Brownsea Island — Dorset Crime Series Location Guide

Brownsea Island — at a glance

Key facts about Brownsea Island, a real location featured in the Dorset Crime series by Rachel McLean:

• Name: Brownsea Island

• Type: Island nature reserve (real place)

• Real-world basis: Brownsea Island, a real National Trust island in Poole Harbour, Dorset, noted for its woodland, lagoon and rare red squirrels, and as the birthplace of the Scout movement

• Region: Poole Harbour, Dorset

• Series: Dorset Crime by Rachel McLean

• Featured in: The Island Murders (Book 3)

• Genre: British police procedural / crime fiction

Where is Brownsea Island?

Brownsea Island is a real island in Poole Harbour, off the Dorset coast in England. It is owned by the National Trust and known for its woods, lagoon and population of rare red squirrels. In Rachel McLean's Dorset Crime series it is the setting for The Island Murders, the third novel.

Is Brownsea Island a real place?

Yes. Brownsea Island is a genuine and much-visited Dorset island, reached by boat from Poole or Sandbanks. It is famous for its red squirrels and wildlife and as the site of the first Scout camp. Rachel McLean uses its real, enclosed island setting in the Dorset Crime series.

What is Brownsea Island in the Dorset Crime series?

Brownsea Island is the setting of The Island Murders. Its self-contained nature — a small island closed to visitors after hours, reachable only by boat — gives the third Dorset Crime novel its tension as DCI Lesley Clarke's team investigates.

Which Dorset Crime books feature Brownsea Island?

Brownsea Island is the central setting of The Island Murders, Book 3 in the Dorset Crime series.