I had high hopes this book. I love a crime thriller which follows the police investigations. I realised that this is part of a series so maybe that’s why I didn’t enjoy it as much. Perhaps I missed some of the back story. I found it quite slow paced and not as exciting as my usual reads. I also found some parts weren’t very authentic. I know the book was set in the 60’s but I’m not sure of police could really go around investigating and interview suspects with the local magistrate and his son. I did like the atmospheric feel to the book, it’s a perfect read for this time of year. I also didn’t guess the killer which is also a bonus in any story.

The next in the Loveday and Ryder series by Faith Martin, I managed to snag a digital copy from Netgalley. I have a soft spot for this relatively cosy although high crime rate series.

This time our intrepid pair are finding themselves battling against the weather as much as Oxford’s criminals as they race to solve a murder before WPC Loveday is removed from the case by her Superintendent who still has a hard time trusting in her capabilities as a female officer.

The descriptions of the weather conditions throughout this book evoked a real feeling of how cold it was at the time and the difficulties it created for everyone. It make me want to put on a giant fluffy jumper and cuddle up with a mug of hot chocolate.

This time round we get to meet Clement’s grown up son, who has been mentioned in pervious books but not seen. After being initially suspicious of the nature of the relationship between his father and Trudy, Vincent soon came to realise that it was exactly what it was – a close working relationship between a mentor and his young protégé, rather than anything else and he quickly becomes fascinated with the case as well.

Vincent appearing also takes the side story of Clement’s health to the next level as he tries to hide his gradually deteriorating condition from those around him. Will he be able to hide it from family as well though?

Another entertaining case for Loveday and Ryder and as always a lovely working relationship between the two of them.

This is the first book I have read by Faith Martin and I don't normally like boots set in the past BUT I throughly enjoyed the tale. The setting, the characters and the time period came to life vividly for me. I felt as if WPC Laura Loveday was a good friend. Her friendship with the coroner and his family, rounded out the team. DI Jennings and his grumpy manner made me smile. The twist was perfect just when I thought it was all done.

This is the seventh book in the Ryder and Loveday series, but the first one that I have read.

This is a gentle, cosy mystery (well, as gentle as any possible murder can be!), set in Oxford at the start of the freezing winter of 1963. The author does a great job of invoking the era, the cold pre-central heating (mostly) homes and the difficulties of getting around in the snow and ice.

Although this was my introduction to the characters, Martin skilfully weaves in the back story of each, not so much that it will grate on previous readers but enough to allow new readers to catch up on their relationship.

If this is your introduction to the series, be aware that there appear to be a few minor spoilers related to the previous titles.

This is not a challenging book, but is exactly the sort of thing to settle down with on a cold winter's night and allow yourself to be transported to another, simpler era - I was very impressed and will definitely look for more by this writer.

I really enjoyed this book which conjures up perfectly what it was like in England in the early 1960’s, the freezing winter of 62-63 to be exact.
The story follows the investigations of WPC Loveday and her friend and coroner Clement Ryder into the unexplained death of a driver at the scene of an accident on a snowbound street in Oxford in the early hours of New Years day. Being short staffed as a result of the bad weather and illness amongst her colleagues WPC Loveday is given the task of clearing up this seemingly simple case. Before long it becomes clear that this will not be as straightforward as her inspector thought.

This is the seventh book in the Ryder and Loveday series by Faith Martin but the first I have read. I must seek out the others!

Excellent novel. I particularly loved the author's passages of verbal tennis! The setting was the icy winter of 1962 when the police force was struggling against icy snowbound roads and the usual winter illnesses. WPC Loveday is assigned to cover what appears to be a fatal accident but is it? She is delighted to investigate as, typically of the era, as a woman, she is usually given lowly tasks. Helped by her friend an elderly coroner she discovers that all is not as it seems. Strong characters and fast-paced. One of my top reads this year.

I was unaware that this is the 8th book in a series but it read as a stand-alone book. I very much enjoyed it and can give no better recommendation than to say I’ve have purchased the first book in the series and intend to read them all.

This is book 7 in the Ryder and Loveday Mystery and I have not read the previous 6 books but I still enjoyed this book and it has left me curious about the other 6 books…

Its New Year’s Eve in 1962 and it is cold and thick snow is on the roads and the ‘high society’ of Oxford has gathered at an private party to celebrate the new year but the next morning one of the guests is found dead in his car – has he frozen to death or is it something more sinister?

WPC Trudy Loveday is sent to investigate and she enlists coroner Clement Ryder to help.

I really liked this book, I have read Faith martin before and she is a really good author but I was not keen on the Jenny Stirling Mysteries but I loved WPC Loveday and I want to know if she will have a romance with Ryders son Vincent who helps them with the research and I really want her continue to move up the ranks of the police.

I also liked Clement Ryder and I am curious to see how his illness will be played out in future books.

The story is good and the atmosphere at the party is creepy as you know something bad is going to happen. The twins especially are perfectly hateful.

There were many red herrings and satisfactory twists and turns.

As its set in winter time, it added an extra dimension of cosiness and closeness that only happens in the winter.

This book did not disappoint and I hope to read the other books and any new books.

I really enjoyed this police procedural. It is set in the sixties and has a delightful young woman constable as the main character. The Oxford setting doesn’t play a significant part as settings often do but that does not detract from the telling of the story, The wide group of suspects are nicely developed as individuals. I did find the ending annoyingly unrealistic though, but that didn’t spoil my overall enjoyment of the book.

