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The Liar in the Library

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Member Reviews

This was not a great fit for me. I might have enjoyed it more if I had read the rest of the series. Characters are a big factor for me, and I didn't care for the characters in this book. Jude and Carole are supposed to be great friends and sleuthing partners, but Carole felt obnoxious in the first part of the book - pouty and grumpy. The mystery was good, so fans of the series should definitely check this one out.

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4.0 out of 5 starsVery good book!
June 19, 2019
Format: Kindle Edition
A wonderful mystery with comforting characters and a nice English setting. I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion. I am going to start at the beginning and read them all!

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What a fun mystery. This is my first read from this series. I expected more from the two lead friends, but they had little chemistry or interaction. Still, a fun British mystery.

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Jude is Caught Up in the Murder of a Famous Author

Jude isn’t excited about attending the book signing at the Fethering Library in West Sussex. The featured author Burton St. Clair is an old friend. At least his wife Megan was a best friend of Jude’s years ago. Still, Jude is not eager to see Burton who has a reputation for roving hands.

The evening presents some challenges for Burton. Several members of the audience have issues with him or his writing. At the end of the evening, Burton offers Jude a ride home. It’s cold and rainy so she accepts although she has reservations about Burton’s reputation for making a pass. In the car, he proves that he hasn’t out grown the habit, so Jude leaves him in the car and walks home.

The next morning she finds herself the primary suspect in Burton’s murder. He was found dead in his car and she was the last person to see him alive.

This is the 18th book in the Fethering series. Usually Jude and her neighbor, Carol, solve crimes together, but this time Jude sets out alone with a new partner. Oliver Parsons, a charming man she met at the book-signing. Although the plot moves at a reasonable pace, a great deal of time is taken up with Jude trying to convince the police that she is not the murderess. I felt it slowed the action of the story since the readers know she didn’t do it.

Being the 18th book, there is backstory that is unfamiliar if you’re a first time reader. However, the author does a reasonable job of bringing the reader up to speed so the book can be read as a standalone. If you enjoy English cozy mysteries, you may enjoy this book and get interested in the complete series.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

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The cover attracted my attention and the synopsis sound good so I requested it. This The first book I have read from this author, although it is the 18th book in the Fethering series, it work quite well as a standalone.
Fethering in is a small town in England. Two sleuths, Carol and Jude work together to solve mysteries.
Jude is host to an author affair by Burton St Clair who is an author of a bestselling book. He has made many enemies as he is a womanizer and has a strong ego. He made a pass at Jude who publicly slaps him. When he found dead the next day Jude is at the top of the suspect's list. She works with Carol to clear her name. I highly recommend this book.
Disclosure: Thanks too Black Thorn for a copy through NetGalley. The opinions expressed are my own.

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This book did not captivate my attention. There were no twists, nothing to make me want to see the story through.

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Simon Brett is an old favorite of mine. His Charles Paris mysteries are not to be missed, and the Fethering mysteries, of which this is the eighteenth one, are great fun. You can count on Brett for excellent plots, misdirection, fun watching the detective(s), and not a lot of gore.

This book starts in the Fethering Library. An author has come to give a talk, and a murder ensues. I don’t like spoilers so I am not going to give any. I will say that it is very enjoyable to watch a real master at work, and Brett is assuredly that. Fethering could be any of the villages from Midsomer, although it isn’t. The main characters, Jude and Carole are an odd couple, but between the two of them they get the job done.

If you like cozy mysteries, enjoyable fun without a lot of blood, Simon Brett should be on your automatic to-be-read list. If this is your first mystery by him, or your twenty-first, you are in for a great deal of pleasure and no angst. Do yourself a favor and don’t miss this one.

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This is far into a series of books and I felt like you could tell. It's your typical cozy mystery read, but I felt like it was lacking more mystery than his Brett's previous novels. Cool plotline though!

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With thanks to Net Galley, the publisher and the author for the advanced digital reader's copy.

"The Liar in the Library" by Simon Brett, opens as the victim, Burton St Clair, gives a book talk at the seaside town of Fielding's library. Jude is in attendence, intrigued by his (final) recent success after years of writing that didn't take off. She had known the author 15 years before, as Al Sinclair, the husband of a good friend. When StClair is found the next morning, dead in his car after ingesting walnuts and having an allergic reaction. The victim's now ex-wife claims Jude knew of this allergy, and also had an affair with him. Suddenly Jude is a the primary suspect in the poisoning, and needs to investigate for her own safety.

