The Body on the Beach (An Island Mystery #1) by Anna Johannsen
(translated by Lisa Reinhardt)
Genre: Crime fiction, police procedural
Read: 29th September 2019
Purchase: Amazon
(release date: 24th September 2019)
★★★★ 3.5 to 4 stars
Set on a small island off the north coast of Germany, THE BODY ON THE BEACH is the first in a new series by Anna Johannsen. The island of Amrum is one of the North Frisian Islands in the North Sea on the German coast and right away, there is a feeling of separation and isolation of a close knit community where everyone knows everyone but also where dark secrets can hide.
Hein Bohlen and his wife Sabine run a children's home on the island of Aumrum where both are social educators and Hein is a director. Then when Hein's body is found on a beach, local authorities write his death off as a heart attack. But his wife demands a post mortem and it isn't long before poison is suspected but not confirmed throwing a different light on the case.
DI Lena Lorenzen knows the island of Amrum intimately as it's where she grew up but has not returned back to for 14 years. So when her superiors send her off to the island from which she'd come to investigate a possible murder, she does so with mixed feelings. Lena left a lot of unfinished things behind on Amrum - things she would rather not have to face upon her return. Luckily, she has DS Johann Grasmann seconded to assist from Flensburg Police and it isn't long before he proves himself an invaluable investigator and asset.
It isn't long before Lena and Johann uncover several irregularities surrounding the case. Starting with the local police's arrival at the scene and the notification to the doctor who issued the death certificate. What happened in that missing twenty minutes? What was Sergeant Reimers hiding? And then there is the mystery of former teacher Anna Bauer's sudden resignation from the children's home. Why did she suddenly quit without notice? Were the rumours true about her affair with Hein Bohlen? And that she was pressing him to leave his wife? Or was she a victim of sexual harrassment by her employer, as another employee recently claimed a similar incident? Where did Isabel Muller come from prior to applying for Anna's job before the position was even advertised? And where did Hein Bohler really get the €800,000 he put towards the purchase of the home? He claimed he won the lottery, but after a quick and detailed look into the source revealed the letter he put forward stating the fact was indeed a forgery...and he he hadn't won the lottery at all. So where did that money really come from? And why had he taken large amounts of cash from his account over the last weeks before his death? And what of his wife Sabine? Is she as cold and heartless as she appears? But the questioned remained - who would want to kill Hein Bohlen?
With several rumours surrounding the deceased, the questions and irregularities facing Lena and Johann have them digging deep to discover the truth. But what they end up uncovering is something far more sinister, disturbing and shocking.
Well-paced, THE BODY ON THE BEACH is an excellent start to a promising new series. With the inclusion of Lena's childhood love, Erck, leaves the way open to explore more of her backstory hopefully in future books, as well as that of her Aunt Beke who was both a delightful and engaging touch to the story.
I hope we see more of Johann in future stories as I found he and Lena worked incredibly well together and I would love to see him permanently attached as her DS.
Apart from the addition of the odd chapter from an unnamed and rather troubled narrative, THE BODY ON THE BEACH is primarily told from Lena's perspective in the third person. I thought the identity of the unnamed narrative was somewhat obvious but then that could also have been a "red herring". While the reader may think they know where the story is headed, Lena's narrative does provide solid information that will leave readers questioning the truth. Nevertheless, this is still an undemanding and intriguing read.
I would also like to thank Lisa Reinhardt for her smooth translation from German to English. Many books that have been translated from their native tongue usually lose something in the translation making the story a little convoluted in parts but that was not the case here. It's as if the book had always been in English so fluid was her translation. I am grateful to have the opportunity to read this excellent procedural thanks to her effortless translation.
I would like to thank #AnnaJohannsen, #NetGalley and #AmazonPublishingUK for an ARC of #TheBodyOnTheBeach in exchange for an honest review.
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