Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this book, in return for a fair and honest review.

I read the first couple books in this series several years ago, and after reading an ARC of #18, The Liar in the Library, decided to go back and read the intervening books. I've read several, and am working my way through them.

If you enjoy the Fethering books, which I do, you'll like this one as well. What I found most interesting here is the character development - really noticeable with having read several of the books in the series right in a row. Carole, in particular, has developed, through improvements in her family life and through her association with Jude and solving mysteries.

The mystery seems to take second place to characters, the secondary characters as well as the primary ones. For me, that's fine - I enjoy reading about the characters in the town and how they interact. I also enjoy the fact that the books conclude with a wrap-up of what happens to all of the characters after the book ends.

So another outing with the investigating due of Carole and Jude but this one has a very different feel, the duo are working on their own a lot more. You still have the mystery and there are still the glorious touches of humour that are always there is books by Simon Brett. I think this book also differs in that there is a stronger emotional pull and it confronts issues of loneliness and trauma, all this is carried off sensitively without being remotely preachy or awkward. I look forward to the next outing of Carole and Jude and hope to see more of the Fethering Mysteries which always make a good read.

#TheKillerInTheChoir #NetGalley

I received a free copy of THE KILLER IN THE CHOIR by Simon Brett in exchange for an honest review. Carole Seddon, retired from the home office, becomes curious about the death of a local Fethering man when his wife makes no pretense of being sad at his passing. The widow buys a new wardrobe and chooses to sit in the choir at the funeral rather than sit in the audience where one would expect to find a grieving widow. Carole enlists her neighbor Jude to aid in her investigation; however, Jude’s duties as a healer soon put her at cross-purposes with Carole. What really happened to Leonard Mallett? When Carole’s primary suspect is murdered, Carole’s search intensifies because she must now discover whether the deaths were related. Carole keeps being confounded because the village is filled with quirky characters who are all protecting secrets of their own.

I recommend this book to fans of irreverent cozy mysteries. Though not graphically detailed, there are dark themes addressed in this story.

#TheKillerInTheChoir #NetGalley

Not necessarily my personal taste, but a perfect book to recommend to your readers who can't get enough cozy, small town mysteries. Good characters, appealing amateur detectives, interesting setting and a satisfying, well paced plot.

Carole and Jude live in the picturesque English village of Wethering. There's more than meets the eye in this village, though. The church choir is filled with tensions and harsh feelings fester in the best of local families. When shocking secrets begin to come to the surface, Carole and Jude's relationship is affected.

Like all of Simon Brett's mysteries, this one is tightly plotted and full of complex and satisfying characters. Plenty of local color makes the village come to life, and the story has layer upon layer of surprising discoveries.

This installment in the series gives particular depth to the personalities of Carole and Jude. I can't wait to see what happens in the next book in the series.

Apologies if this is a late review, I have been going on 1st September publication date on Netgalley, but checking Amazon they show May?
This is the eighth Fethering mysteries, two more than the author's other two series. This is my first one of this series that I have read but it won't be my last. Previously I have read a few of Charles Paris and one Mrs Pargetter.
Fethering is a coastal village in West Sussex. Living there are neighbours Jude Nicholls and Carole Seddon. One an extrovert and the other introverted!
Carole out of duty goes to the funeral of Leonard Mallett, who she only knew through one of the Fethering committees. She does not know his wife ( although aware she is his second one ) and he has a daughter Alice from his first marriage. What she does know is his current wife Heather is rarely seen in the village, but does sing in the church choir. She is amazed when Heather who is looking very fashionable joins the choir rather than sit with Alice and her fiance in the front pew. Carole is even more devastated when at the wake Alice accuses her stepmother of murdering her father!
Carole and Jude are soon investigating just what is going on in the Mallet family.
Very enjoyable, funny in parts, I thoroughly recommend this book.
I will now review on Amazon.

I have never read a Simon Brett book before and I was delighted on finishing this funny and hugely entertaining book to find out that there are loads of them

This is a wonderful lighthearted romp through what appears to be the most dangerous village in England - but don't let that mislead you: there are serious issues here too and they are handled with a masterly and light touch.

