I am a big fan of Miss Marple and this book and it's main character, Judy Dimont sort of reminded me of her!
I do love a good murder mystery and found this to be perfect to read.

Funny and not too taxing, it's the first in the series that I'm looking forward to reading more about.

Thanks Harlequin (UK) Limited and netgalley for this ARC.

Great mystery in cool location with intrigue, danger, and quirky characters.

“The Riviera Express” by T.P.Fielden is the first in a series of Riviera Murder Mysteries, featuring Miss Judy Dimont.

Described by some reviewers as a “cosy” mystery novel, this has much more to offer than some books in this sub-genre. It is true that this murder mystery does not contain the blood and violence of many grittier novels, hence the “cosy” label, but “The Riviera Express” is full of intrigue.

When the train, known as the Riviera Express, arrives in Temple Regis, a beautiful seaside town in Devon, it is met by local journalist, Judy Dimont and news photographer, Terry Eagleton. They are there to meet the famous actor, Gerald Hennessy, who is due to arrive that afternoon. Against all expectations, there is to be no exclusive interview, as Mr Hennessy is found to be dead on arrival! Another death follows fast on the heels of this – that of Arthur Shrimsley, who is found dead at the bottom of the cliffs. It appears that these two deaths are not suspicious, but Judy Dimont soon comes to other conclusions after interviewing several people connected to the two deceased men. It also appears that there was a connection between the two men, which may cast doubt on the coroner’s verdicts of death from natural causes and accidental death.

As well as an intriguing plot, “The Riviera Express” also has some well- drawn characters, particularly the feisty main character, journalist Miss Judy Dimont. This is a woman with a past. We don’t know a great deal about her role in the War, but the many hints are enough for us to know that it was important and secret. Apparently, it was during the War that she gained experience of looking for clues in people’s actions and words, all of which enhanced her post-war role as a journalist for a provincial newspaper, The Riviera Express. This is certainly no cardboard cut-out character and I look forward to reading more of her exploits.

Another aspect of this novel that I enjoyed was the style in which it is written. Set in the late 1950s, the author has written in a way which evokes the era. The novel is rich in vocabulary not in common use – Miss Dimont thinks of the actor-manager of the local theatre as “the old poodlefaker”; the view from a hotel window is described :”….the sea beyond and the still effulgent clouds suspended above, allowed eventide to enter the room and bestow upon its furniture a special glow.” Later, travelling journalists are described as “crumpled journeyman scriveners”. These little gems, plus touches of humour, enhanced the reading of the book.

All in all, “The Riviera Express” was a thoroughly enjoyable read for me; I hadn’t expected to like it as much as I did, if I’m honest.

Thanks Netgalley an Harlequin UK. The book is set in Devon in 1958 and its a real cozy mystery feel good book. My suggestion would be to give it time and then you will find it a good read.

This book is a lovely classic whodunnit. It is set in 1958 in a sweet Devon village. The characters are well-drawn and there are plenty of twists in the tale. It is a cosy book, well-written and entertaining. The 'detective' is a tenacious but charming newspaper reporter called Judy Dimont who perseveres against all odds to discover the murderer. I hope there will be more in the series.

Old fashioned, golden age murder mysteries are one of my favourite genres and when I got the chance to pick this book up and read it I thought it would tick all the boxes for me. I am not sure it did?

I love the cover, it has an almost 1930s style to it, which is in contradiction to the setting of the book which is late 1950s in the South West.

When the premise gives you lines such as " Murdered on the 4.30 from Paddington" you can almost hear Miss Marple drop her knitting needles and come scurrying. Of course it was not going to be her, but in fact Miss Judy Dimont, "corkscrewed hair reporter for the local rag, The Riviera Express."

The irony was not lost on me, dead body on the train dubbed The Riviera Express and the reporter turned investigator working on the local paper The Riviera Express.

Gerald Hennessey is the dead body. He is a famous film actor.

But why exactly was he on a train to Temple Regis? And what relevance is the three letters in written on the window of the train carriage?

This gives enough for Miss Judy Dimont to think about when another body turns up, then someone goes missing and it seems that Miss Dimont is convinced that there is a connection between these three people.

Trouble is she needs to do all this investigating without letting her editor, Rudyard Rhys know. And there is a past hinted at there which adds to Miss Dimont's difficulties.

All of this makes for an interesting read and as I got through the book, I had to finish it because I wanted to know who the murderer was and why. I didn't work it out, either because the clues missed me completely by or they were too far hidden in the rather odd way of writing. From the offset it was very disjointed and did not flow easily from paragraph to paragraph and plot line to plot line. There was definite breaks and that almost jarred my reading of it all.

My focus was broken on this book and I was left rather disappointed. The book should have been a lot better as the premise, setting and some of the characters within the novel had a lot of potential. I think the writing let it down.

This is a fun detective romp set in a seaside town in the 1950s. Judy Dimont is a reporter on the local paper, the Riviera Express, and when a film heartthrob is found dead on the train to the town (also the Riviera Express) on the same day an unpopular local is found dead at the bottom of the cliffs, she can't help but feel that there is some connection. The police think differently though, and soon Miss Dimont is investigating herself at the same time as fighting her editor and her nemesis - the paper's other reporter.

