My enormous thanks to lovely Emylia Hall for sending me a signed copy of the latest book in her The Shell House Detectives Mystery series, The Lone Island Mystery. I was thrilled to receive it and am delighted to share my review of The Lone Island Mystery today.

Indeed, I love Emylia Hall’s fiction and you’ll find her other appearances on Linda’s Book Bag here. 

Published by Thomas and Mercer on 28th April 2026, The Lone Island Mystery is available for purchase here.

The Lone Island Mystery

 

A wealthy family. An isolated island. A dead body. Is it a tragic accident or foul play? The Shell House Detectives are investigating again…

Lone Island is a remote and windswept spot, but for nature reserve warden Pippa Grant it’s always been a haven. Until a body washes ashore―and she’s the one to find it.

The police believe the deceased, Axel Marks, accidentally fell from the cliffs near Porthmerrin House, the grand estate on the mainland where Axel’s mother once served as housekeeper to the Grey family. But Pippa is adamant that there’s more to Axel’s death, and begs Ally and Jayden, the Shell House Detectives, to take the case.

Soon it emerges that Axel had a troubled past, and a complicated history with both Edward Grey and his son, Lucas. As the reasons behind Axel’s visit to Porthmerrin become clear, Ally and Jayden feel sure that the house holds the key, and both owners and staff come under scrutiny. But when the police switch their focus back to Lone Island, Ally and Jayden are forced to question whether it’s their client who has something to hide.

Was Axel murdered out of jealousy and greed, or because of an ancient betrayal? And how far will the killer go to achieve their ultimate goal? As Ally and Jayden finally bring the devastating truth to light, it’s clear that Axel’s death was just the beginning of the story…

My Review of The Lone Island Mystery 

The body of ex-soldier Axel Marks has washed up on Lone Island. 

What an utterly fantastic book. It’s been a while since I have read one of The Shell House Detectives books but The Lone Island Mystery has reminded me just how brilliant they are. I absolutely loved it.

Being back in the company of Ally and Jayden is akin to slipping into silken sheets, so smooth is the writing. Emylia Hall provides just enough background detail so that first time readers understand her characters, but it doesn’t matter at all if this is the first book a reader has encountered in the series. The Lone Island Mystery is so skilfully wrought that it can be read equally enjoyably as part of a series or a stand alone story.

Emylia Hall’s prose is mesmerising. Her ability to create setting through the use of the senses and through the most imaginative similes, creates vivid and painterly images in the mind’s eye. Her dialogue (with the occasional asides) is natural and engaging so that it feels as if these are real conversations, drawing in the reader completely. Genuinely, reading The Lone Island Mystery is like stepping into a film but with real people. I really felt part of the action.

Indeed, the characters feel so much more than fictional creations. The relationship between Ally and Jayden is pitch-perfect and every minor character is rounded, pertinent to the plot and interesting. I think what makes The Lone Island Mystery so special is that these wonderful people mean the narrative is written with warmth and humanity. It sounds rather exaggerated to say so, but being back with Ally, Jayden, Mullins et al felt rather like coming home. I hadn’t realised how much I had missed them.

The storytelling is magnificent. Opening in dramatic fashion in the Prologue, The Lone Island Mystery is balanced beautifully by a quieter Epilogue. In between is a brilliantly plotted, completely absorbing story with several surprises along the way and of course I can’t say more without spoilers! A couple of minor plot lines involving Ally and Jayden serve to enhance the heightened drama of the main story, making for an entertaining, emotional and compelling read. 

In amongst the cracking story are sensitively presented themes of mental health, family and relationships, romantic attraction and all manner of realistic elements that add humour, drama and engagement. Whilst she might be writing diverting crime fiction, this author shows just how much she understands the strengths and vulnerabilities of us all and Emylia Hall displays intelligent understanding of people’s motivation and perceptions.

The Lone Island Mystery has everything a reader might want. There’s a fabulous plot with superb insight into human nature, set in places that thrum with reality. I thought it was totally wonderful and could not have enjoyed it more. 

About Emylia Hall

Emylia Hall lives in Bristol with her husband and son, where she writes from a hut in the garden and dreams of the sea. She is the author of the Shell House Detective Mysteries, a series inspired by her love of Cornwall’s wild landscape. The first, The Shell House Detectives, was a Kindle Top 10 Bestseller, with the rights being optioned for TV. Emylia has published other novels, including Richard and Judy Book Club pick The Book of Summers and The Thousand Lights Hotel. Her work has been translated into ten languages, and broadcast on BBC Radio 6 Music. She is the founder of Mothership Writers and is a writing coach at The Novelry.

For further information, visit Emylia’s website, or you can follow Emylia on Twitter/X @EmyliaHall and find her on Instagram.