This was OK
I will never enjoy the Fethering mysteries as much as the Charles Paris mysteries
The Fethering location isn’t as interesting as the actor’s milieu and Brett’s two detectives aren’t particularly appealing—particularly the stuffy, overly sensitive divorcee
The mystery is competent enough, but the book is overlong with tedious asides on the value of libraries (who could possibly disagree!)

A real cosy mystery with all the ingredients to spend a lovely evening in the golden age of crime. Endearing main characters, books around, police officers going for the easy way, and two women who get to the bottom of things in the most human way.

I have read all 18 books in this wonderful series. It is with pleasure I read them, and this latest book is perhaps one of the best Brett has written.
There is a clever pattern here which demands that the two old biddies investigation the murder has some scope and licence to ask probing questions. It also assumes the witnesses to the crime recognise Carole and Jude as having some status and authority to act in this way. Finally it requires that the professional police investigation is not as efficient as our private sleuths.
Yet time and time again he gets the formula to work and little belief has to be surrendered for the duration of the story.
In this case Jude is a little too close to the victim and initially everyone kind of believes she’s the prime suspect. This kind of puts a curb on her own freedom to interview witnesses and brings in Carole almost as an after thought to try and save the day.
The differences between these two strong women makes for a comedic partnership and author Simon Brett is evidently enjoying this series still.
The story is fresh and with intelligent humour, sharp wit and social concerns.
I loved the fact that library closures are debated, issues of loneliness after a partner leaves or dies are outlined through different characters.
There may be a sense of sleepy Fethering mysteries but the murders are quite brutal at times and the scope for death and violence is very real.
What is the outstanding enduring quality of this novel is that it doffs its cap to the Golden Age of Crime. Brett has written a memorable and fitting tribute to that time and clearly kept his two amateurs rooted in the twenty-first century.

I love a good murder mystery and this had an interseting storyline and was well written. I thought the characters were interesting and often quirky which captured my imagination.

This is a book in the "cosy crime" genre. Although it was the first one in this series that I have read, there are actually 17 others in the series altogether. Burton St Clair, a famous author, is giving a talk in the Fethering library. When he is found dead in his car the next morning, the police's focus turns to the last person known to have seen him alive - which just happens to be Jude, who along with her friend Carole are the amateur detectives of this series. Jude and Carole have to find the real killer and clear Jude's name, a task made all the more difficult by the fact that the evidence all points in her direction.
I enjoyed this, but it was nothing out of the ordinary and I have read better books by Simon Brett. A perfectly pleasant read though.

I didn't realize that this was book 18 in a series! I have to read in order if it is a series, and this is too big of a commitment. Thank you for the opportunity to read.

In the affluent British coastal sea town of Fethering, Carole and Jude, two retired residents and friends, have solved many a mystery as amateur sleuths. In “The Liar in the Library”, not only are the girls at work once again, but Jude has somehow made it to the top of the list of murder suspects in what is the 18th book in Simon Brett’s Fethering series.

Brett has been writing mysteries for many years and this particular volume is his 101st publication, according to his website. I am very familiar with his Charles Paris series. Paris was a second rate actor playing usually embarrassingly bad parts and gathering especially rough reviews, but also solved many a murder mystery while in the middle of a run along with the help of large volumes of Bell’s whiskey. A highly enjoyable series from the mid 70’s which, like the Fethering series, enjoyed a large successful run of books well into the 80’s.

The basic plot is simple and can be found in more detail in other reviews. In a nutshell, a gathering of book lovers congregate at the local library to hear a talk from an author, who turns up being found murdered the next morning in his car. This author is not what you would call an admirable character – his many faults make him a person of most dubious character. We also learn that many of the library patrons who attended the talk had a history with the author, with many having a reason to see him harmed. As always, the characters are deliciously eccentric and it is a delight to see their interactions as our suspicions constantly shift as more of each character is revealed until the final reveal.

As mentioned before, the characters of Jude and Carole have collaborated on 17 other cases prior to this one. Their personalities and mannerisms are quite contrary, yet their teamwork is always entertaining even when they are not seeing eye to eye. Simon Brett keeps you entertained more with wit that plot twists, and even pokes fun at the foibles of authorship and the genre of mysteries themselves. This cozy little mystery is a very quick but enjoyable read - I can think of worse ways to spend a few hours. As the main character Jude would attest, it is even more enjoyable with a glass of fine wine.

