Dark Mire

3.5 [a:J.S. Cook 7166437 J.S. Cook https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] firmly brings us back to the world of Kildevil Cove, amplifying it and its inhabitants. I think reading [b:Wind and Dark Water 49888864 Wind and Dark Water (Kildevil Cove Murder Mysteries, #1) J.S. Cook https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1577309604l/49888864.SY75.jpg 74969775] first will aid in your enjoyment of this as would be properly aligning your expectations. What I mean by this is that this isn't really romance, M/M or otherwise, even though three same sex couples feature to one degree or another in the story. It's just set in the XXI century.Deiniol Quirke is now permanently back in Kildevil Cove as an Inspector for the newly established local constabulary. And not a moment too soon. Kildevil Cove may be an outback community steeped in its own peculiar culture and social mores but it's not isolated from the modern world and it's attendant evils. A series of disappearances and later deaths land on Quirke's lap. Are they connected? Is it one killer? Are they even murders? As in the previous book the author, through beautifully evocative language, the author immerses us in this world, with its characters and local mythology. As a mystery the story works very well and the author does a good job of presenting the story through the eyes of the participants and not via an omniscient narrator. We know what the characters know. I also liked that though the story is set in modern times the past isn't far behind and it's grip on local life is palpable. This part worked very well for me. What didn't work for me were the personal relationships.A good portion of the first book was dedicated, albeit in a roundabout way, to establishing the relationship between Danny and Tadhg, former adolescent friends who reconnect as adults. However in this outing Tadhg's participation is almost like a cameo and to my mind whenever they are together they seem more adversarial than not. Danny's quick to snap at Tadhg and think badly of him and vice versa. It's all washed over by the requisite “I love you” and I know that relationships between grownups, with adult problems and preoccupations, are vastly different (rightfully so) than those of younger couples but even so I had issues with these two as a couple. Don't know if their longevity (a given in romance) will be more due to practicality than to all consuming love. Some interesting new characters were introduced and others filtered in from the previous book but their stories are left ... open? I can only surmise that they'll play a role in future stories set in this world. We'll see. Recommended with the aforementioned caveats. I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.More reviews on the blog.