Highly recommended holiday reading - and I shall be buying more of Mr Bretts work.

(PS I expected no less to be honest from the writer of the glorious Radio 4 series "After Henry", so I need to end this review with a desperate plea to Simon to write just one more series .... perhaps a generous on?)

Headline : Fethering Is A Dangerous Place To Live
Like Oxford in the days of Morse, the village of Fethering is proving again to be a dangerous place to live. Intrepid amateur sleuths Carole and Jude, each largely working solo for various reasons, investigate the suspicious death of an older member of the community.
With a wide array of suspects Simon Bret keeps us guessing right to the very end, with twists and turns as leads are pursued.
I’m a great admired of Brett and his characters like Charles Paris and Carole and Jude. Almost like old friends with whom we can share an adventure.
This is a very good continuation of that tradition.
This book was provided as an advance copy by the publisher in return for an honest review.
Note :
I intend to provide the above on Amazon when the book is released on 1 September 2019.

The author introduces some dark and topical issues into this latest book in the Fethering Village Mystery series. These are an integral part of the plot and the author deals with them sensitively. Like others in this series, this is fun - and quick - to read.

With thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me a copy in exchange for this honest review.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Severn House for an advance copy of The Killer in the Choir, the nineteenth novel in the Fethering series.

When Carole attends fellow committee member, Leonard Mallett’s funeral she is astonished to hear his daughter Alice accuse her stepmother, Heather, of murdering him. She and her neighbour, Jude, who have experience in amateur sleuthing decide to investigate and to this end Jude joins Heather’s choir.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Killer in the Choir which is a fun trip through middle class England with a good mystery as a bonus. It is told exclusively from Carole and Jude’s points of view so everything is viewed through their prejudices with Carole being the repressed martyr to social niceties while Jude is the touchy-feely healer with a rather contrary streak of common sense and practicality. The interplay between them is amusing and knowing.

I liked the whodunnit aspect of the novel. As with most novels in the series there is a plethora of suspects with all members of the choir coming under suspicion at some point. Our intrepid investigators take on solo missions with Jude concentrating on family secrets and emotions and keeping much of what she learns from Carole who turns her attention to the more peripheral characters and uncovers hidden and not so hidden grudges. Their debriefings lead to the solution.

There is a darker tone to this novel with some nasty family secrets coming to light. Fortunately it is the empathetic Jude who is the recipient of these confidences so her solutions are practical and supportive. Mr Brett does not make light of these revelations but his general upbeat tone and gentle humour do not allow them to cast too dark a shadow.

The Killer in the Choir is a fun read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

Although I love these Fethering mysteries this was not one of the best. I feel a little let down by the plot. That said I loved the rift caused between Carole and Jude and the cast of characters were interesting.
The author is familiar with this series and incorporates all the aspects fans have become used to and delight in learning about. From Ted at the Crown and Anchor to matters of local gossip. It was also clever the way some home truths were registered with Carole and how her personality changes in investigation mode.
I was also very pleased to read the sensitive way in which relationships were dealt with. From abusive partners, the difficulties moving on after divorce. Elderly parents and living up to parental ambition. This allowed for domestic violence to be alluded to and the adjustments in army veterans with PTSD.
However, for all the praise I can lavish again on Brett’s writing I am left a little dissatisfied with the ultimate plotting and motive for murder.
I have read each of these adventures and the relationship between Carole and Jude is the reason for the success. This sadly is not one of the better books, but that in no way detracts from the quality of the writing or the talent of this author.

Carole Seddon finds herself somewhat reluctantly at the funeral of Leonard Mallett. She never particularly liked him, but as a fellow member of the Preservation of Fethering’s Seafront, she felt duty bound to attend. She wasn’t expecting any excitement – which was the case until his daughter accused her mother of murdering him.

To find the truth, Carole’s friend and fellow sleuth Jude joins the new community choir, only to discover that Leonard’s widow is not the only one hiding a secret. Someone in the choir is definitely planning on hitting a wrong note…

“More of the same” doesn’t always sound like a compliment. But of course if “the same” is a charming formula for an entertaining mystery, the phrase works perfectly well.

