‘The Community’ by S C Richmond

The Community

When a body is found in Charmsbury park, journalist Alex sets out to learn the woman’s identity. However, the mystery quickly leads her into a complex story spanning fifty years. Meanwhile, still mourning his lost love, Jack finds he has more pressing concerns than a nosy reporter – the death of a friend prompts a police investigation and it looks like The Community may be about to be exposed…

Stephanie Richmond tells a good tale – always a good sign with a debut novel. Her characters are believable and realistic and their relationships develop well over the course of the book. The narrative unfolds gradually, piece by piece, as the author poses questions and lays out her clues, allowing it to build to a comfortably satisfying conclusion. It’s an unusual mystery-cum-love story that kept me guessing almost until the end. My only criticism – and it’s a small one – is that it was maybe a bit too long and might’ve worked better if the action (especially in the closing chapters) was condensed a little.