This had great potential as a cozy mystery, but reads like a lazy attempt at one. The protagonist, Jude, is not a very interesting character. She attends an author event at her local library, and not only is the author the ex-husband of an old friend, but he makes a pass at her and ends up murdered in his car. The incompetent police are a caricature, and they see Jude as the main suspect throughout. When they killer is revealed, the motive seems strange, that a person would wait this long to commit murder over it. The conversations feel unnatural, and at least 3 have some variation of "if this were a golden age crime novel..." No one talks like that. It's overdone and unnecessary, because you eventually understand why the golden age crime novel is important to this case. Perhaps this is a good fit for a person who reads only a little at a time and needs constant reminders of that.

Burton St Clair, into recently a failed writer now has a best seller to talk about. When he visits Fethering Library he invites old friend Jude to his talk. After 20 years Jude is curious to see if be has changed at all - unfortunately he's the same old egotistical leech as ever but even so he doesn't deserve to be murdered....which of course is exactly what happens to him. The problem is Jude is the last known person to have seen him alive putting her the top of the police's suspect list. With her fellow amateur detective Carol to help Jude sets out to clear her name and find the real culprit.

I somehow (again) missed that this was part of a series. Not only that but number 18! It's easy to see how I missed them as I'm not a massive fan of so called cosy mysteries but I have to say I really enjoyed this, it really didn't matter I'd missed so much. It works well as a standalone as well as part of a story. In fact I enjoyed it so much I've just downloaded the first 5 on audiobook. A series I missed but one I intend to not miss again.

Princess Fuzzypants here:
It is perhaps ironic that there is a theme of the golden age of mystery novels running through this book as it reminds me in so many ways of the wonderful tales. The writing is elegant and eloquent. The characters would fit nicely in a Christie or Sayers novel and there are sufficient red herrings to keep the reader guessing.
When an obnoxious author gives a talk at the local library, he reunites with a number of people from his past, none of which are any too fond of him. In fact someone is angry enough to kill him. When Jude is the last person to see him alive, she is on top of the list of suspects. The manner of their parting and the fabrications of a much deeper past relationship only makes the local police focus on her more. They seem to believe the lies and innuendos and Jude is desperate to find answers before she is jailed for the crime.
Mixed in with some wickedly accurate insights about the literary world and academia, the books paints some honest and not always flattering pictures of life in a small town. It is never preachy but it does get some cogent points across.
All in all, it was an enjoyable read, worthy of five purrs and two paws up.

When I started this book I wasn’t aware that this was the 18th book in a series. It might have been nice to have read the previous books but overall it wasn’t a necessity. The story started off a bit slow but really picked up after the murder happened. The investigation that Jude, the main character, did was enough to keep you intrigued. There were times when she came off as not very likable but I believe that is part of her characters flaws. The main thing that this murder mystery did well was that there were plenty of suspects but if you were paying close enough attention you could deduce who the culprit was. However, it was still ambigious enough that you weren’t quite sure until exactly the same moment when Jude was. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good mystery story.

*Received eARC via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Simon Brett in Liar in the Library makes use of golden age mystery conventions. Carole is the chief suspect in the death of Burton St. Clair, mystery writer who died on walnut allergy. Carole was the last person to see him alive when the spurned his wandering hands in his car after his library author visit. How can she escape the lies that the former wife of Burton told about her? Whodunit? The former wife? A contentious critic? Another author?
Carole seems trapped in a web of lies and struggles to find out the real criminal before it is too late.

Jude and Carole have never been my favorite Brett characters. Neither is particularly likable and Brett hasn't really developed them much from the beginning. They aren't friends, it's more a relationship of proximity and interest in solving crimes. In this book, Brett does give us some insight of the psychology of their actions which was nice.

The mystery had lots of twists and active investigating by both Jude and Carole. However, there's no way to figure out who the killer could be except for a very, very subtle clue. I like to be able to follow the clues and figure out who the killer is and why.

I also didn't find the book funny, even in an "acerbic" way. It doesn't need to be, but a blurb I read stated it was.

I don't recall in the previous books I read in this series (it's been a while since I read one) that the author was so open about the social problems facing Britain today. It didn't drag down the story, but it was a big element in the book.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I think this was an okay read, as I really like cosy mysteries but I will probably forget this book in a few weeks. So nothing too special but could go well with a cup of tea / coffee on a friday night if you're fan of British humour and cosy mysteries.

