner’s place, and the team needs Benedict’s leadership, not to mention his detective skills. Their unit is based on St. David’s Island, and there’s also likely some concern that an absent DI might suggest consolidating police services and closing their station.

 

Benedict returns. He’s surprised to learn his new DS is Rachel Griffith-Thomas, a transfer from Liverpool. The DCI had cleverly not mentioned it was a woman. They start off on the wrong foot and manage to stay that way through most of the novel. Using their conflict is a neat way to develop both personalities, the interactions with the rest of the team, and the story itself.

 

Luke H. Davis

And no sooner do Benedict and Griffith-Thomas meet than they find they’re dealing with what initially looks like an accident or a suicide. A student at a rather exclusive school has been found on a nearby beach at the bottom of a cliff. But Benedict has his doubts, and the post-mortem bears that out. This was murder. And Benedict and his team soon find themselves finding their way through one entangled academic web.

 

Davis teaches at Westminster Christian Academy in St. Louis and chairs the Bible Department there. He’s also taught at schools in Louisiana, Florida, and Virginia. He describes himself as “Presbyterian body, Lutheran heart, Anglican blood, Orthodox spirit,” all of which have served him well in writing the Cameron Ballack mysteries. He has published three Ballack mysteries, Litany of Secrets (2013), The Broken Cross (2015), and A Shattered Peace (2017), and Joel: The Merivalkan Chronicles Book 1 (2017). He blogs at For Grace and Kingdom.

Tides of Death is the first in the series; Island Games will be the next to be published. If this quality story is the introduction to a new detective series, it will be difficult to wait for No. 2.

Related: 

Redemption: The Church in Ancient Times by Luke H. Davis.

Reign: The Church in the Middle Ages by Luke H. Davis.

Reform: The Church at the Birth of Protestantism by Luke H. Davis.

Renewal: The Church That Expands Outward by Luke H. Davis.
Reading a Novel that Stars Your Hometown.

My review of Litany of Secrets.

My review of The Broken Cross.

My review of A Shattered Peace.

My review of Tough Issues, True Hope by Luke Davis.

Some Wednesday Readings

 

The 100 Greatest British Novels – Karen Swallow Prior at The Priory.

 

Can We Still Do America? – Spencer Klavan at The New Jerusalem.

 

Can Raymond Chandler & John Steinbeck Help Us Now? – Ralph Gaebler at The Imaginative Conservative.