Blind Sea Reach
“A sudden procession of larger waves. A flash of hair in the sunlight. Then the sea. Only the sea.”
When Coastguard Officer Jen Grundel discovers a dangerous secret about the Blyndsea Bay lifeboat, she is driven by an earlier tragedy to investigate.
Shunned by her colleagues and rocked by news that could mean the end of the East Coast lifeboat station, she plunges into the treacherous waves of conspiracy and crime that threaten to engulf her home town – and her family.
Jen knows that you ignore the sea’s blind reach at your peril, even if it means ditching the rulebook and putting yourself in the firing line.
* * *
“Dark, dangerous and compelling – Happy Valley moves to the East Coast. With an engaging and fresh detective, Paul Mackereth is a name to watch out for.” – Nick Quantrill
About the Author
Paul Mackereth grew up in a West Yorkshire textile town, but migrated across the Pennines to live in Preston for a while before heading south to London. He managed to find work in a disparate range of occupations (call centre lackey, snowboard bum, pub reviewer, Excel geek and coastguard officer) despite initially working for several years as a careers adviser.
Paul returned to Yorkshire in the early 2000s, settling with his wife and cat in a small village a few miles from the North Sea where he enjoys cycling in the Wolds, watching cricket, and pubs. Since abandoning gainful employment, he achieved a Masters in English at the University of Hull and kickstarted his writing ambitions in the process.
Praise for Blind Sea Reach
“Blind Sea Reach takes us into perhaps the most intense, life-or-death emergency service of all: the coastguard. A lifeboat is central to this coastal community, who live on the fringe of the harsh North Sea. Mysteries and old wounds are buried in the town’s psyche. In Jen, the coastguard officer, Paul Mackereth gives us a character of real grit and warmth, strong enough to be vulnerable and brave enough to care. A stand-out debut novel of conflict, wild settings, and characters so believable they make you gasp.”
– Martin Goodman
“A tautly-written thriller with a poet’s eye for the harsh but beautiful East Yorkshire coast. Mackereth, who used to work for HM Coastguard, charts how the decline of the fishing industry left a gap that was soon filled with a more lucrative but even more dangerous trade. Jen is a smart, gutsy protagonist, who is caught between her sense of duty and family ties, and there’s a strong supporting cast of characters. With its sharp dialogue, cracking pace and enough twists and turns to keep any reader hooked, this is a gripping first novel.”
– Ray French
Vital Statistics
Imprint: Valley Press
Edition: First (November 2022)
Paperback ISBN: 9781915606020
Catalogue number: VP0207
Page count: 350
Trim size: 198x129mm
