Synopsis:
When an author event at the local library ends in murder, Jude finds herself a suspect in the waspishly witty new Fethering mystery.
Having been booked to give a talk at Fethering Library, successful author Burton St Clair invites his old friend Jude to come along. Although they haven't met for twenty years, Jude is not surprised to find that St Clair hasn't changed, with his towering ego and somewhat shaky relationship with the truth. What Jude hadn't been suspecting however was that the evening would end in sudden, violent death.
More worrying, from Jude's point of view, is the fact that the investigating police officers seem to be convinced that she herself was responsible for the crime. With the evidence stacking up against her, Jude enlists the help of her neighbour Carole not just to solve the murder but to prevent herself from being arrested for committing it.
Review:
When an author event at the local library ends in murder, Jude finds herself a suspect in the waspishly witty new Fethering mystery.
Having been booked to give a talk at Fethering Library, successful author Burton St Clair invites his old friend Jude to come along. Although they haven't met for twenty years, Jude is not surprised to find that St Clair hasn't changed, with his towering ego and somewhat shaky relationship with the truth. What Jude hadn't been suspecting however was that the evening would end in sudden, violent death.
More worrying, from Jude's point of view, is the fact that the investigating police officers seem to be convinced that she herself was responsible for the crime. With the evidence stacking up against her, Jude enlists the help of her neighbour Carole not just to solve the murder but to prevent herself from being arrested for committing it.
Review:
This was a solid mystery, if not particularly suspenseful. There were some fun references to Golden Age Detective Fiction which made the murderer obvious, so the rat race from suspect to suspect seemed a little contrived, as did the evidence that pointed to Jude (the POV character).
I have not read any of Burton’s other works but it still works okay as a standalone, though I had no connection with the characters, which made it harder for me to care about them. All in all it was a good book but not a great one.
Three solid stars
I received a copy of this story from the author through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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