Dead in the water by Matthew Costello and Neil Richards.
A cherringham mystery book 1.
Really enjoyable read. Sarah and Jack were my favourite characters. I loved how they worked together. I'm looking forward to the next book. 5*.

Dead in the Water: A Cherringham Mystery
The Cherringham Novels Book 1

On the night of the school prom, a young teacher is found dead in the Thames in a drug-related accident. It seems - at first - to be another sign that Cherringham High is spiralling out of control. The new head however is convinced that the teacher's death is suspicious and quietly calls in Sarah Edwards.

Interesting characters and a good story line. This book turned out to be really enjoyable.

Another satisfying entry in the Cherringham series, but as a novel length read I expected more character development. I've excused it in the novellas, but you got the page 'time" here for more. The authors could have added only 5-10 more total pages to explore what the year's separation did for Jack and Sarah and their relationship. We get a little on Sarah's side, but nothing really on Jack's.

The story takes place around Sarah's children's high school. Not the first time there's been a high school setting though the story line was different from the other book. However, the story line is quite conventional and we find out, again, that Cherringham is not exempt from real world problems.

I still liked Dead in the Water, but was left a little let down.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I've read so many books the last few months, that some books I must admit, just becomes a blur to me. Nothing standing out to me today.
But this book is the exception to the rule, and was really a thrilling, enthralling and entertaining read and I could not wait to finish it.
A popular teacher is found dead in the river, and from the beginning I was solving the murder. I was sure I had the killer, until I turned over the page..... I did not expect the killer when their identity was finally revealed. Really a brilliant read! Please treat yourself to it.

Solid if not especially inspired British mystery; if the writing fails to sparkle it doesn't irritate either, which is sometimes enough for a commute read.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in return for my honest opinion.

I liked this book right from the first chapter. I needed to know what happened to Josh Owens; did this small, sleepy town have bigger secrets than you would think. Was a simple accident or was there a murderer in their midst. Sarah, the local sleuth, is asked to assist in finding out what is going on in regards to some issues with drugs at the school, but she isn't sure she can without her old partner Jack; she agrees and lo and behold, Jack returns, but for how long?

I like the dynamic between Jack and Sarah, I looked the small town feel and how everyone knowing everyone didn't mean there weren't a ton of secrets in this town. I was happy with the resolution and the ending made me want to read more and find out what other troubles Sarah can resolve. Will definitely be watching this author for further works.

An interesting start to a revamping of a novella series into full novels.
a web designer and former NY cop team up to investigate murder in a small English village.

If you never read the novellas (my situation) it's a bit hard to understand the background of the characters and their relationship, but eventually it all comes together and the mystery is cleverly woven.

I really enjoyed a number of the early Cherringham short stories but eventually started to find them a bit formulaic. I was intrigued to see there was a novel-length story available and keen to see if that reinvigorated the series a bit.

I still like the characters - Sarah and Jack are great and I like their camaraderie and relationship. I also still like the light-hearted tone.

Unfortunately, it is a just a bit dull. The plot is quite thin and it really does feel like one of the short stories has simply been bulked out by lots and lots of repetition: the series has always had a bad habit of showing the characters doing something or reacting in some way, then having Jack or Sarah spell out what's just happened or what that means in an italicised thought. It's really unnecessary and pure filler and this book is full of it: "She nodded. 'Not happy'"; or "He smiled, thinking 'I'm enjoying this'".

Paradoxically, the writing style itself is almost like it's a penultimate draft that needs refining: it is short sentence after short sentence that feels unfinished, such as: "Out of bed. Turn a light on. And go downstairs"; "In this room. Sounds. Steps. Breathing"; and "That gun. In a back pocket. Could come out."

There was little or no input from some of the previous regular characters: Grace, Alan, Sarah's parents, which was a bit of a shame, particularly as there was a full length book to play with.

I really wanted to like this but I'm afraid I don't think I'll read the next novella. I do have the next short story in the series so I will give that a go. I am grateful to NetGalley and Bastei Entertainment for the ARC of Dead in the Water.

Love the Cherringham mysteries - nice, short (ideal for a flight for example) and with a credible plot and finish.

I enjoyed this book. Lovely way to spend a few hours curled up on the sofa. I would definitely read more Cherringham mysteries.

Lovely old fashioned style amateur detective novel. Great characters and a good 'will they/won't they" story between the two main characters. Not an unputdownable race to the fish thriller, but a lovely way to spend a few hours on a sunny afternoon.

A detective thriller with an undercurrent of romance and set in the Cotwolds, Dead in the Water makes for pleasurable reading. Suspend disbelief at the way the local bobby co-operates with private detective and web designer Sarah Edwards when a teacher at her children's school is found dead in the river after the school prom, and that the head teacher calls her in to investigate with no financial discussion - and we know how tight public service budgets are these days. But, putting these niggles aside, it's a good yarn. Was the death the result of foul play or a symptom of how far drugs have become a part of school life? And why has Jack Brennan, with whom Sarah has investigated a case in the past, returned from the States without letting her know? There is suspense, there is danger and there is a satisfying solution. Worth spending time with.

I have been reading this series on and off for awhile; some are good, others a little hurried and almost unfinished - all enjoyable. This is a good one with a great storyline and a well rounded ending.

4 stars

It’s school prom night and a young teacher is found dead. Is it murder? An accident? Or drugs?

The head teacher asks local web designer and part-time investigator Sarah Edwards to look into the case. He is suspicious of the cause for the death.

Since her partner, Jack Edwards, an ex-police officer, is in America Sarah believes she will have to go it alone on this investigation. As she begins to look into the case, it appears that it may be a case of murder. Is Sarah now in danger too? Luckily, Jack returns from America in time to assist Sarah with the case.

This book was a little slow getting started, but once it got going, the pace and suspense picked up. Except for the beginning, this book is well plotted and written.

This is my first Matthew Costello and Neil Richards novel. I understand there have been quite a series of novellas written in the past. I will look into those as well.

I want to thank Netgalley and Bastei Entertainment for forwarding to me a copy of this book to read.

A teacher is found dead in the Thames in a drug -related incident. It's the school prom at cherringham high. The new head is convinced that the teachers death is suspicious and calls in Sarah Edwards to investigate.

This felt to me like a Murder She Wrote episode. It is not by any means a gritty story but as the story unfolds it does get more intresting. A nicely written who-done-it.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Bastei Entertainment and the authors Matthew Costello & Neil Richards for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When a body of a teacher is discovered in the river the day after the school's prom, Sarah Edwards a part time investigator is asked by the school's head to find out what happened.
For me a bit of a disappointment (I have read another in the series which I enjoyed) because the story really didn't take off for me. It just felt a little flat and the characters seemed one-dimensional.

A well done cozy mystery novel, which I liked very much. Without a lot of action and bloodshed, Matthew Costello manages to put me under the spell. The story of the murder of the teacher Josh Owen happens in Chapter Two and from then on the search after "who dunnit" begins and this happens as I expect it to be in England. With meticulous detective work and the exclusion of suspects. The open end suggests that this will not be the last story with Sarah and Jack.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley andBastei Entertainment!

I was not to sure about the story at first as there seemed to be a lot of back story that was not explained - from another account I have read this is covered in previous short stories (though this does not detract from this novel I did, at times, find it frustrating.
If you like your crime novels gritty and brutal than this is not for you it is very much an early evening TV crime drama. Some of the suspects were pretty obvious though the final killer was a bit of a surprise.
I look forward to the next novel in the series to see what develops.