An entertaining cozy. I had not read any of the preceding books but this was fine as a standalone because Brett has created two very nice characters in Jude and Carole. Now we all know Jude did not kill St Clair but who did? Well, there are more suspects than one might imagine. There are some twists but nothing too complicated and it motivated me to look up a few of the mysteries referenced. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Another book in the Fethering Mystery series. Jude (a healer) and next door neighbour Carole (retired from the Home Office) have teamed up and act as amateur sleuths in Fethering. Jude attends a talk given by a crime writer at the local library. She recognises him as Al,Sinclair. Jude had been friends with him and his wife in the past. He offers her a lift home but once Jude gets into the car he comes on to her so she gets out and walks home. Next morning he is found dead in his car. Jude becomes the chief suspect so Carole starts investigating on her own.

This is an enjoyable read with some wonderful characters. It will appeal to readers of the Golden Age of crime writers particularly. Simon Brett has an easy reading style of writing that makes one want to go on reading. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Set in a small village literally a stone’s throw from where we live in Littlehampton, which is mentioned several times in the book, I’ll freely admit that one of the attractions with this entertaining whodunit is the fact that I recognise the towns they visit. It is rather fun to so clearly visualise the setting during the investigation, even if the village of Fethering is a construct. Of course, the book would be a downright trudge if that was the only thing going for it, so the fact that I really like Jude and her relationship with her rather prickly neighbour, Carole. It’s a bonus they are both retired and of a certain age – while I haven’t yet retired, I’m also well into middle age and it’s a solid pleasure to read a book with two female protagonists who reflect my own age-group. It doesn’t happen all that often…

Jude is a thoroughly likeable protagonist, who during the story becomes the chief suspect in the murder. These days, with our overloaded justice system, it’s all too believable to see a scenario where she could be imprisoned for perpetrating a crime she didn’t commit, so the stakes in this case are far higher than terminal boredom. What turns this readable adventure into pure delight, however, are the acidic observations Jude and Carole both have on the world and the characters around them. Brett doesn’t hold back from having a pop at the state of the publishing industry and the struggles rural libraries are having to keep going, amongst other aspects of life in modern England – as well as the protagonists’ observations about the other characters they come into contact while on the case. Several times I giggled aloud at a nicely pithy phrase.

I found the ending not only satisfying, but unexpectedly poignant. If you are looking for an entertaining cosy mystery with a thoroughly modern take on the genre, then go looking for this offering – it reminded me all over again why I enjoy Brett’s writing so much. While I obtained an arc of The Liar in the Library from Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
8/10

Simon Brett I first came across in my teens via the Mystery & Thriller Guild, one of the many book clubs run by Book Club Associates (anyone remember them?!). I enjoyed the Charles Paris mysteries , a series of books (in striking yellow covers) based on an actor and how he always seemed to be involved in theatrical based murders.

Fast forward a fair few years and Simon Brett is still writing witty and enjoyable crime novels. ‘The Body In The Library’ is the first of the Jude and Carole amatrue sleuth books I have read (this is number 18, as Simon Brett is a tad prolific!). It is a gentle send up of the Golden Age of Crime writers and books, what publishers now refer to as ‘cosy crime’. However, Simon Brett cunningly adds in plenty of plot twists and a whole host of possible murderers. He also finds time to promote the cause of libraries (although the victim is bumped off outside a library, perhaps not the greatest advert for them) and gives insight of an author’s life, both from the successful one and at the other end, the self-published author who is bitter about any other writers success.

An enjoyable read, perfect escapism into an updated Golden Age of Crime writing.

Death, by walnut, of an insufferable writer is about to be pinned on Jude. So she must find the real killer in Liar in the Library.

I’ve read most of the author’s Charles Paris series of behind-the-stage-door mysteries and enjoyed them. When I saw this book, the 18th in the Fettering mysteries but my first, on NetGalley, I snatched it up. Maybe I had too high of expectations but the Liar in the Library didn’t hold my interest. The murderer was too easy to detect. In addition, I didn’t connect with either of the main characters. Overall, it was a disappointment that I can’t recommend. 2.5 stars rounded up to 3 stars.

Thanks to Black Thorn Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

I quite enjoyed this book. I managed to listen to the audio book, and it was brilliant. The story was enjoyable, and I felt a little bit like I was on an adventure with a female Sherlock and Watson.

However, there were a lot of characters, and I did find myself getting a bit confused.

But I enjoyed the story nonetheless.

An author is found dead in his car the morning after his talk at the Fethering library, and the prime suspect is also one of the village's duo of amateur sleuths.

Alas, this reads more like a first draft than a complete, fleshed out story. The writing is sloppy and very flat, the plot unoriginal and lazily constructed, the "mystery" not particularly clever, and the "reveal" frankly botched. No aspect of the book has any depth — even the killer's motivations are barely touched upon. When the characters manage to display a bit of personality, it's only to behave like sulky teenagers. What sank the novel irremediably in my estimation are the offensive remarks made about certain characters' physical appearance; they may have been acceptable in the Golden Age crime literature so lengthily referred to here, but they're now completely out of order.

