Another great Oxfordshire mystery featuring Hillary Greene, this time with a focus on the small town of Bicester. As usual it was a page-turning read with well-developed characters.

This was deceiving seeing as I found out this is the 6th book in a series. NetGalley needs to get more specific on that seeing as its not in the title.

murder at home by faith Martin.
Meet DI HILLARY GREENE, a policewoman struggling to save her career and catch criminals.
Flo Jenkins is found murdered in her armchair, a paperknife sticking out of her chest. The old woman was well liked and nothing seems to have been stolen from her home. And it was common knowledge that she only had weeks to live.
Why kill a dying woman? This is going to be one of the toughest cases yet for Hillary to solve.
Hillary also has to deal with a new colleague who has a terrible temper and a rocky past. With no forensics, no leads, and only a drug-addict nephew as a suspect, will this be Hillary’s first failure to solve a murder case?
a very good read with good characters. 4*.

Murder at Home by Faith Martin. Sixth in the series, but could be read as a stand-alone.

Detective Inspector, Hillary Greene, is working one of the most puzzling cases of her career--a dying elderly woman is stabbed in the chest with a letter opener. Who would kill someone who is terminally I'll and why?

I enjoyed this book although it borders on being classified as a cozy. The pace is a little slow.

The only issue with a series such as this, you need to have read a few of the previous ones to get a better picture of what we are dealing with. Our leading lady is DI Hillary Greene, who is a woman of many talents, an amazing boss and an equally good detective with a pretty bad track record of normal life ( beyond her title and work). We are given brief glimpses into her life and it does provide certain amount of adequate information to make sure we do not feel left out of the picture. This book has a new entry who has been shamed into this job, another soon-to be married member of the team has nagging trouble of her own. Unlike most other detective series, there are multiple chaotic events occurring parallel to the main case. It is more realistic, but takes getting used to. The case is a strange one, an old woman has been found stabbed in her house but there does not seem to be any obvious reason for it. I did not guess the ending, which in itself made me like the book. I am planning on pursuing the rest of the series to get a better feel for Hillary Greene and her band of mostly hardworking policemen and policewomen.

Another great story from Faith Martin. DI Hilary Green once again on the ball! Great read, can’t wait to read further books from this fabulous author..

DI Hillary Greene and her crew are called to the murder of an old lady who is about to die anyway. Why would someone want to murder her now? Hillary has a new investigator, she needs to see how he will fit in with the crew. Then we have a look at Hillary's love life. Janine who is about to marry and leave has problems Hillary wants to help solve. Many things going on and this murder keeps going nowhere. Who and why, those are the questions that need to be answered.

I had read Murder on the Oxford Canal years ago, but never followed up with the rest of the series, for some unknown reason. Maybe Hillary just didn't resound to me at the time. Now a few years older, I see in her officers I know and as she has settled down into the character in this book, midway thru the series, she is more interesting to me.

This is a mystery that will give one the mind of Agatha, for not only it's simpleness, but its red herrings that lead the reader on a merry chase, suddenly realizing that they, like Hillary might have missed something along the way, that was very obvious. I found the book to be a pageturner and finished it in 2 readings, so it's perfect for those looking for a new series to snuggle up into! I'm now looking forward to reading the rest of the series, and maybe catching back up n books 2-4!

Even though it is the sixth book in the series it can be read as a standalone if you want to, although to get the full back story I would read all of the in order.

This book starts like the previous ones with the murder happening straight away. This time there is a dead woman who has been stabbed in the chest at home, with no obvious break-in.

Hilary is on the case and determined to find the killer, even if it means going against her seniors who are convinced it is someone and try to make all evidence point to him.

Throughout the books Hilary’s character has developed nicely, and her team have come to be loyal to her, as she shows them respect. As in real life we have people leaving their jobs and new ones starting, which adds to the reality of the book. The new character and member of her team looks like they are going to gel well in the team.

The book is so full of twists and turns that I found it near impossible to work out the killer and rule out lots of the suspects.

