STRICTLY MURDER BY JULIE WASSMER – BOOK REVIEW

PUBLISHED BY CONSTABLE ON THE 10th JUNE 2021

A new dance school opens in Whitstable run by celebrity tango champions – Tony and Tanya Ballard.

Pearl Nolan knows herself to be an ace cook and a sharp private eye but has always left the dancing to her mother, Dolly, a former member of the town’s infamous Fish Slappers dance troupe. But Pearl becomes intrigued by the Ballards when they visit The Whitstable Pearl restaurant, and she realises that dance classes could provide the perfect cover for her clandestine relationship with DCI Mike McGuire…

McGuire is the only man Pearl has ever considered partnering – and not just for tango – but the pair soon find themselves with more than steps to master when death joins them on the dance floor and a brutal killer stalks the school.

Julie Wassmer is a television drama writer who contributed for almost twenty years to the popular BBC series EastEnders.

She published her autobiography More Than Just Coincidence in 2010, in which she describes finding her long-lost daughter after an astonishing twist of fate. It was voted Mumsnet book of the year.

Book three in Julie’s Whitstable-set crime series The Whitstable Pearl Mysteries – involving multi-tasking private detective-come-restaurateur, Pearl Nolan – was published in spring 2016, with books 4 & 5 soon to follow

Julie lives in Whitstable and is well known for her environmental and political campaigning.

Her books have also been optioned by the TV company ACORN and the first six books have just been played on television.

I adore Julie’s books but must admit so far I have only worked out who did the crime once! They are very entertaining and the type of book you can just pick up and get stuck back into. The characters are very typically based on local village people, with everything being very down to earth like it could all happen in Whitstable. The descriptions of the scenes are so well written you can see them in your mind or if you know Whitstable you can work out where they are. It was fun watching the TV series and seeing all the local places come to life. The budding romance between cop McGuire and Pearl is another strand of these books that keep you interested, will the romance keep going? What if McGuire gets sent back to London. Another colorful character is Dolly, Pearl’s mum, you never really know what she will get up to next, and sounds like a very happy go, lucky woman.

I not only recommend this book but also all the series plus the television shows, well done Julie, another bestseller.

The books are available here on AMAZON

The TV series here on ACORN.