I waited far too long to read this book!
This is my first book in this series (it is book #12) and for anyone else who hasn't read the series, you can start with this book.
Our main protagonist has come out of retirement to work as a consultant for a cold case squad. Their first case is a 20 year old murder of a popular housewife. Although, I didn't have the background from the previous 11 books, as this was a new squad, I wasn't lost at all. There was enough brief background to bring me up to speed. I enjoyed all the characters (especially Jimmy and Sam) and will be reading this series going forward. This was a well plotted mystery/thriller, edited well (no dragging sections). I look forward to reading book #13!

Faith Martin's novels are always a cosy, easy read which doesn't diminish the quality of the plot at all.
This is no exception and delivers as a great weekend or holiday read.
Would make a superb series for Sunday night TV.

Another enjoyable instalment in the Hillary Greene series. Felt a bit strange initially for her not to be a serving officer, but the focus on cold cases meant we could see another side of police work as well as being introduced to some entertaining new characters.

Reading a DI Hilary Greene book is like returning to an old friend to catch up on what's been going on while you've been gone. We're familiar with the characters and background so it's easy to slip right into the story. 50 was entirely too early to retire. When you have such a knack at solving cases why not switch over to cold cases? There's never a dull chapter when reading a Faith Martin story...she has another winner!

I thoroughly enjoyed the plot, atmosphere, and characters. I would recommend the book to friends and family for their reading pleasure.

Excellent book. Faith Martin never fails! Have read all her books and loved them all! Her characters seem real and love hearing all about her, her colleagues and the barge she lives on. Can't wait for the next book. Get writing Faith!

I love The murder series of books by Faith Martin but was a bit disappointed with this one. Hilary has returned to work as a police consultant and has been given a unsolved cold case from 20 years ago. She is determined to solve the case and along with her team of retired police seargent Jack and a assortment of part timers set about finding the killer of a woman found dead in her kitchen. The story looks at various members of her family and uncovers another side to the woman in question. Also we find out Hilary has a stalker who has a obsession with her. The story ends leaving us guessing what the stalker is going to do next. Not a bad read but not as gripping as previous books in this series.

I enjoyed this story. I liked Hillary as a consultant and enjoyed meeting the new characters but the plot was pretty easy to figure out and I'm not usually a fan of cliffhangers. I prefer it when books in a series have a distinct ending without a bunch of loose ends. It's a good continuation of the series but I wish that the plot was a little more complex.

These books are so easy to read and whilst there is going to be a murder its never gory or graphic, the emphasis is on solving the crime rather than the forensics.

Hillary is persuaded to come out of retirement to work in the cold case unit, It wasn't her immediate bosses choice to employ her and gives her a 20 year old murder to solve, not really expecting her to solve it. Her new team consists of a retired DS and 2 trainees/interns and the team dynamic is interesting. There are plenty of red herrings and suspects.

There's a possibility of romance for Hillary in the future and she's picked up a stalker who I'm sure will appear in future books.

This is the 12th book in the series but as it involves Hilary in a new role you don’t really need to have read the previous 11 first, although I would still recommend it as they are brilliant books.

This one starts off with Hilary coming out of retirement after leaving the force 18 months previous. This time though Hilary is no longer a DI but a civilian coming in to work on Cold Cases and she is thrown in at the deep end with her first case.

I personally love how the police investigate cold cases and enjoy watching programs based on it, so I was intrigued to see how Faith went about it with Hilary and her team.

The book follows Hilary as she investigates the 20 year old murder. With nothing much to go on Hilary’s team have to start from scratch looking into some missed DNA and reinterviewing everyone again.

I really love where this series is going and can’t wait to find out which case Hilary is going to investigate next

I am a huge fan of this series so when I saw that this book had been released I was really keen to get my hands on a copy!

The storyline for this one is great, the book is very well written and it flows beautifully. I was hooked from the first few pages and I thought that the ending was great - definitely another great addition to the DI Hillary Greene series and I am really looking forward to seeing where the next book takes us!

A 5 star book for me!

Oh Hillary Greene I'm so very glad that you're back! I really didn't want the series to end with your retirement. I love th new cast of characters that assist in the cold case files. This is the perfect group for Hillary and company. Along with a hunky new commander. I really hope to see some past cast characters make some appearances!