If you are a fan of a blanket, a cup of tea and a nice murder to read, then you’ll enjoy this book! It’s main characters are charming (I hope there’s a bit of romance between the WPC and the coroners son in a later book!) and I rooted for them the whole way through. The plot kept me interested and I didn’t guess the ending. A gentle Sunday afternoon read.

Another murder investigation by the unlikely pairing of Trudy - a lowly police constable - and Clement, a semi retired coroner. With New Year in Oxford meaning the police station is shorthanded Trudy gets her chance to take a murder investigation further than would normally be authorised. The chemistry she shares with Clement makes significant progress in solving the case before it is handed back to senior colleagues.
Charming and enjoyable A Fatal Night, with its well defined character is a good read to have on the bedside table in spite of the subject matter being murder.

A very enjoyable crime thriller set in the early sixties.
It is the 7th book in the series but the first that I have read.
No bad language and a good twist at the end.

As a massive fan of Faith’s Hilary Green series, I was delighted to be offered this by the publishers as an ARC. Not having read any of the Loveday & Clement series, it was easy to read as a stand alone novel.

I have to say, this was a treat to read, I was transported back in time to the 60’s, and Faith has such descriptive writing, that all the events and the way of doing things brought it all back to me. I’d forgotten what it was like just to have a coal fire, ordinary windows that let the cold in, no central heating and no microwave, items we now take for granted.

I liked the characters too, Loveday was a very diligent young police woman and her sidekick, Clement, the coroner was such a gentleman. Together they make a fabulous team.

The story is a simple one, more on the lines of Agatha Christie, a man found dead at the wheel of his car, in the snow after being to a New Year’s Eve party. However, on further examination not all is as it appears. After the preliminary enquiries it is looking more like murder. The trouble is all the witnesses have secrets and are all telling different stories, so what are they hiding?

I have to hand it to Loveday, she was very dogged, and determined to get to the truth. It was such a refreshing change from the dark crime novels I read and it is well worth reading. I loved it.

My thanks to Faith, the publishers and Netgalley for the ARC.

I actually really enjoyed this much more than I thought I would.

Following a female police officer in the 60s was a lot more mind provoking than I gave the description credit for.

I loved all the characters, even the misogynistic ones, they definitely felt like a product of their time rather than the author being antagonising and I appreciate that.

I especially liked the whodunnit aspect, it was so clever how the author managed to ensure the readers suspect every one of the side characters that could even remotely be responsible.

Would definitely read more by this author.

I really enjoyed this book and although it was book 7 in the series and I haven't read any of the others it worked really well as a standalone book. The relationship between the main characters was really lovely to read with a few twists to keep me engaged. It was a more calmer murder mystery with a little light hearted in places which I really enjoyed. I will look to read the others in the series now as will be nice to get the back story of Trudy & Clement.

This book is set in the sixties and very nostalgic of that era.

When requested I did not know that this was one of a series, but it stood very well on its own, no need to read the previous books to enjoy it.

As this was a new author for me I wasn’t sure what to expect, but was surprised at how much I liked the writing, as it was a much gentler book than I normally read. It’s a perfect book for those who prefer their police procedurals at a more calm and sedate pace, ideal for reading on a wet afternoon, which I did. I’m not sure that I would become an avid fan of this series, but as a one off it was a lovely change and I can definitely see the appeal.

One question, what happened about the results of the PM? Did I miss the official cause of death or was it as supposed?

Thank you NetGalley.

This was the first Ryder and Loveday book I had read, and although it is 7th in the series it works perfectly well as a standalone story. That being said, it has made me keen to read the previous 6!

A Fatal Night is a lovely tale of old-fashioned police work. A thoroughly enjoyable mystery/procedural story about a female WPC who takes advantage of snow-induced staff shortages to run with a case that would ordinarily have been passed over to a more senior, and definitely male, colleague. She brings along her unofficial partner, coroner Clement Ryder, to help her uncover that the seemingly run-of-the-mill road collision may not be all it first appears.

The writing is like a big warm blanket and a bottle of Lucozade when you are ill as a child, it’s comforting and nostalgic. Faith Martin invites you along with Loveday and Ryder as they follow leads, and I had no idea which one would be the right one until it was revealed - just as it should be. I felt that Ryder’s character was given more depth, however given that this is part of an established series, this could be true of only this instalment, of course.

It has definitely whet my appetite to get to know them, and their families, more.

I love a detective story and this one didn't disappoint. The friendship between Trudy and Clement made for engaging reading and as the story unfolded it showed that things are not always as they seem.

Will be looking for more in the series to read.

I rather enjoyed this, I didn't realise it was part of a series but it wasn't necessary to read the others to understand this one, very interesting to see the attitude to female police officers at this time, a nice easy read and also good fun, I thought it ended rather abruptly

I had not heard of Faith Martin, one of four pen names the author assumes when she writes in the crime genre (she also publishes classic whodunnits and romantic novels). I have to admit that when I initially opened this thriller, I was a little disappointed to find it is the seventh instalment in a series built around Oxford WPC Trudy Loveday and coroner Clement Ryder, as I usually like to read the books in a series in the order in which they are published. As it turned out, however, it is entirely possible to read this novel as a stand-alone, too. It starts with a snowy New Year’s Day in the 1960s in Oxford, when Loveday is called to the scene of an apparent involuntary death: a young man who froze to death in his car after attending a high profile party. Subsequent interviews with the other guests set in motion a torrent of conflicting statements and lies that Loveday has to unravel. Brilliantly plotted, this book made for a satisfying read. My thanks go to the publishers and NetGalley for the free ARC provided in exchange for this unbiased review.