When a body of an attractive young woman is discovered in her room at St. Anselm College in Oxford, Detective Hillary Greene doesn’t know what to expect. A single needle mark on the body along with some bruising, as well as a closet full of high end clothes, raise Hillary’s suspicions and soon the hunt is on for a killer.

Meanwhile, Hillary is dealing with a lot of personal issues. Her deceased husband was found to be a “bent copper” leaving her with legal and financial issues as she finds herself living on her uncle’s longboat. To make it worse, she has to work with her husband’s questionable former partner and the officer who investigated her possible role in the misdeeds is transferred to her division.

This is Book 2 in a twenty book series. I thought I had read it as I have finished a number of the Hillary Greene stories. When I looked at it closer, I hadn’t.

Faith Martin writes absorbing British police procedurals and this one is no exception. The story is engrossing and entertaining with good character development. Hillary is a strong, capable leader. I really enjoy the humor expressed in Martin’s writing.

I recommend this series for anyone seeking lighter British police procedurals with engaging characters.

An entertaining second instalment in the Hillary Greene crime series. Hillary is an attractive and realistic character and the setting in and around Oxford is nicely drawn. I am looking forward to reading more in the series.

Initially, it felt eerily similarly to a favorite reads of mine from earlier this year. They definitely differed as the book progressed though. It's not a bad book, but it's a bit predictable and the writing wasn't inspiring. I enjoyed her previous book much more than this one.

This book is a witty, romp of a read with all the threads of an entertaining experience: strong and credible characters, witty text, an Oxford setting and a neat plot.

Thank you Net galley. This was my introduction to the series and I am happy to say that the book works well as a stand alone. The style is a little slow paced but interesting . The protagonist is especially interesting. There are plenty of twists and turns, red herrings and well fleshed out characters, all making the book a must read. I enjoyed the book and am curious to read the earlier installment..

I really loved this book. A good old fashioned who- done- it in the same style as much loved crime mysteries of days long gone. I am very familiar with Oxford as I lived there for all my teenage years so I was able to associate with the descriptions of places, which always makes a book interesting.
Loved the characters, the pace of the book and the whole thing had to be read in a couple of days it was that good.
Really look forward to more by this author. I wish I had been able to read the first one in the series on Netgalley, but too late.

DI Hilary Green Oxfords new Morse? Second in the series equally as good as first book. A great cast of characters who bring Oxford to life. Can’t wait for the next book!

Really enjoyed this book it was very well written and full of twists and turns. It kept me guessing all the way through to the end. It was one of those books that is really hard to put down. Awesome 5 Star read.

A beautiful French girl with things to hide is found dead in her room at Oxford supposedly an overdose but di Hillary doesn't think things are adding up. Although I enjoyed it I wished I had read the first novel with Hillary to start even though this can be read as stand alone.
A slower paced story but with much animation and a big build up keeps you hooked thanks to netgalley and the author for preread.

I am reviewing "Murder at the University" by Faith Martin. I received a free copy of it from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes that follow are from the text and not my own words.

I love a great mystery. I always have enjoyed trying to figure out a book as I read it. This one was a good read but I found myself leaning towards the solution about middle of the way through. I was highly disappointed when I did not experience the "A-ha" moment that I long for when reading mysteries.

The author has a way with words and paints the people and locations in such a light that you feel as though you may have encountered them in real life and are remembering them. I did thoroughly enjoy the main character. She has experienced great hardship and has gotten the short end of the stick because of the actions of others yet continues to apply herself with passion for her job. Most people would take the easy road or just give up. It was refreshing to go on this journey with such a strong woman.

I felt that some of the characters were unnecessary but the majority of the characters relatable. I felt myself rooting for the tenacious heroes and shrinking away from the dastardly villains and the similar scum. In interacting with these detestable individuals, I frequently felt drug through the muck and felt in need of a good wash.

I am giving this book three stars because even though it was a good read, I highly doubt that I will read it again. It was billed as a mystery thriller but felt more like a police procedural mystery. It had a solid beginning but the ending felt rushed. I found myself greatly disappointed with the twists and turns of the mystery itself. Overall it was a well written book, however there were pacing problems and the mystery itself became transparent in the latter half.