Because regular readers of the Fethering Mysteries, this being the nineteenth, know what to expect. With the exception of The Tomb In Turkey, something rotten is happening in the small south coast town of Fethering, and odd couple sleuths Carole (straight-laced) and Jade (relaxed) stick their noses in to find the murderer.

The Fethering mysteries are a guilty pleasure to me. They’re not really written for the serious armchair detective, as until the motive is revealed late on in the narrative, you could make a case for anyone being the murderer, but for the armchair guesser. It’s a tried and tested format and while I prefer a little more deduction beyond finding something very late on that tells you who the killer is, somehow I have trouble finding fault with this series.

It’s probably because they’re fun to read. For every dark and gloomy thriller, one needs light to contrast it and where better to go that Fethering with its cast of likeable leads and suspects and unlikeable murder victims. It’s worth pointing out that Brett does make a point of weaving a serious idea into the proceedings – Leonard Mallett it transpires was a deeply unpleasant individual guilty of crimes that you might not expect to find in such a book, and it gives the tale a significant weight that makes it a very satisfying read.

Availability: The Killer In The Choir is out on May 31st from Severn House – check your local library. As an aside, The Liar In The Library with be released in paperback by Black Thorn Books later this year.

Thank you NetGalley and Severn House for the eARC.
This is the 19th in the Fethering series and, as usual, another enjoyable read. The tone is a bit more serious, covering domestic abuse and PTSD, but still light and amusing.
Overly serious Carole and easygoing Jude are friends despite their differences. The only thing they have in common is their sleuthing, but that's fine, it makes for fun reads.
This time the soprano of a choir is murdered and the game is on! Love this series, haven't missed a book yet and always look forward to the next one.
Definitely recommended!

I love Simon Brett's Fethering series, these gentle, cosy armchair mysteries are always entertaining and this one was no exception. Enjoyable with touches of humour this latest instalment finds the two amateur detectives, Jude and Carol leading their own individual investigations into the killing of a bride's stepmother following a somewhat successful wedding. A wonderful, colourful cast of Fethering's 'best' awaits you, each with their own secrets and motives.

I have read all the previous Carole and Jude books and they are ones that I often will re-read (or listen to as I have the majority on audiobook). As a series I often await the next installment with anticipation and excitement. I was therefore thrilled to be able to read this book (copy provided by netgalley). Unfortunately, I found this to be my least favourite of the series so far and in truth it felt like it may have been written by someone other than the author. It is hard to put my finger on why it felt this way but something about the overall, tone and style of the book felt differently. Also, the books are typically light hearted murder mysteries but this time there were some difficult topics covered that perhaps don't fit with this stance. However, I still enjoyed the main characters, and their depiction even if they were more separate for much of the book.

At the funeral of fellow committee member Leonard, Carole Seddon is caught unawares by Leonard's daughter publicly accusing her stepmother of murder.

As usual, Carole and Jude can't resist a good mystery, so Jude joins the community choir in search of the truth

Another delightful entry in the Fethering mysteries. Darker than usual issues are discussed including sexual abuse and PTSD but the tone of the story remains light and humorous. Such a pleasure to rejoin uptight Carole and laidback Jude in their pursuit to find the murderer of the soprano in the choir.
Many thanks to netgalley and Severn House for an enjoyable read. I recommend this book.

In the course of this 19th Fethering Mystery, a number of serious issues are covered, including domestic abuse, both sexual and psychological, and PTSD.

Amateur detectives Jude and Carole effectively pursue separate investigations of the two murders featured. As in the previous book, there is little interaction between the practitioner of healing arts and her acerbic retired civil servant neighbour: Jude withholds a lot of information from Carole.

However this was a better plot and the writing flowed along through the myriad interviews of suspects, likely and unlikely. Most of the time the intrepid investigators rely on the forbearance of their middle-class protagonists who only occasionally seem irritated by the unfettered curiosity of the detecting duo.

I thought the solutions were not too taxing to puzzle out but this was very readable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Severn House Publishers for the advance digital review copy.