Cover Image: Murder in the Fens (A Tara Thorpe Mystery Book 4)

Murder in the Fens (A Tara Thorpe Mystery Book 4)

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Member Reviews

A very good thriller, full of twists and turns. I was fascinated by the setting and happy to meet again the well written cast of characters.
The mystery was very good and it kept me guessing till the end.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

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Another episode in the partnership of Tara Thorpe and Garstin Blake which appears to be developing in to an intriguing romantic as well as investigative partnership. A great follow up to Murder on the Marshes

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Another thriller read staring Tara Thorpe.... when the body of a young woman is found it looks suspiciously like the murderer was her ex but all is not it seems

An ex collegue once again is hell bent on sticking the knife into Tara's past and could the identity of the mysterious stalker finally be uncovered.

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Twists and turns to discover the murderer...kept guessing til the end, Nice little hints of romance peppering the novel to lighten the crime. Interesting take on family and misuse of influence by those in positions in authority. Enjoyable read

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I received this ARC via Netgalley and the publisher in return for an honest review. A young college student is found murdered on at an iron age hill fort. Detective Tara Thorpe, joined by her colleagues at the local constabulary, are determined to unearth current and old stories that link this crime to those in the past. Interpersonal relationships between the constabulary members are also a large part of this book's story arc. This isn't a cosy - rather more a "Vera'-like police story. The writer writes well and the characters are fully developed, leading to a well-crafted story.

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This was an excellent thriller with strong characters and great twists,a book that grips you from the start to finish.worthy of 5*

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This is book four of the series and, to get the very best from it, I do recommend reading 1-3 first. There is a lot of history and backstory for certain characters that's best understood if you do so. That said, the main story is self contained so you could, at a push, read this in isolation. It does however wrap up a series arc or two so, if you are thinking of playing catch-up, do it before you read this one.
20yo student, Julie Cooper, is found dead. With wilting flowers stuffed in her pockets. Tara and her team are called in to figure out the who and why. But their investigations start to throw up more questions than answers and they are flummoxed. As time goes on and with Tara's prior investigative journalism skills wheedling the suspect pool down, they start to make connections. But both she and Blake are battling personal issues, his current, hers from her past. As things come to a head, can they figure it all out in time, and survive?
I've read and enjoyed all the books in this series, and this book wraps up a fair few things by the end. Tara is still having trouble with previous colleagues, Blake is still having issues with his domestic situation, But the two of them still rub along nicely, combined with the rest of the team, to peel back the layers that surround this case, and get to the truth within. And, when we eventually get there, what a truth. Both for Julie and Tara!
As with most good series, there is a good balance between current plot and characters's own lives. It's important to include some personal stuff in a series book as it best allows the reader to invest more in the characters which, in my opinion, is key in a series. Plotting is tight and very well executed and there is no superfluous waffle or padding which means that the story gets on with itself very well.
I think I read that this book concludes the series. This is backed up with how the author wrapped up several series arcs at the end. It'll be a shame to leave Tara, her team, and indeed the setting but I have read a few other books and series by this author so, instead of being sad at this loss, I am more excited to see what she has in store next time.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

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Julie Cooper was a hard working, dedicated, focused, student at one of the Cambridge colleges, until she was found dead. Her murder is investigated by the detectives of the local constabulary but clues cause more problems than they solve and, even though the suspect pool shrinks considerably, the solution seems no closer.

None of Julie's friends and acquaintances have a lot going for them in the reliability stakes but that makes for a satisfying read. This is described as cosy crime but some of the issues raised and personalities explored are anything but.

The detectives were great; varied, complex, and likeable but none of them really took centre stage even though Tara Thorpe was supposed to I think. The procedural aspects were very well done as were the personal issues and the book gradually drew me in and held my attention until the end. I hadn't read the previous books however and I think that would have been an advantage.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it to anyone who is already enjoying this series or doesn't mind dipping into an already established set of novels.

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A great book, full of twists and turns.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my review.

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4 stars

Detective Tara is in for one heck of a ride in this book. While trying to get the thoughts of her boss Blake out of her mind, she is investigating the murder of a young college student. Julie Cooper is found near an iron age fort with wilted flowers in her pocket.

The first and natural suspect is the ex-boyfriend Stuart. But he becomes only one of many.

Blake meanwhile has his hands and mind full with his errant wife Babette. (Who can trust a woman with that name, anyway?) It seems she is straying again, and then she begs to come back. Blake is especially concerned with the effect this has on his two little girls.

Tara makes connections from the evidence and it almost seems that perhaps Julie's murder was a conspiracy. Or at least covering it up is. Fellow students, Cambridge College tutors and a family of landed gentry are all put under the microscope by Tara's investigation.

This is a well written novel and a very good example of a competent and well done police procedural. The team works well together – mostly. I liked Tara for the most part, but Blake seems so distracted. Understandable in the circumstances. Oddly enough this is my first Clare Chase novel, and I immediately went to Amazon to look for other books written by her. Very nicely done, Ms. Chase.

I want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for forwarding to me a copy of this very good book for me to read, enjoy and review.

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This was another great turner.

Tara and her team are investigating a young woman murder her name is Julie she a college student.

Julie almost stumble on to something that got her killed there were number of suspects from the ex boyfriend Stuart to the friend Bella who seem to want to be her to advisor Lucien and the Lockwood family.

On top it off Patrick still out to get Tara Blake and his marriage is over when he found out more of his wife Babette lies and then we learn who her stalker was. It seems Tara and Blake finally get to be together.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

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So so good full of twists turns tension .Another exciting well written thriller fourth in this series ,I devour each new book in the series and as soon as I finish one I look forward to the next,#netgalley#bookouture.

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Detective Tara Thorpe has a lot on her plate, she’s working on the murder of a young woman found on the site on an iron age hill fort, but the personal lives of both she and her officers are making the case even more difficult to solve. Tara is doing her best to keep her distance from Blake, who has just welcomed a new baby into the world with his wife Babette. At the same time, a new officer, seems like he could be a balm to Tara’s battered heart, but something about the new recruit seems a little too good to be true. While the murder and its investigation are interesting, it’s the personal interplay between Tara and her colleagues that makes this book so compulsively readable

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