Book ReviewsKenneth WebbSeptember 25, 2021Rose Petal Beach by Dorothy Koomson

'Rose Petal Beach' by Dorothy Koomson (Book Review)

Book ReviewsKenneth WebbSeptember 25, 2021Rose Petal Beach by Dorothy Koomson

Rose Petal Beach

By

Dorothy Koomson

In a large hardback, the author brings together a story that actually has just 12 main characters.

I read this in September 2013, and whilst I will not name the characters, we find ourselves reading of a family with a reputation for criminality, and another family on the opposite side of the racial spectrum, fiercely loyal to the status quo and maintaining correctness, and yet, when pushed, well able to take the law into their own hands and mete out their own justice if needed.

Two main characters provide a loving relationship.

We have a character in the LGBT community who brings a charge of rape but then withdraws it. Within this sub-plot, enter stage left two unsavoury people, a detective sergeant and his sidekick, a detective constable. In short, an unpleasant pair.

We have a best friend having a secret affair, and we find one of the main characters is addicted to pornography. What is seen on the screen, must be re-enacted.

A broken marriage, a difficult mother and daughter relationship, and a husband and father who is, in short, a wrecker.

When I last reviewed Rose Petal Beach, I listed some surprise elements.

These are what I call cliffhanger moments that I did not see coming. And what I like about Rose Petal Beach is that Dorothy Koomson writes in this story seven such moments. That, for me, makes a very good book, well written and with a plot that keeps one on edge.

I am glad I attended Dorothy’s book launch. My note also reminds me that in 2013, Rose Petal Beach is one of seven books written by Dorothy Koomson by then, all having been republished in 30 languages.

There is much more to write of, but giving character names and roles within the overall plot would be wrong. It is, however, a superb novel, and the author delves deeply into the very complicated lives of these twelve main characters, which, soberly, reflect only too well modern society.

Kenneth Webb

Ken Webb is a writer and proofreader. His website, kennwebb.com, showcases his work as a writer, blogger and podcaster, resting on his successive careers as a police officer, progressing to a junior lawyer in succession and trusts as a Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives, a retired officer with the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, and latterly, for three years, the owner and editor of two lifestyle magazines in Liverpool.

He also just handed over a successful two year chairmanship in Gloucestershire with Cheltenham Regency Probus.

Pandemic aside, he spends his time equally between his city, Liverpool, and the county of his birth, Gloucestershire.

In this fast-paced present age, proof-reading is essential. And this skill also occasionally leads to copy-editing writers’ manuscripts for submission to publishers and also student and post graduate dissertations.