I did not know when receiving this ARC that it was late into the series. Would recoomend this title (prior knowledge of the series was not really necessary), and will probably go back into the series when looking for a similar read for myself or a patron.

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A best selling author has come to talk about his book at the local library. He thinks all women desire him and they don't. He still tries to persuade them by touching and being familiar but he has no success. He gets in an argument with one man and shuts another man down during the questions after his talk was over. He's leaving at the same time as Jude so he offers her a ride home since it's raining. She says OK but then he misbehaves in the car and she gets and walks home. The next day he's found dead in the car in the parking lot and Jude becomes a suspect.

Black Thorn and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you). It is being published today.

This author always writes good mysteries. This is another that was a treat to read.

His ex-wife tells the cops that Jude had an affair with the dead man and that was what ended their marriage. It's not true but the cops aren't sure they believe her. He was allergic to walnuts and that's what killed him. The problem is that he didn't eat anything at the library, he just had a glass of wine. Was that poisoned with walnuts? The bottle was dropped and broke so no one else could drink any. How did he encounter the walnuts?

Jude finds herself becoming a high suspect on the list so she starts her own search for the killer. That ends up getting her a talk from the police about compromising witnesses. So she asks her next door neighbor to take over. They'd worked on other cases together. They also find the answer before the cops do. The motive for the killing is unusual.

Give Mr. Brett a try, you might be surprised.

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Simon Brett never disappoints. I have read many of the Feathering Village mysteries and this ranks as one of the best. The characters are developing nicely although the book can be read as a 'stand alone'. It was interesting that the author gives a nod to the Golden Age of crime writing in view of the recent success of the republication of many classic crime novels. Simon Brett has here himself written a modern classic crime story.

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My thanks to Black Thorn for a digital edition via NetGalley of Simon Brett’s ‘Liar in the Library’ in exchange for an honest review. It’s been out in hardback for a while though a new paperback and ebook edition was published in early June 2019.

This is the eighteenth in Brett’s Fethering Village series of cosy mysteries. While I have not read any in this particular series of the prolific Brett’s body of work, I adore his ‘Blotto and Twinks’ series that brilliantly parodies 1920s aristocratic whodunnits. Even though a newcomer to this series, I had no difficulty getting a sense of the series’ setting and main characters.

This series features amateur sleuths Carole and Jude. In this outing a famous author comes to Fethering library to talk about his best selling novel. He is extremely full of himself. He also is a former friend of Jude’s. When he is found dead this prior relationship and the fact that Jude was the last person to see him alive, makes her the police’s prime suspect. Despite police warnings, Jude and Carole investigate.

Brett plays it straight though manages to put in witty asides about crime fiction and Golden Age polymathic amateur sleuths with hopelessly inefficient police forces while having his main characters do some good sleuthing. There is also some nice swipes at the snobby author, who considers crime fiction as ‘inferior’.

One amusing minor character is Professor Vanessa Perks, an expert on Golden Age Detective Fiction, with her various theories on homicides. Another is Nemone Coote, a poet who punctuates conversations with references to her poems and repeatedly asks if Jude had read this or that collection. I had the sneaking suspicion that some of these characters were inspired by real life encounters.

This was a light read and just delightful. It reminded me of what a pleasure it is to read Simon Brett.

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I almost DNR’d this book but am glad I stayed with it. This is #18 of a series which I didn’t know. There are two amateur sleuths that solve the crimes in their town. One is the prime suspect in a murder of a former friend. It’s a good light, fast read. #The Liar in the Library, #Netgalley

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It didn't matter at all that I was jumping into the Fethering Village Mystery series without having read the previous 17 mysteries! "The Liar in the Library" is a quick, fun read, with some amusing asides about literary "types", albeit possibly a little formulaic! Although I guessed the guilty party almost as soon as they were introduced, this enhanced rather than detracted from my enjoyment of the book and I'm now planning to read more in the series. Many thanks to the publisher and to Netgalley for giving me a copy to read in exchange for this honest review.

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The local library in the sleepy coastal English town of Fethering was holding an author visit from Burton St.Clair. Burton had written a best seller, Stray Leaves in Autumn and was sharing his thoughts about the book with the audience. Burton had a large ego and was a womanizer. Jude had been friendly with St. Burton and his ex-wife, Megan, 20 years before. As Jude was leaving the event on that rainy night, she accepted Burton’s invitation for a ride home.

Once they got in the car, Burton made advances on Jude and she escaped from the car and walked home alone. The next morning his dead body was found in the car and Jude was a prime suspect since she was the last person seen with him. Then the cause of death was found to be anaphylactic shock from an allergic reaction to walnuts. The police found a bottle of walnut oil in Jude’s cupboard.

