Faith Martin can be relied upon to give us appealing characters and a suspenseful mystery. In this case they are enhanced by a setting in 1960s Oxford.

The second in a series set in the 1960’s sees WPC Trudy Loveday together with Coroner Clement Ryder look into cases that lead to murder.
Set in a time that women police officers faced great prejudice. Trudy is helped by Ryder in asserting herself and investigating techniques. He is proud to help give her confidence and hopes she will become a Detective Inspector one day. Ryder has his own health problems with Parkinson’s. A proud man he is hiding his condition from friends and colleagues having already changed his career from a surgeon. These two will complement each other in their new case of a suspicious death of a Oxford Student in the river.
I was given an ARC of this book by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Another excellent book by Faith Martin. WPC Trudy Lovejoy gets together with the coroner Clement Ryder to solve a the mystery of a drowning of a young man. Set among the students of the University in Oxford, they set about investigating the murder. It keeps you enthralled from beginning to end, and you never know until the end who done it.

Once again, Coroner Clement Ryder 'borrows" Probationary WPC Trudy Loveday to help him investigate the drowning of a young man.

There was a collision of sorts among 3 boats full of University students ... was he one of the passengers that didn't make it? Questioning the other young people involved, no one can remember seeing the victim at any time .. but Ryder senses that most of them are lying throw their teeth. The question is .. Why?

Once again, Trudy is at loggerheads with her superior officer. He doesn't like the idea of a woman wearing a uniform so he keeps her pretty much tied to a desk .... unless the coroner needs her. One of the men that they need to question is the son of a very prominent and wealthy man. Her instructions are to leave him alone ... don't bother him ....

So what does Trudy do?

She may be young, but she's also fearless and right is right no matter who is involved. She doesn't believe in double standards where justice is concerned.

This is the third of a most interesting series, but can easily be read as a stand alone. It's the 60s .. a time before DNA, no smart phones, no data bases to speak of. The detective work consists of a lot of knocking on doors and asking questions .... and then trying to solve the puzzle.

Trudy and Ryder have a unique relationship. He's old enough to be her father and she looks at him as a mentor. There is so much she can learn from him. He loves to see the sparkle in her eyes when she's on the hunt .. and hates when he shoots her ideas down. There is much respect, even humor, between them.

Many thanks to the author / HQ Digital / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

I am loving this new series from Faith Martin, featuring a younger and inexperienced WPC, who is definitely keen and sharp. It's an uphill battle for young Trudy Loveday to be a recognized policewoman, and get to work on something interesting.. Fortunately, Coroner Clement Ryder requests her help with his latest case.

This is the second in the Ryder and Loveday series and is set in 1960’s Oxford.

A young Oxford student is found drowned after a student picnic and an accident with their punt’s. No one is sure whether the student, Derek Chadworth had been at the picnic or not and suspicions are raised.

Dr Clement Ryder is the coroner, and during the inquest an open verdict is made, which means he can investigate the issue further and asks for a PC to assist him. This is where WPC Trudy Loveday joins him, doing some undercover work and gathering further information. Was this an accident or murder?

There’s a privileged, indulgent Lord, Lord Littlejohn, and his Marquis Club, many impressionable girls, blackmail and threats. There’s some twists and a great ending.

Faith Martin gets the atmosphere of 60’s Oxford really well, including the way women were treated in the police force at that time. I love the gentle relationship between Ryder and Loveday and can see this as being another great series of books like the Hillary Green novels and I’m already looking forward to the next one.

I would like to thank the Author/the Publishers/NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review

This book follows the doubts of Clement, the coroner, who has questions over the death of a student in the river. The rich, spoilt Oxford students who were punting nearby are reluctant to confirm whether he was or wasn’t with them. The coroner works with Trudy (in the early days of WPCs) to investigate the death. The answers all turn out to be pretty sordid but I very much liked the two main characters. Thanks to Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review,

I thoroughly enjoyed this second outing for WPC Trudy Loveday and Dr Clement Ryder. Set in 1960s, WPC Loveday is trying to make her way in a male dominated profession facing challenges from both her colleagues and her family. Dr Ryder is hiding a debilitating illness that has already robbed him of one profession. It’s a fascinating mix! The storyline is well plotted and rattles along at a pace keeping you glued to the very end.

