STORMY WEATHER -Gales ahead

STORMY WEATHER - Gales ahead

With autumn gales upon us I thought I'd share the opening lines of BLOOD ON THE STRAND, the third novel in the Detective Inspector Sonny Russell series.

‘Bloody hell! We’ll never be able to land in this!’ The onshore wind, force six gusting seven, made it far too dangerous to approach close enough to the shingle beach to unload the wooden crate. The deck of the fishing boat dipped in the troughs and broke through the crests of the angry sea, spray and foam flying, soaking the men. It was all they could do to remain standing.

          ‘We’ll just ’ave to push it over the side and let it drift in. With this wind and tide it’ll quickly reach the shallows.’

          ‘What about the other one?’

          ‘Less said about that, the better.’

‘’Ow are we going to explain it? The fact that it’s empty - that the contents ’ave found their way elsewhere.’

‘I’ve been thinkin’ about that…’ His words were snatched away by the wind.

‘What?’

The man raised his voice to a shout. ‘I said, I’ve been thinkin’ about it. We pull the top off completely; chuck it over the side and say it must’ve sunk.’

‘But what if it won’t sink.’

‘Don’t matter. It’ll be empty an’ as far as anyone knows, the contents are lyin’ somewhere on the seabed.’

‘If you’re sure…’

‘Unless you’ve got a better idea… Come on, let’s get them overboard, Sailor and Frankie will be looking out for them. Then we’ve got to get this boat back to Nottery Quay, before anyone notices it’s missing.’