Jude and her neighbor, Carol, were amateur sleuths, and decided to solve the mystery on their own. Jude was a natural healer and Carol was a retired civil servant yet they made a good team. St.Clair’s ex-wife Megan was convinced that Jude and the deceased had conducted an affair years before and told the police that information. So the police suggested Jude stop her investigation and so Carol had to continue investigating alone.

This is the 18th book in the series of cozy mysteries that are popular in England.

This ARC was provided by Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

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Jude attends an author event only for the author in question to die and she become the prime suspect. Can she and her neighbour figure out who really committed the crime before she is the one arrested.

This is book 18 in the series and the first one I've read but I didn't need to read the others to understand this story. I do want to read more though after reading this one. The plot was interesting and I didn't figure out the murderer until the very end. The ending was very good and finished the story perfectly. I would have liked a better resolution with Megan though. A great whodunit.

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In the 18th novel in Brett's long-running Fethering mystery series, Jude attends a talk given by best-selling author Burton St Clair at the Fethering Library. It just so happens, she knew him many years ago when he was married to a good friend of hers. He was a philanderer then and nothing much has changed except wives. He offers Jude a ride home after the event and is found dead in his car the next morning. Jude seems to be the chief suspect. How to prove she had nothing to do with his murder?

Jude and her friend and neighbor Carol make a fun and rather odd couple of amateur sleuths. Several other eccentric characters fill out the cast.

I thought this was a well-plotted cozy mystery that moves along at a nice pace and keeps you guessing to the end. An enjoyable and quick read.

I received an arc from the publisher via NetGalley for my honest review. Many thanks.

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Jude is an amateur sleuth in this cozy murder mystery that begins in the local library. Burton Sinclair is a published author in town to give a talk on his newest successful novel. After the talk, Jude accepts a ride home with him and is the last one to see him alive. Burton is found dead in his car from poisoning in front of the library. Jude is the prime suspect, but can she and her neighbor, Carole, solve the crime before she is charged?

An easy to read, entertaining book about a golden age type murder mystery in a pleasant small town with lovable and relatable characters. The ending was surprising and unpredictable. This book was eighteenth in the series, but I didn't feel like I needed to read the others to follow the plot. I enjoyed reading it!

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I am delighted to be renewing my acquaintance with Little Fethering, and Jude and Carole, two very enthusiastic amateur detectives. This involves an unusual, but topical murder, in today's obsession with food allergies, walnuts!!
Burton St Clair is a writer who is in Fethering to promote his best selling novel. Jude has known both he and his first wife for ages, but their friendship soured, when his wife Megan believed that the pair of them were having an affair. After the literary event, Burton offers Jude a lift home, but Jude finds he has a bad case of Desert disease( wandering palms) and gets out and walks home. The next morning Burton is found dead, and Jude is the prime suspect.
This is a cosy murder series, beautifully described, step by step, and all questions are answered in a logical way. The Police are made to look like complete numpties, as Jude and Carole take on the investigation and get surprising results. I like the fact that the story is complex enough to intrigue, but is not reliant upon blood and guts to keep readers interested.
These books are reminiscent of the Golden Age of murder mysteries, involving trappings of money and class, but this also introduces the notion of immigration problems, common to small villages and suburban areas of the country. The pub worker is Polish, but honest and a reliable worker, speaking good English and not on benefits. Her uncle conforms more to the racial stereotype, drunken and violent, but problems will be removed and taken back to Poland. These books can be slightly moralising at times, but there is always a strongly defined sense of right and wrong.
I have read so many of these books, and have bought them as presents for my friends, recommended them to my family and book group, I really feel I should be on commission !! I loved the radio adaptation of these books that starred Bill Nighy, and I greatly enjoy the aliteration of the titles. They are a pleasure to read and review. I will leave a copy of this on Goodreads with a five star rating.

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I haven't come across this cosy crime mystery series before, even though "The Liar in the Library" is book eighteen, but I'd be happy to read more. This was a good example of light-hearted amateur sleuthing that was very funny and really easy to read. I liked the sleuthing duo, Carole and Jude, although they made an unlikely pair. I didn't feel lost coming in so late into this series, but I would like to go back and read some of the first books to learn about their beginnings. Simon Brett made some quiet references regarding issues around homelessness and library closures which don't often feature in a book of this type, giving the story more weight which I rather liked.

All in all, I would recommend "The Liar in the Library" to anyone who is fond of a good cozy novel. It was witty, thoughtful and a great read.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my own request, from Black Thorn via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

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