Death and the Seagull has been described as “The Perfect Comedy Thriller with Heart, Scones and Seagulls!” and “More twists and turns than a seaside helter-skelter!”
The Plot
Monday, I received two letters.
Tuesday, I became a father.
Wednesday, I was on the run.
Thursday, I fell to my death.
Friday, I caught my killer.
…It was quite a week.
Is the end ever really the end, when you have people to love and a killer to catch?
Widower, Howard Henderson, thinks he’s reached the end of the line and it may be time for him to sit back and let nature take its course. Then he is asked to do a favour for an old friend and sets off for one last trip to the genteel seaside town of Bexhill-On-Sea.
Instead of a quiet few days by the sea, he stumbles into a world of danger, blackmail and lies; pitting his wits (and those of his eccentric, elderly mother) against a ruthless gang, known as The Seven.
Along the way he learns to ride in the sidecar of a vintage motorbike, the power of a parent’s love for their child and how to fight off gangsters with an ornamental windmill.
Review
While on holiday in Eastbourne, we visited Bexhill on sea for the day. there we had a look around the Bexhill Museum. Bexhill Museum is boasts a traditional volunteer-run collection, with everything from dinosaur footprints to the history of the De la Warr Pavilion and Eddie Izzard’s model railways. While looking through the gift shop we stumbled upon Death and the Seagull by Mark Feakins. The lady in the shop recommended the book, adding that the Bexhill Museum featured in it. She didn’t say that the museum staff also featured. Sure enough there were references to the museum and the De la Warr Pavilion as well as other places we had seen during our trip.
As far as the story goes…….
It begins with Howard Henderson being informed that he is terminally ill. While putting his affairs in order, he receives the unexpected news that he is a father. So before his time is up he decides to travel to Bexhill to meet the daughter he never knew he had.
There he has the week of his life. He gets two letters, finds out he is a father, goes on the run etc
Yes, it is quite a lot to pack in to one week, but somehow Howard Henderson manages it. This shy retiring man finds himself in the middle of a criminal conspiracy and way out of his comfort zone.
A fun read – recommended
Available from Amazon
