A Body on the Beach

The Rejoiner, Book 1

By: P. F. Ford

Narrated by: Andy Cresswell

Length: 7 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

These were supposed to be his golden years. But he’s much happier with something to do...like solve a murder.

Former detective sergeant Norman Norman’s retirement is boring him to tears. So when he’s asked to assist an upcoming female DI and mentor a new team of misfits in a sleepy Welsh coastal town, he jumps at the opportunity to lend his expertise. But the training has barely begun when a woman’s corpse washes up on the sand.

With no reports of missing persons, DS Norman is stumped...until the post-mortem reveals a shocking hint to the culprit being local. But with a growing list of suspects who all have iron-clad alibis, the experienced cop and his fledgling team’s first case could be their last.

Will DS Norman’s reinvigorated career end in a fizzer, or can he help his young charges nab a devious killer?

A Body on the Beach is the fast-paced first audiobook in the Rejoiner mystery series. If you like smart policemen, perfect British settings and a complex web of clues, then you’ll love P.F. Ford’s captivating whodunit.

©2020 P.F. Ford (P)2021 W F Howes

Speed it up for a better listening experiencd

Welp, apparently I’ve return too many this year (1) so I can’t return this even though I bought it with a credit. Since I couldn’t return it, I skipped to the end to see who the murderer was. Meh.

Pro tip, speeding it up to 1.2 made it a lot easier to listen to. At normal speed, it sounds like the narration has been slowed down. 1.2 sounds more like normal speaking cadence.

Just ordered Book three

The first book in a new series has to set the scene and introduce us to a new cast of characters. So I was a little iffy but enjoyed it enough to continue. I give this story five stars based on potential. Each book gets beter and is more interesting. Not a thriller, so avoid if that is what you are looking for. This series is family friendly for listening to in the car.

3+

There is a lot of promise in this Book One
police procedural set in Wales. It is a good
plot though a bit overdone toward the end
A promise of cold case adventures in upcoming
books sounds promising. Interesting
characters, some humor, a lovely diatribe over Welsh language/ prnunciations, spellings and sign posts with the names of 2 towns for one place...
I liked it and will be on the lookout for more., I
expect author and editors will smooth out the
bumps in forensics.

Slow to Develop the Story

This story gets off to a very slow start. The main characters spend most of their time alternately criticizing and building one another up. The mystery is secondary to establishing who’s in charge and who needs to learn what. Perhaps once all this is worked out future books will be able to focus on the mystery.

Not Exactly Original

Admittedly, Ford’s story reminds me of Gatward’s DCI Harry Grimm series, Helen Fields’ DI Callenach series, Denzil Meyrick’s DCI Daley series, and Nick Louth’s DCI Craig Gillard series when listening to A Body on the Beach. Not bad company, but not original, either. Check the authors above out, and you will see my point. Ford has solid groundwork, and hopefully, the series continuously improves to the level that it stands out from the others significantly.

Very enjoyable continuation of Norm’s story line

I have read all the Slater&Norman series and enjoyed them. Found the character driven police procedural very enjoyable. I came to “know” Dave & Norman. Had since switched mostly to audio books. Recently downloaded this on kindled unlimited and accidentally discovered the audio book ON SALE and immediately purchased it. #2 is available for free on the included section, which I have downloaded and am starting on now. I like that PF Ford delves into the characters lives as much as the crime AND that his stories feel very true to life, the people and the crimes. Like that Norm is back at work where he belongs! I’ll probably be doing some back to back PF Ford for a bit, just not always on Audible. Have to keep tabs now on Norm and his new “family”. Enjoyed this narrator, his voice for Norm is perfect.

what a disappointment

i hoped that I'd found a new police procedural book series to follow. This isn't it. The characters are never very developed. The "seasoned" detectives seemed to forget key elements of the case until reminded and the young detectives who were supposedly being trained were actually better at their jobs than the incomers. Pity.