Although by the same author of the Hilary Greene series, I found this book very dull and was unable to get into the storyline

This is the first book I have read by Faith Martin and I can well understand her popularity and growing appeal.

It is set in the 1960s and paint a vividly accurate picture of Oxford that is evocative and appealing.

The plotting was clever and the characters appealing and interesting.

An excellent light read that was entirely satisfactory.

Highly recommended.

Loved the DI Hilary series, and this new one set in 1960 does not disappoint her readers. New to the force, Trudy gets the grubby jobs. A student drowns and the coroner Clemens asks her to help with his investigation, the
statements from witness aren’t accurate. You feel like you are part of the story and hoping they can solve. GivenARC by Net Galley for my voluntary review and my honest opinion.

I have been a fan of Faith Martin’s books for quite a while now. I absolutely adore reading her Hilary Greene books (published by Joffe Books) and I can safely say that I adore the series featuring Dr. Clement Ryder and Probationary WPC Trudy Loveday. I absolutely loved reading ‘A Fatal Mistake’ but more about that in a bit.
WPC Trudy Loveday truly is a woman trying to make her way in a man’s world. The story is set in 1960 when female police officers were not exactly welcomed with open arms. She cops for all the rubbish and boring jobs. It’s as if they give Trudy the jobs that nobody else will do. Trudy doesn’t let that put her off though and she is still as determined as ever that she will impress her bosses and she will become a successful and well respected police officer. Trudy is one tough, feisty and determined young lady. I also loved the way in which she got on with Dr. Clement Ryder, who is the local coroner. They have worked together before and Dr. Ryder is one of the few men, who actually respect WPC Trudy Loveday and he values her opinions. Dr. Ryder did get on my nerves a bit to start with as he seemed a bit up himself but I soon changed my opinion. Dr. Ryder is just a doctor, who has a need to get to the truth of how and why somebody has died, no matter how ugly that truth might be. Together they make a fantastic working partnership and I look forward to reading many more of their joint investigations.
Oh my days it didn’t take me long at all to get into this book. I picked up this book at an ideal time for me because I was suffering a flare up of my chronic back pain and I was in need of a distraction. Well ‘A Fatal Mistake’ was certainly a distraction and a half. The first chapter started a little slow but it didn’t take long for the action and investigation to take off. When it got going, boy did it get going. I soon became addicted to reading ‘A Fatal Mistake’. The more I read, the more I got into the book and the more I wanted to read. I just couldn’t put the book down. My Kindle wasn’t glued to my hand but it might as well have been because it came everywhere with me. I couldn’t bear to be parted from the book and I seriously begrudged having to put the book down, which didn’t go down well with my Labradors. The story kept me hooked from the moment I got into the book and kept my attention throughout. Usually when I read a book, my mind wanders part way through and I have to re-read certain parts but not in this case. There were twists, turns and little surprises on almost every page. Reading ‘A Fatal Mistake’ was a lot like riding a sometimes scary and unpredictable rollercoaster ride. ‘A Fatal Mistake’ certainly kept me guessing. I smugly thought that I had worked out who the murderer was and what their motives were, only to realise that I was wrong and the story took me down another path entirely.
In short, I absolutely loved reading ‘A Fatal Mistake’ and I can’t wait to read more cases involving Dr. Clement Ryder and WPC Trudy Loveday. Faith Martin is a fantastic writer, who is right up there on my ‘drop everything to read their next book’ favourite authors list. I can’t wait to read what she comes up with next. I adore the series involving Ryder and Loveday just as much as I adore the Hilary Greene series. I would definitely recommend this author and her books to other readers. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a well deserved 5* out of 5*.

I just love Faith Martins books, her descriptive writing and command of the English language is such a joy. You really feel as if you are there with her, and taking no part in all that’s going on, from the crimes to the wildlife. She is one excellent writer.

I did wonder, because I just adore Hillary Green if this new duo would be as exciting and thrilling. I didn’t need to worry, it was such a good read, and took me back to my youth when things were so much more innocent.

I did laugh a little at the naivety of the young WPC Trudy, but I suppose it was like that when I think back without the involvement of the internet.