I really enjoyed reading this, the mystery is good and twisty, the characters are fun and interesting and I liked the hints about Miss D's past. My only criticism would be that there was a lot of characters to set up and a lot of plot too and sometimes it felt a little rushed. But over all a very promising start to the series.

I received a free E-Arc from Netgalley.

The Riviera Express is, quite simply, a very good read. The author does have a particular writing style which initially threw me and I worried that the novel would be a hard read, however, after only a few pages, I was used to the writing style, and while many might not appreciate the 'wordiness' the author choices to use, I found it fit very well with the novel.

The characters are nuanced and a little stereotypical, but then, that really is the point. It is Miss Dimont who is the star of the show and she receives the most back-story and is the least stereotyped, shortly followed by her fellow newspaper colleagues - the photographer, Terry, and her main rival/friend at the newspaper, Betty. The author also captures the essence of a 1950's seaside town - the busy-bodies, the small mindedness, the general nosyness of everyone knowing everyone else's business and the stresses and strains of keeping everyone happy within the small community that wants a localnewspaper but only if everyone is presented in their best light.

And yet into all this comes a little bit of glamour provided by one of the murder victims and his entourage. The author does a very good job of presenting the actors as actors - ensuring that their dramatic moments are always referenced to the film/play that they've stolen their lines from and juxtaposing the strange and magical world of actors to the more mundane events of life in a seaside town where the summer season has just ended.

The mystery that Miss Dimont finds herself unravelling, earns as much 'spread' as the development of the characters and the venue, which I'm sure will feature in more books in the future, and ends rather well with not so much a twist, as an unlooked for answer to all the questions.

Overall I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a historical novel with the added bonus of intrigue.

(I am a fan of historical who-dun-its be it Sherlock Holmes, Marple, Poirot, or my latest find - The Phryne Fisher books).

The Riviera Express is the name of both a train, and a local newspaper, in the seaside town of Temple Regis. It is 1958 and Miss Judy Dimont is a reporter; working for the less than sympathetic editor, Rudyard Rhys. Miss Dimont has a huge number of calls to pay every day – including the local Court and meeting any important visitors to the town. Along with the newspaper photographer, Terry Eagleton, she is duly in place to meet the train, on the day the novel starts, as a famous actor is due to arrive. However, when the train pulls into the platform, he does not step down, and it appears that Gerald Hennessey has died of a heart attack.

Even as Miss Dimont is investigating the story though, news arrives that fellow journalist, Arthur Shrimsley, has fallen to his death from a cliff top. Arthur was an unlikeable man, who sold stories to the national papers; but he was a local celebrity, and so Miss Dimont, and Terry, set off to investigate. Of course, the two stories turn out to be linked and we follow Miss Dimont, as she attempts to uncover the truth.

This is obviously the first in a series and so there is a lot of setting the scene and introducing the characters. The seaside town is full of characters that are big fish in small ponds, and mainly happy to be that way. So there is the actor manager of the Pavilion Theatre, Raymond Cattermole, who knew Gerald Hennessey when they appeared on stage together, and, indeed, Rudyard Rhys, who is less than enthused about the possibility of murder and is happy for Miss Dimont to cover weddings, flower shows and local disputes.

Many of the characters seem a little clichéd. Inspector Topham is the local police investigator, but it is Miss Dimont who asks the difficult questions. Then there are characters such as the vague Athene Madrigale, who writes the astrology column, Prudence Aubrey, Gerald’s actress wife, and Betty Featherstone, who is Miss Dimont’s main rival at the paper. Somehow, you never quite feel that you are really reading a book written in the fifties (two female lead journalists would have been fantastic, but unlikely in those days), but as though you are reading a book meant to feel like the fifties. The setting is correct, but the feel is just too modern and not quite authentic. That said, this is an enjoyable story and I did really like the redoubtable Miss Dimont, so I would read on and I suspect this is a series which will find its feet in time. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Harlequin UK for an advance copy of The Riviera Express, a cosy mystery set in 1958 Devon.

Miss Dimont, former something in the war, is now chief reporter at The Riviera Express in Temple Regis, Devon. Her life is a whirl of local reporting - court, council, shows and clubs - unless a celebrity comes to the picturesque seaside resort when she and Terry the photographer have a well honed routine for finessing an interview at the railway station. They are, therefore, in place to meet the celebrated film star Gerald Hennessy when he comes to town. Unfortunately he is dead of an apparent heart attack when the train pulls into the station. They do not have much time to investigate before they have to dash across town to report on the apparent suicide of Arthur Shrimsley, an unpleasant and unscrupulous fellow journalist. When both deaths are reported as accidents Miss Dimont begs to differ and launches an investigation.

The Riviera Express is a pleasant read with likeable characters. It seems well researched in terms of historical detail although 2 female reporters and no men on a weekly provincial paper does not seem realistic for the 50s.

I did not particularly like the writing style. Some phrases are clunky with odd syntax and punctuation and I had to read them a couple of times to get the sense of them. I also think the rather arch tone is more suited to an earlier era than the more modern late 50s although sometimes it is amusing.

The characterisation, especially the vignettes of lesser characters, is good if a little clichéd. Miss Dimont, Judy to her friends, Miss Dim to her colleagues is a typical amateur sleuth, non conformist and willing to disturb the status quo, and very well liked despite her pushiness when asking questions. Needless to say she is far smarter than the police.

I like to try new series so I am happy to have read The Riviera Express but I don't think I would bother with another.