I am really enjoying this series, and can’t wait for book 7 to come out in the New Year.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Joffe Books for a review copy of Murder at Home, the sixth novel to feature DI Hillary Greene of Thames Valley Police.

it's all change in Hillary's team. Janine is leaving to get married, Tommy has gone and is replaced by DC Keith Barrington who left the Met under a cloud, her boss is DCI Paul Danvers, the man who investigated her for corruption which means Frank is the only constant and the least said about him the better. In all this turmoil they are called out to investigate the murder of Flo Jenkins, a pensioner found stabbed in her home. With no motive, no real suspects and a distracted team Hillary has work cut out for her.

I enjoyed Murder at Home although it is not the best book in the series. A rather clumsy conversation at the beginning of the novel gives the reader a good idea of the motive although the perpetrator remains a mystery. The various subplots are intriguing and add some tension to the read but mostly it is a straightforward police procedural, following the leads and interviewing witnesses.

The main draw for me in this series is the characterisation. Hillary and her team have become old friends and I look forward to the latest developments in their lives. Ms Martin always manages to inject something fresh and it is pleasant to see them evolve. Hillary is moving on in life until the past comes back to bite her and even the present is biting with two men vying for her attention - it's all go. It seems that more than her impending marriage to Superintendent Mallow is preoccupying Janine as she's not her usual brash self. The new guy, Keith, is also keeping secrets but Hillary will soon ferret them out. Frank is Frank, work shy with a drink problem.

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

Apparently this is book 6 in a series. I had no idea and didn’t find out until after I had finished reading this.
A nice simple plot that makes a very good read with enough side plots to keep you hooked.
DC Keith Barrington is new to DI Hillary Greene’s team. He was transferred to Hillary’s team in TVP after having punched his last sergeant in London. Very narrowly escaping being sacked altogether.
The team are called out to the murder of a 76 year old lady who it turns out was very ill. But she was a very well liked lady so who would want to kill her?
I really enjoyed this book and when I discovered that it was book 6 in a series, was surprised as one tends to feel that one is missing out on the backstory when reading a well established character for the first time, but hats off to the author as I felt that I had all the information needed.
I’m now off to find the first in the series and start from the beginning.

My thanks to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I shall be adding this review to my blog, goodreads and Instagram shortly.

This has been an interesting and entertaining read, DI Hilary Green Has gotten herself involved in an uneasy relationship with fellow vice officer Mitch, which could put a damper on her career, for she belongs to no one. Nothing is going to sway her from her duty and the immediate task, is to solve the murder of terminally ill Flo, who had only months or weeks to live, the question is, was it a mercy killing or not?. This story has a few twists and twirl, the characters are mildly intense and the storyline a very subdue yet captivating, which is what makes this an engaging and intriguing read.

A fantastic read. Well developed, fleshed out characters, interesting storyline, a great whodunnit all make for an excellent read. I can't wait to read more of the series.

Thank you to the author/publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A very good read, simple plot but very effective. Lots of little side plots, going off at a tangent. A good police procedural with a strong female lead. Thanks to Net Galley for my copy. I reviewed on Goodreads, Amazon and Facebook.

Murder at Home, by Faith Martin: I ordered this, not realising that I'd bought and read the first in the series by this author, which was entitled "Murder on the Oxford Canal" I had quite enjoyed that book, so was happy when I realised this was from the same series. Although there are characters and backstories linking all the books, I don't think it matters too much if you don't grasp all those references, as there are brief explanations in the text. The story moved on fairly rapidly, the characters were all likeable (or not), and - which is important for me in a detective novel - the story, including motives etc, made sense. There were no surprise new characters introduced at the end whodunnit.
The one thing I would say is that sometimes I felt the author was trying too hard with her descriptions, especially those that explained that, despite being a "normal" woman, the heroine was attractive and sexy. There were rather too many descriptions of her ample bosom, the way her clothes clung to her body etc. It wasn't done in a lascivious way, it didn't really add to the story, and I felt it was unnecessary.

It wasn't the most interesting book of its genre, simpler than Elizabeth George or Peter Robinson, for example, but it certainly whiled away a few hours in an enjoyable way.