I think Clement and Trudy make a good team and I’m looking my forward to the next one.

My thanks to Faith Martin and Netgalley for the ARC.

Summer in Oxford. Celebrating students punting on the river. And a body in the water...

Probationary PC Trudy Loveday is again working with coroner Clement Ryder to find out what really happened.

This is set in 1960. Modern technology not needed to solve crime!

Although very familiar with Faith Martin's Hillary Greene, this is the first of the Loveday books I've read (this is the second). More please!

Another successful series from Faith Martin!! This is the second book in this charming series of stories featuring WPC Trudy Loveday and coroner Dr. Clement Ryder, and I am already a fan. Set in early 1960s Oxford, it has a more gentle feel than the Hilary Greene series in keeping with the era, and the methods of crime solving by the duo are much more old style detective work than forensics. The pairing of the main characters is original and there is a good feel of how the city is split into "town and gown". In this story tragedy strikes in the form of the drowning in the river of a student but is it the accident it appears to be? There are plenty of clues and suspects along the way as the tale unravels. Highly recommended and a nice refreshing alternative to faster and more gory novels.

Interesting pairing of a coroner and a young policewoman. Set in Oxford during the 60s, there is a real feel of the period and of town v gown. Plenty of red herrings and interesting characters.

Alls well that ends well for WPC Trudy Love day in this interesting but uninspired storyline. Expect better things from Faith Martin. A nice gentle but not exceptional story

In this new series from Faith Martin we are 60`s Oxford where probationer WPC Trudy Loveday, who we met in the first book A Fatal Obsession, is once again called on to assist the coroner Dr Clement Ryder looking into a death by drowning of a student from St Bedes college.
Derek Chadsworth was discovered floating in the river following a student end of term party and though it was thought to have been an accidental death when Dr Ryder hears the witness accounts at the inquest his suspicions are aroused. He has an open verdict brought in and sets about discovering the truth.
The atmosphere of the 60`s is caught well and without access to technology and forensics that we have today Trudy has to be even more determined and resourceful in order to get to the truth. Using her initiative she manages not only to unearth clues but to get herself into some sticky situations.
I loved how she and Dr Ryder worked together and his support of Trudy when it seems all her colleagues see her as surplus to requirement.
We get introduced to a colourful cast of characters connected to the victim, learn about their lives and their secrets. Finally presented with all the evidence, which has thrown up more than one suspect, Trudy and Dr Ryder finally reveal the murderer.
This is an effortless and enjoyable read and I am looking forward to reading more of Trudy`s mission to become a detective.

I really loved the main characters and the brilliant plot. I read this book in one sitting and could not put it down. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.

On a beautiful sunny day in Oxford, the body of Derek Chadworth, a student of St. Bede’s College, was found floating on the river. Was it an accident? Or was he killed? Coroner Dr. Clement Ryder is convinced that the young student was murdered and when he asks for the help of WPC Trudy Loveday, DI Jennings is happy to give away the only woman in his team. As witnesses and other students don’t cooperate in the investigation, Dr. Ryder sends Trudy under cover among the students to find out more about the victim.

I still haven’t had the pleasure to read the first book in the series featuring WPC Loveday, but I am going to as I really liked the character of Trudy. While her mother wants her to find a man, get married, and have children, she wants to prove herself even if there are dukes, chiefs of police, and men in general who try to put her in her place. The only one who seems to support her ambitions is Dr. Ryder. I loved her enthusiasm and she is smart, determined, and resourceful, even though sometimes her initiatives get in her in trouble.

A FATAL MISTAKE is a nice change from the crime novels I am used to. First of all, the novel is set in the 1960s so there is no forensic, DNA tests, or technology to help in the investigation. Also, I enjoyed the multiple-character point of view. Although the story is told mainly from Trudy’s points of views, we get glimpses into other characters’ lives, from Dr. Ryder to witnesses, from students to characters somehow connected to the victim, so that by the end of the book the reader has the whole story. This doesn’t mean that there are no surprises. There are many twists and revelations and the ending and solution of the case was unexpected.

Between secret clubs, arrogant dukes, and shocking truths, A FATAL MISTAKE is an entertaining, well-written, and captivating read