The Watchman's Secret
A Treggan Bay Mystery
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Blurb
A winter storm sweeps a varnished rowboat onto the shingle below Hollow Eye Lighthouse. Inside is a skeleton dressed for bad weather, carrying three stubborn clues: a Belgian pocket pistol, a cigarette case with one stick marked “WICKED TODAY,” and a gold pocket watch on an old albert chain.
Noah Yalland—once a relentless investigative journalist, now trying to keep his head down—can’t stay out of it when DS Scott Langdon brings the puzzle straight to his kitchen table and Noah’s old friend Issey Ashford arrives with a notebook.
Set on the south Devon coast in the ’90s, this is a mystery built on tangible evidence rather than hunches. Forensics suggest a man in his fifties or sixties, shot decades ago and hidden somewhere damp and salt-aired before the sea returned him. The trio split the work: the pistol to Scott, the watch to Issey, the cigarette case to Noah—until the watch’s provenance tugs at money, politics, and old channels of power.
As Noah is drawn towards Leo Petit of the Drift Café, village loyalties, smuggling talk, and a lighthouse that seems to collect secrets raise the cost of knowing. The aim is simple and dangerous: name the dead man, and pry open what Treggan Bay kept shut—before the truth lands where it will hurt.
Content notes: human remains; historical/off-page violence; occasional strong language; one on-page intimate scene (kissing).
Series note: the central mystery is self-contained; best read in series order for the relationship arc.
Behind the Pages
Each summer, I find myself wandering the coast paths of Devon—those ribbon-thin trails that flirt with the edge of the sea—wondering what secrets might be tucked beneath the rocks and gorse. The air smells of salt and wild thyme; the cottages huddle together against the wind, their stone walls crusted with sea spray, their roofs furred with lichen in the afternoon sun. Tiny gardens bloom between them—lavender, mint, and mischief. It’s the sort of place where stories don’t need to be written; they simply rise from the soil like mist after rain.
And it was there, between the leaning chimney stacks and gossiping gulls, that I stumbled upon Noah Yalland—London journalist, resourceful enough to untangle Parliament but somehow incapable of boiling an egg without supervision. He arrived in Treggan Bay like an uninvited guest at a wake and, naturally, tripped over a murder before he had his first cup of coffee.
Among the so-called ‘charming’ residents, Noah found himself reluctantly untangling one mystery after another—if only to make it back in time for supper with Leo, who has the patience of a saint and the griddle of a tyrant.
Jern Tonkoi
Reviews
The Watchman’s Secret by Jern Tonkoi is a beautifully written coastal mystery, steeped in atmosphere and quiet emotion. This book feels lived in — you can almost smell the salt in the air, hear the gulls, and catch snatches of conversation from old fishermen on the quay. The setting on the south Devon coast feels authentic and immersive, a perfect backdrop for the kind of mystery that unfolds slowly but purposefully.
I'm so glad no one called the police on me because I was hollering reading this book 🤣. ... This was a sad one. In so many ways, because of so many secrets still having to be kept. But it was so good. I loved seeing the pieces come together. That was amazing. A really good book. Both books.
A very interesting mystery and a developing romance between Noah and Leo, the searcher and the secret keeper.
Read-alikes
- The Long Call — Ann Cleeves Mystery & Detective — Police Procedural
Shares a contemporary coastal setting, community pressures, and an evidence-led investigation; the queer lead aligns with the slow-burn, character-focused thread.
- The Crossing Places — Elly Griffiths Mystery & Detective — Forensic
Bones found near the coast, science-forward clues, and small-community dynamics echo the cold-case, evidence-first aesthetic.
- The Lighthouse — P. D. James Mystery & Detective — Police Procedural
Lighthouse imagery, isolated coastal atmosphere, and a clue-driven inquiry align with the setting and tone.
- Case Histories — Kate Atkinson Mystery & Detective — Literary
Cold-case structure, human-centered stakes, and literary shading resonate with the book’s mood and method.
- The Lightkeeper’s Daughters — Jean E. Pendziwol Fiction — Literary
Lighthouse motif, layered past, and evidence discovered through objects mirror the coastal, secrets-held-by-places vibe.
- Hither, Page — Cat Sebastian Mystery & Detective — Cozy Historical
Small-town secrecy, soft slow-burn queer thread, and collaborative sleuthing complement the book’s relationship and investigation balance.