InkedBookDragon

I am absolutely loving this series!! I love a good crime thriller series and this is definitely one I’m going to be following!! The plot was great and the pace was good, it was a tad slower than some of the other books of this genre but that didn’t put me off and it was in keeping with the first in the series and the writers style.  This book can easily be read as a stand alone but if you are going to read the series I would recommend reading Murder on the Oxford Canal first – 4 stars from me, great second book in the series and looking forward to the third!!

4 and 1 / 2 stars

This book is a revised edition of the novel previously published as “On the Straight and Narrow.”

DI Hillary Greene is having a particularly bad freezing Monday morning. When she arrives at the station DI Mel Mallow has a case for her. A student at St. Anselm, a college of Oxford University has been found dead. Her name was Eva Gerainte and she was nineteen years old and from France. Found with a new needle track in her arm, the police wonder if it was suicide or an accidental overdose. DI Hillary has her doubts.

She was a scholarship student who lived way above her means. DS Janine finds keys on her key chain that didn’t belong to her college room, but look like house keys. This leads them to an apartment across town that belonged to Eva but was anything but a student apartment. It looks like Eva was up to no good.

Their investigation continues and DI Hillary’s problems drag on. An animal rights group is suing Hillary for her dead husband’s criminal activities. You’ve got to be kidding! She needs to locate a solicitor now. Paul “Yorkie bar” Danvers from the internal investigation squad shows up and says he’s been transferred. Just what is going on? He was one of the officers who investigated Hillary’s dead husband Ronnie for misconduct – and no friend of hers.

As the investigation continues, Hillary’s team zeros in on a suspect. The name of the murderer is a surprise, but the reason Eva was killed is totally out there.

This book is very well written and plotted. The suspense began almost on page one and continued throughout the story. Faith Martin is an author to watch! I like DI Hillary very much and the team works well together – with the exception of Frank Ross, of course. (He’s such a p.i.t.a.) I enjoyed the novel immensely.

I want to thank NetGalley and Joffe Books for forwarding to me a copy of this most enjoyable book to read.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy of Murder at the University, the second police procedural set in Oxford to feature DI Hillary Greene.

Fresh from the internal investigation which cleared her of any collusion in her ex husband's illegal dealings Hillary is asked to look into a suspicious death at St Anselm's, a private college in Oxford where a young French student has been found dead in her bed from an apparent drugs overdose. Unhappy with the look of the scene Hillary doesn't wait for the postmortem and initiates a murder enquiry.

I enjoyed Murder at the University which is a straightforward police procedural with some unusual twists, notably at the end. I love a good procedural like this novel where the reader lives the investigation with the detectives, guesses and all, and the way solid investigation and experience gradually uncover the truth. It is a logical and linear read. I also like the peripheral outcomes where a line of questioning may end up having no relevance to the murder case but results in other charges as it makes the read more realistic.

Hillary is a good protagonist. She has a wealth of experience, a nose for lies and a subconscious understanding of the direction she should take. She is very human with a tangled personal life and worries about of her late husband's dealings which have real repercussions for her. I like the way she gets despondent about lack of progress in the case but pulls herself together and gets stuck in as it's something we can all relate to.

Murder at the University is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

Thank you Netgalley and Joffe Books for the eARC.
D.I. Hillary Green is having a bad start to her day: she has just received a letter informing her she's being sued by an animal rights group for the illegal activities by which her late (police) husband was able to squirrel away millions; selling animal parts for pharmaceutical use. Then she slips and falls on the icy path outside her claustrophobic narrow boat on the Oxford Canal. As soon as she arrives at the station, she's sent out to the death of a young French student. It looks like a drug overdose, but Hillary has a feeling it's not as simple as that. On investigation, the girl had a secret life and the drug was a highly unusual one.
Hillary is also perturbed that one of the Internal Affairs detectives who investigated her, is now part of her team. Even though she was found innocent, how awkward will it be working together?
This is the 2nd book in the series and I liked it even better than the 1st one. I give it 4+ stars. This promises to be a great series and I'm really looking forward the next one. I like Hillary and her team and love the Oxford setting, having spent time there.