Good book. I liked the main character. I was bummed to not get much from the romantic plot within the story...I guess this is the author's way of getting you to read the next book. It also left much in the air in regards to the stalker. Personally, I am not a big fan of when a book is incomplete. I get why it's done though, so I won't hold it against the book. The mystery itself was easy to figure out about halfway through the book but I still would have liked a little more depth to his reason.

Fabulous book!! I've read all in the series now and they just get better and better. I used to live in Kidlington (my hubby was based at police HQ) so know the area all the action is in very well. It's been researched well, very realistic and the plot keeps you guessing. I was worried about the retirement aspect but Hilary is as sharp and intuitive as ever and I feel like I'm getting used to her lack of status as a policewoman with her, that is how well the story is written. Can't wait for the next one!

This is one in a series of books about DI Hillary Greene but I think you could pick this up and enjoy it without reading the previous books. I thoroughly enjoyed this new departure for Hillary. The characters are well rounded and completely believable. The main story is well plotted and held my interest till the very end. The previous books in this series all carried a sub-plot that came to a denouement in the last book. With Hillary's new job comes a new threat.... Can't wait for the next book!

So glad to see Hillary back from retirement! Thoroughly enjoyed this book, it was full of drama and suspense that kept me engaged right the way through the book. Hillary has a new team and new challenges, i cant wait for the next book as she moves through the next stage of her career. Totally had me gripped and left me wanting more.

I absolutely love this series, they are easy to read not too many characters but there's always plenty of depth to the story. I did think we might have seen the last of Hillary as she retired from the force in book eleven, it seems they can't manage without her as she is persuaded to join a cold case team. There is a bit of a cliff hanger at the end of this book so I can't wait for number thirteen.

Having read all of the earlier books in this series, I was keen to see how Faith Martin would manage to keep the story fresh with DI Hillary Greene now being retired.

She has managed it very well.. As in the real world; early retirement can so often lead to being rehired as a consultant.. This has opened up the opportunity for a raft of new characters on the police team. It has also created the opportunity for a different view of the police procedural genre.

I think the book would stand alone on its own merits. Indeed if you are new to the series this would be a good place to start.

Like all of the earlier books the story is set in and around Oxfordshire, dipping into Northamptonshire too. I like the use of real places, it gives a sense of geographical reality.

I liked the quality of the dialogue which added both humour and a sense of reality in the work place.

Once again I give my thanks to Netgalley and Joffe Books for a copy in exchange for this review.

Murder Never Retires is a well written mystery. I really enjoyed the plot and characters in this book and the concept of working on cold cases. I recommend to fans of murder mysteries.

I really didn't know if Faith Martin would continue writing books featuring Hillary Greene after Murder at Work since her old team was disbanding and Hillary had chosen to retire( and apparently was not going to have a change of heart). In this twelfth installment in the Murder series, Hillary is back in town and 18 months have passed. She is now working as a consultant on a team tasked with reviewing( and hopefully solving) cold cases. While there are some familiar characters from prior books, mostly this feels like a new direction in this series, not only for Hillary but for us(readers) to get to know the new team and new circumstances. I was somewhat sorry to say goodbye to some characters I had grown fond of, but by the time I reached the end, the author had me invested in what was happening now and I quite liked some of the members of her new team.
Besides trying to solve a murder case from twenty plus years ago, Hillary has to figure out how to be as effective as she was when she was respected as a DI and had the power of the department behind her. She doesn't believe in failure and since she is now a civilian all she can do is follow the clues as she finds them and hope her investigative skills are as sharp as ever. If that isn't enough to keep her occupied and somewhat off balance she also has managed to catch the eye of a secret admirer( aka stalker) who she is trying to keep one step ahead of.
If Hillary can solve this cold case and identify her stalker, she might find time to explore a relationship with her new boss, since they seemed to have some potential chemistry. Another well-written mystery with some new characters that I hope to get to know better in future books. As always, I was drawn into the story from the beginning until the end.
Thank you, Faith Martin, Joffe Books and NetGalley for the complimentary digital ARC. I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in trying a new mystery series, that will keep you finishing one book and wanting more.