I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2021 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2021/02/2021-reading-list-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">

An Apparent Cold Case.....
Private Investigator, Jennie Redhead, takes on an apparent cold case. Split between two time periods this is an enjoyable and often unexpected read with a not so likeable but still intriguing protagonist in Redhead, a solid plot and an atmospheric setting.

Thrilling mystery perfect for readers that love historical fiction. Well written with good character development and an intriguing story line.

This was my first encounter with Sally Spencer and what a pleasant surprise it was. This is an atmospheric murder mystery, starring a female private detective, Jennie Redhead. Though Spencer uses two devices that I usually find offputting, shifting timelines and shifting points of view, she carries them off so well that I was not bothered. The mystery has its roots in the past and the scene shifts between wartime London with the story told in the third person and 1970s Oxford with the story told from Redfern’s perspective in the first person. Spencer delivers a rich, well-crafted mystery with finely drawn characters in the space of 224 pages. Many modern mystery writers are just getting warmed up in that span. Kudos to her: This is probably the best constructed mystery plot that I have read in quite a while. Moreover, she plays fair with the reader, sprinkling clues throughout the narrative so that if the reader doesn’t get there ahead of or at the same time as Redfern, forehead slaps are probably in order. Although this is apparently the third in the Redfern series, it clearly stands up well on its own.

Thanks to Severn House Publishers for an ARC.

This is the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last as it's a gripping and entertaining read.
The mystery is solid and kept me guessing, the plot is full of twists and turns, the characters are fleshed out and interesting.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Oxford 1975 - Private Investigator ( who had previously been a police officer) - Jenny Redhead is asked to investigate a 3 year old murder by the murdered woman's daughter.
The police had failed to find the suspect. Interrogating CCTV the murderer seems to be a woman or a slight man wearing a red duffel coat. The police agree to Jenny's investigation. The dead woman was a very capable lady and her husband is still in mourning for her.
As Jenny investigates she comes to believe the answers lie in London, but the London of 1944 when the Capital was a war zone!
I've not read anything by this author before, and I've definitely missed out. Alan Rustage writes as Sally Spencer. He is a very prolific author. Various series of police procedurals set in 1960s and 1970s. A Victorian detective and writing as James Garcia Woods he has a trilogy set in the Spanish Civil war in Madrid featuring Inspector Ruiz. The author lives in southern Spain. I enjoyed the book very much and I have no hesitation in recommending it. I look forward to reading more by this author.
I will post a review on publication day on Amazon.

Grace Stockton was murdered- decapitated in 1972. Her head has never been found. The case flummoxed the police and her daughter Julia has now, in 1975, hired Jennie Redhead to find out what happened. Grace spent a large portion of her life in Papua New Guinea and was an anthropologist- and this figures into the answer. As does something that happened in London during WWII. Spencer does an especially good job with the atmospherics during that time frame. This is an unusual and twisty tale with a good protagonist in Jennie. She's smart, she's got a mouth on her, and she's a digger. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

A PI-centered mystery novel, this book is an excellent example for English instructors who tell students to "show, not tell" in their writing: this book is 100% about telling and not showing, and as a result is boring and plodding.

I was really thrilled when I had a chance to read the latest book of the Redhead’s series. Jennie did not disappoint for she was her usual quirky self. She managed to solve a mysterious unsolved murder that had its’ inception back to 1944. She managed this with the help of some interesting characters. If you have never read a Sally Spencer novel, you will be captivated by her unconventional characters and story lines.

Thank you Netgalley and Severn House for this ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and Severn House for the eARC.
This was the best Sally Spencer book I've read, I loved it and couldn't put it down.
It takes place in London and Oxford and London during WWII and 1975. P.I. Jennie Redhead is asked to find out who murdered and decapitated (the head has never been found) Dr. Grace Stockton, a world-renowned anthropologist, by her daughter.
Dr. Stockton was raised in New Guinea, Papua and the story includes some fascinating tribal cultural facts. It also gives you a real feel for the horrendous doodlebug attacks the German Luftwaffe rained down on London and the affect it had on its citizens.
Jennie is a great character and the mystery itself is almost impossible to solve, but she gets there in the end and what a great ending it is! Super read that I highly recommend!

Former police officer Jennie Redhead is now plying her trade as a private investigator in 1975 based in Oxford. She is approached by Julie Pemberton (who has friends in high places) to investigate the death of her mother (Grace Stockton) who was a renowned anthropologist who was murdered 3 years previously. Police investigations had been defeated in their efforts to track down the murderer despite having a very bad image from a CCTV camera of a woman who is of interest in their investigations.

The action is split into two time periods – current in the 1970’s and war torn London in 1940’s.

Jennie Redhead is a very interesting, comic, character. She has a propensity for Gin and Tonic and a wry sense of humour, but more interestingly, a keen sense of intuition. She is a fabulous character and I suspect we might run into her again. The plot is well-developed and smacks of nostalgia – not quite the Golden Age of Detectives, but something very similar. A time when hats were worn and a certain code of conduct was not only expected but encountered.

Despite my initial doubts this turned into a really interesting, unexpected detective story, with a unique quirky detective. Very satisfying read indeed.

Thank you to the author, publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

224 pages

3 stars

This book moves awfully slowly. I was almost fifty per cent through the book when it finally picked up.

I did not like the character of Jennie Redhead. I tried to give her some leeway due to the book's setting was 1972, but I found her attitude irritating and not a little superior. I'm not sure she had a charitable bone in her body. When I dislike the main character, I seem to lose all interest in the book. I just couldn't get past that. I found Grace's childhood both interesting and tragic. Especially after what happened later. The story premise was interesting. I particularly thought that the title of the novel was apt. The writing was very good, as was the plotting. The book dragged for me because it moved so slowly, but one event followed another in a logical progression.

I want to thank NetGalley and Severn House Publishers for forwarding to me a copy of this good book for me to read and review.

** This book is not yet available to review on GoodReads.