Since this novel is part of a series, I'm willing to entertain the possibility that this is simply a weak entry; these things do happen. I'm not, however, inclined to give this author a second chance.

A very good old fashioned who dunnit.
After fearing she is number suspect for the murder of an old friend, Jude enlists the help of her neighbour Carole to unravel the mystery of the murdered author

I didn't realize there were 17 books that came before this one! Sometimes I enjoy a cozy mystery, sometimes I don't, and this one was not one of my favorites. The title intrigued me, however, and I'm drawn to anything "library-oriented", having been a librarian, myself. This wasn't what I expected, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I was left wanting and expecting more and was certainly turned off by the murder victim. I'm really not interested in reading any more of the series.

Note to self: Don't start a series at book #18.

Should be a given, right? Apparently not, not if you're me.

In any case, I've never read Simon Brett before this book and, obviously, I've never read a book in his Fethering series. That being said, this particular book was... fine?

I liked the start a lot, enough to think about looking for some used copies of the seventeen(!) books that came before this in the series. It's sort of a cozy mystery without the seemingly inevitable looming romance or lost love trope. Just some grandmotherly sorts being their quirky selves while solving mysteries. It was good.

The actual plot behind the murder, though? Not so much. It was kind of predictable, which I realize mysteries in large series like this usually are, and I feel like it's been done before. There was no big reveal, no stunning plot twists, and no "oh, that was good... must read more" feelings when it was done.

It was just a book that was fine to read.

First title I've read in this long running series.
Not sure this had any real impact into my overall enjoyment of the book.
I was to be honest a little bit indifferent about it all if I'm being honest.
Decent enough read, but certainly hasn't got me searching desperately for the back catalogue.

The Liar in the Library (Fethering, #18)About fifteen, twenty years ago, Jude used to have dinner with Megan Georgeson and her husband Al Sinclair. Megan was a famous actor and Al was... well. He was handsy. Jude always managed to escape but she wasn't sure how Megan put up with him. Nor how his new wife, the paragon Persephone, is managing.
Now Al has rebranded himself as Burton St. Clair and has finally published a book worth noting. In fact, he's talking about his book at the Fethering library. There are a number of people who stand up to ask questions, then hang around to drink the wine. It's too bad that it starts raining at the end of the night and Al offers Jude a trip home. True to form, he makes a pass. Jude slaps him and walks home. Too bad no one sees her and that turns out to be a problem when Al/Burton is found in the parking lot the next morning, dead. As the last person to see him, Jude is immediately a suspect.
It doesn't help that Megan remembers Jude as a homewrecker and no one seems to believe that she wasn't, even Carole, Jude's usual amateur detecting partner.
I hadn't read any of the other books in this series but didn't feel like I was missing anything (at book 18 even!). I also didn't connect with either Jude or Carole. Jude was a little... well, after 17 other run-ins with a dead body you'd think she would've been smarter. And that Carole would have trusted her a bit more though the fact that she didn't blindly believe Jude was nice. The mystery was fairly clued and that helped make this a very readable story.

Three stars
This book comes out June 16th
ARC kindly provided by Black Thorn and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

I love a good cosy mystery and this one ticks all the boxes, well written with great characterisation.
This book can be read as a stand alone but would recommend reading some of the earlier books to give a better understanding of the characters development.

A book which gives a nod to The Golden Age of Crime. The murder of Burton St.Clair at a literary evening means that Jude is the number one suspect. After all she knew him and his first wife, many years ago. She knew he was a womaniser, but still accepted a lift home in his car. The car in which he died - the same night.

A good story, with smiles along the way.

I really like Simon Brett's Charles Paris series, but this didn't quite do the same thing for me. Maybe it's because I'm jumping into a series late on, maybe it's because I like the targets that the Paris books are taking aim at (acting! media!) more than I do the ones in this one. It's still a fun read though and the mystery is satisfying - even if I couldn't quite get my head around why Jude was putting herself so much in the cross hairs of the the investigation!

I have loved the Fethering series of cosy crime mysteries by Simon Brett and, as always, I slip easily into the warm embrace of amateur sleuths, Jude and Carole, investigating a local murder - yet another place you'd hate to visit in rural Britain (like Barnaby's Midsomer, Morse's Oxford and Agatha Raisin's Cotswolds) because of the mounting crime figures in the proximity of our named detectives. However this particular case was rather disappointing for me and lacked the usual verve and intrigue of the others I have read, perhaps rather muted to reflect the chilly season of the setting. The sleuths are still as welcomingly ordinary but intelligent as ever with their foibles and failings familiar from previous books, but failed to get into their usual complementary partnership for me because of the circumstances of this case. Still an enjoyable and comforting read, and I'll continue to look out for further books in the series.

I've greatly enjoyed previous titles in Simon Brett's 'Feathering Mysteries' series, which have proven to be well-plotted and developed cosy mysteries filled with wry humour and sharp observation. 'The Liar in the Library' is no exception, combining Brett's trademark wit and dark observational humour with a tightly-plotted murder mystery into the death of a philandering author following an event at Fethering Library.