Liar in the Library, The
by Simon Brett
Severn House

Crème de la Crime
Mystery & Thrillers
Pub Date 01 Jan 2018


I am reviewing a copy of The Liar in the Library through Severn House (Creme de la Crime) and Netgalley:


Successful author Burton St Clair invites his friend Jude to come along after he is booked to talk at Fethering Library, although they haven't seen each other for twenty years, Jude is not surprised to learn that St Clair has not changed all that much, he still has an inflated ego, and isn't always truthful. Jude was not expecting the night to end in a terrifying murder though.


The Investigating Police seem to think that Jude herself was responsible for the crime, with the evidence against her will she be able to prove her innocence? On that end Jude asks the help of their neighbor Carole not only to solve the murder but to prevent her from being arrested for a murder she did not commit.

I give The Liar in the Library five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

I personally can't recommend this book. I like the concept of the story. However, I had to make myself finish it. At first it really intrigued me with the description. I started reading it and as I continued reading I grew to enjoy the book less and less because I couldn't care for the characters. I can't pinpoint why but something just had me liking it less with each page I read.

I have been a fan of the Fethering Mysteries for many years. Watching a mystery unfold in a small English village somehow transports me to a simpler environment, where major concerns seem to be distilled into one or two issues - one of which is murder. In Liar in the Library one of the protagonists, Jude, is drawn into the murder of an old acquaintance, with whom she has a bit of history. As a result Jude, who was probably the last to see him alive, becomes a suspect when he is found murdered in his car. The plot itself is fairly simple and straightforward, in that Jude uncovers a number of people who could have a motive for his murder. With the on-again, off-again help from her straight-laced friend, Carole, Jude proceeds to ferret out the killer.

As with many of Simon Brett’s novels, the mystery is only part of the story. The characters that Jude and Carole encounter are the heart of the mystery. While the plot itself is fairly simple, the characters are what makes it an interesting story. Subtle humor, a variety of interesting characters and Jude’s quiet spirit all combine to create a satisfying read. As a cozy mystery it’s one of the best.

Many thanks to Net Gallery for providing an ARC of this book.

I liked this book and thought the characters were enjoyable but didn't see anywhere this was the 18th in a series. With that being said, I felt like I missed some of the backstory. While I thought the characters were enjoyable they still seemed a little underdeveloped. The book had nice humor and was overall a good read. I just wished I would have read the previous books in the series first so that I could grow a better connection with the characters.
I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a ‘good old fashioned murder mystery’ set in modern times where two amateur sleuths, Jude and Carole, solve the crimes that take place around the village of Fethering, near Worthing on the South East coast of England.
Fethering must be a rather dangerous place to live as this is the 18th book in the series (although I understand at least one of the crimes took place whilst the ladies were on holiday!).
It was my first outing to Fethering and will certainly not be my last. I loved the style of writing of Simon Brett which gives the novel a good old fashioned feel. No blood, guts or gore just good smart detective work.
Simonwrites look a true wordsmith, his love for the English language is so apparent (I was delighted to need to use my kindle dictionary on several occasions and learn these new words!).
Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle copy of this delightful book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed The Liar In The Library very much. Like so much of Simon Brett's work, it is entertaining and witty, but also has some excellent characterisation and some acute observations on modern life.

The plot? It's not really the important thing, but after a talk in the library at to Fethering, a small, affluent village on the English South Coast, a successful author is found dead in his car. Jude becomes a suspect and she and Carole investigate in their usual way. It's a decent if slightly silly story with a lot of nods to Golden Age crime, which it acknowledges fully in the story. What makes it so enjoyable is Brett's writing.

His style is easy to read and has a quiet excellence about it. Jude and Carole's slightly spiky friendship works very well and there are some witty sallies at pretension in modern literary life – for example, "...the fact that his novel was just an old-fashioned romance with a happy ending had been disguised by enough tricks of postmodernism and magical realism for the literati not to feel they were demeaning themselves by reading it." There are also some enjoyable, skewering portraits of a pompous author, a ridiculously arrogant academic and so on. Brett also makes some quiet but important points about subjects like library closures, homelessness, xenophobia and so on which give the book rather more weight than you might expect.

In short, this isn’t Great Literature but it's witty, thoughtful in places and a very good read. Recommended.

(I received an ARC via NetGalley.)