I think I would give it 3.5 stars - but that's only because I've just started reviewing books and haven't quite got my "star system" worked out yet!!

Thank you Net Galley. Ms Martin's DI Greene books are addictive. Once you start you can not put them down. They are perfect for that lazy weekend read. This installment is no exception. Very entertaining.

5 stars

DI Hillary Greene arrives at the nick to greet her new subordinate, DC Keith Barrington. He has a history of having a bad temper and even punched his last sergeant. Narrowly escaping being sacked, he is transferred from London to Hillary’s team at Thames Valley. She takes a “we’ll see” attitude. Almost immediately they are called out to a death.

Florence “Flo” Jenkins has been murdered in her home. At seventy-six, the elderly lady was very ill herself. She was well liked. Who would want to kill her? Interviewing the neighbors, they learn that she has a drug addicted, pushy grandson named Dylan Hodge who often took advantage of Flo.

DS Janine Tyler is getting married soon to DCI Mel Mallow. She also has a stalker who is obviously in the force given that he seems to know so much about her. She is reluctant to go to Hillary for advice for a myriad of reason. But Hillary has already found out. DS Frank Ross is carrying on being his usual obnoxious and lazy self. DS Lynch has moved on and is sorely missed.

Hillary goes to speak with Mitch Titmarsh, a retired sergeant hoping that he can do something about Janine’s stalker. He agrees to look into it. He identifies and follows a suspect.

It feels like their investigation is going nowhere fast. The grandson, Dylan Hodge, doesn’t seem right to Hillary. They find an old photograph among Flo’s belongings. DC Keith is tasked to track that down. DS Frank Ross is told to track down Dylan for another interview and to tap into what’s happening in the drug scene.

While reviewing the file, Hillary has an epiphany. She has Janine seek a warrant for an arrest. The identity of the murderer is a surprise, but the reason for the murder is right out of today’s headlines and totally believable – sadly.

This is Faith Martin’s best. It was very well written and plotted. I like the characters: Hillary, Mike, Mel, Keith and the rest of the gang – with the exception of DS Ross. What a plonker! The background information given about the main characters was just enough so that if one hasn’t read Ms. Martin’s previous novels the reader could get a sense of the character. But this didn’t intrude or spoil the story at all. Very well done, Ms. Martin. Keep writing!

I want to thank NetGalley and Joffe Books for forwarding to me a copy of this remarkable read by Faith Martin.

I'm really enjoying the Hillary Greene series, particularly as they are set in and around Oxford, which is local for me. In this book, Hillary and her team are investigating the stabbing of an elderly woman in her own home. I really like the way the author makes the lives of the police officers just as interesting as the main storyline. In this one, a new detective arrives from the Met under a cloud, determined to prove himself to his new boss. This was another good read from Faith Martin. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

DI Hillary Greene is a female detective with the CID cdivision of the oxfordshire area in England. An area of small farm markets and smaller hamlets. But she is the head of the major crimes especially murder cases, her specialty.

This is number six in a series with Hillary and her team which includes Janine who is about to be married to Hillary's boss and a newcomer, Keith who has transferred under less than auspices circumstances. A close friend has found a elderly widow murdered in her home. The story follows Hillary searching every possible clue from a long dead boyfriend to the delivery man who brings her dinner with no clear suspect.

Eventually Hillary finds the missing link which leads to the culprint. This dries is full of twists and turns with w elk developed characters that one enjoys like old friends. I've read the series and look forward to those to come. These are quick reads but fully engage you in the plots. If you enjoy the English type of mystery you have a great series waits for you to find it.

I enjoyed this book and started reading it as soon as it arrived on my Kindle, I have been really impressed with the series so far so jumped in to this one, and it was another book that I really enjoyed!

The story was slower than I would normally like but that was mainly due to the story potentially being one that DI Hillary Greene may not be able to crack.

The writing style was excellent as always and I love the characters and really enjoyed meeting the new member of her team too - 4 stars from me and looking forward to the next one in the series being released!