Series stalwarts Carole and Jude are back, although the focus is definitely more on Jude in this instalment as she finds herself becoming the Prime Suspect as a result of her previous connection with the deceased! Jude has been a bit of an enigma in the series to date so it was interesting to find out more about her and to get a book that is written more from her perspective - although I have to admit that I did enjoy the sections featuring the acerbic Carol with her dry humour and her cynicism!

The supporting characters are an eclectic bunch, with the return of fan favourites such as Ted from The Crown and Anchor, alongside some new faces from the library. One of the joys of Brett's Fethering series is his ability to depict small-town life, with all its petty grievances and trivialities. There's some fantastic humour in his observations and it provides a nice counterpoint to the more serious tone surrounding the investigation.

'The Liar in the Library' is sure to delight fans of Brett's previous work. Although it can be read as a standalone, with the mystery being completely self-contained, I do think reading some of the earlier books in the series provides a better understanding of the characters and of the town of Fethering itself - Jude, Carole and their friends in Fethering are getting quite developed now and this is definitely a series that can provide fans of cosy mysteries with much enjoyment if started from the beginning!

The mystery of the death of author Burton St. Clair was decent and there were some interesting twists and subplots. I liked the use of Golden Age crime novels as the inspiration and blueprint for the murder. However, the overall quality of the book was diminished by the multiple obnoxious/annoying characters, especially Carole, one of the amateur sleuths. A character who is obnoxious or annoying can be effectively used to advance the plot or help develop other characters through their reactions and interactions with the obnoxious character; a good example is Benedick from "Much Ado About Nothing." Carole, as one of the amateur sleuths, does discover information that helps solve the mystery of who killed Burton St. Clair. However, there is nothing she discovers and no conclusions she reaches that could not have been discovered/reached by Jude, the other amateur sleuth and the primary suspect of the local police. Carole is rather off-putting, as are some of the other characters.

While I might consider reading other mystery novels by Simon Brett, they would need to involve a different set of amateur sleuths. Considering all of the mystery novels, including "cozy" mystery novels, that readers could choose from, "The Liar in the Library" is not one that I would recommend anyone place high on their "to-be-read" list.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley.

3.5 stars, actually.

If it involves a library, it's likely to get my attention; holding that attention is another matter entirely. Clearly, it's a solid series - this is the 18th in the Fethering Mystery books, so just as clearly, plenty of readers are enthusiastic. And fact is, I can't say I didn't enjoy it - I did, and I'd definitely say yes to reading the next one. But for whatever reason, I just didn't feel much snap, crackle or pop.

The story begins at the Fethering Library in West Sussex, where reasonably successful author Burton St. Clair has been invited to speak and promote his popular book. A long-ago friend of Jude Nicholls, who lives in the area, he invites her to attend (part of their long-ago friendship includes a brief affair, but that's not something on which Jude wishes to dwell). She's long since moved on, both figuratively and literally, and she's now a "healer" who uses potions and a touch of psychology to make her clients feel better.

The meet-and-greet session has its ups and downs, the latter of which include a couple of gropes by the not-so-honorary guest; he also manages to antagonize a few others in attendance. That's all well and good and everyone goes home to forgive and forget - all, that is, except one: St. Clair makes it out of the building to his car, but that's as far as he gets before getting very dead.

Needless to say, several people at the library event are not inclined to mourn his demise, including Jude. In fact, once her prior relationship to St. Clair comes to light, she ends up the primary suspect. That, of course, is not okay with Jude; to help ferret out the truth, she enlists the help of her neighbor, Carole Seddon. Apparently, the two women have a history of solving crimes, but their strange, sometimes adversarial relationship was more than a little off-putting to me. Maybe it's because Carole seemed, well, stuffy, while Jude leaned more toward the flower child personality with which it's much easier for me to identify.

The police don't charge Jude with the crime, but they threaten to lock her up if she doesn't back off the investigation (warning the heroine to mind her own business seems to be a staple of the cozy mystery genre). Unlike most of those heroines, though, Jude pays attention; but that warning doesn't apply to Carole, who keeps on digging around. Nor does it stop Jude from investigating the mystery of a missing Polish uncle (a diversion I took to be a clue that the disappearance and St. Clair's murder just might somehow be connected).

Any more details and I'll be in danger of tripping over the spoiler line, so I'll just leave it at that. I will add that while this book stands alone well, I'm pretty sure reading previous books in the series would have added to my enjoyment. And of course, I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy.

I hadn't come across these cosy crime mysteries before, but I'd be happy to read more. Light-hearted amateur sleuthing that was funny and very easy to read. Carole and Jude are an unlikely duo, but then I guess the best detective pairings always are. I didn't feel lost coming in so late into a series, but at the same time it made me want to go back & read the first books to learn about Carole & Jude's beginnings.
Being a Librarian, I liked the Library setting!