I think this book gives the appearance of being firmly in the cozy camp and then, whoosh!, the rug is pulled out and the reader is confronted with some real, gross truths (although luckily Mr. Brett spares the cozy fan too much detail with regard to the despicable behavior). The book clips along, and some of the characterizations and descriptions are real gems, but I felt this was neither fish nor fowl; neither Miss Marple nor Kay Scarpetta, neither a cordial nor a straight whiskey. Which I guess is good? I have to admit I found it jarring. Either way, while I enjoyed the writing style and the smooth pacing (and I guess I could get used to realism in my small English villages) I'm not sure if I will revisit the series as Carole, one of our sleuthing pair, is so wildly unlikable I'm surprised that no one just gives her a good pop in the jaw for being so uptight and judge-y. A recommend for those readers looking for a little cold water in their warm bath.

This book is not quite a cozy mystery, but a very satisfying English mystery, easily following in the footsteps of Agatha Christie, et al. The story takes place in the small seaside town of Feathering where everybody appears to get along but two murders quickly seem to contradict what appears on the surface.

Like most small English communities, Feathering is full of gossip and opinions. And when Alice Mallett’s Step Mother and Father die within a few months of each other, tongues start wagging. Carole and Jude, neighbors and friends, quickly find themselves in the midst of a search for the killer or killers. It is only when they start talking that they find the clues needed to identify the culprit.

It was a fun book to read. The 21st book by this author taking place in the village of Feathering, it easily stands alone - but whets this reader's appetite for more in the series. I’ll be checking the book stores and libraries for these titles.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are my own.

Simon Brett writes good books. He's an old master of the crime novel now with something like sixty titles to his credit. The Feathering mysteries have always been particular favourites of mine.
Carole and Jude seem ageless (as all good characters in long running mystery series should be!) I've been reading their exploits for the last twenty years and there's never been a full moment. They are like old friends to me now.
A dead husband no-one mourns ... A church choir desperate for new members ... And all the gossip of village life. It can only lead to murder. Carole and Jude, as always, can't resist investigating.

Once again an enjoyable read with our old friends Carole and Jude. Although I did enjoy this book there was just something lacking in this one and was just short of the authors normal standard. However that said it was a good read and nice to see the series continued.

Carole and Jude are back to amateur sleuthing after another murder happens in the town of Fethering. This time they suspect a member of the choir, if only they could narrow it down to one. And they don't have just one murder on their hands, but two! Lenard Mallett has a tragic accident, falling down the stairs in his grand house, but Carole and Jude suspect that isn't quite the case. His widow, Heather, is their first suspect, but when she winds up strangled on the beach, they must turn their sights to several other members of the choir. Who had a secret to hide worth killing for?

Quick witted and smart, this easy to read cozy mystery was just what I needed this stressful week. I love the endearing cast of reoccurring characters that appear in the small town in each book of this series. However, it happily reads as a stand alone story if you haven't read the previous ones. Maybe you should read them all first, I do think you'd enjoy them!

Killer in the Choir by Simon Brett is a buttoned-up British mystery that became much more accessible the longer I read. It featured two middle-aged neighbors, as different as night and day: Carole and Jude. Carole was a divorcee who had taken early retirement and moved to Fethering to escape her life. To avoid being perceived as lonely she got herself a dog. She walked the dog religiously twice a day and grew to be dependent of him, even fond. Jude was a healer, a massage therapist, who worked out of her home. The friendship had grown because Jude wouldn't let it go and then they had discovered their joint penchant for solving crimes. This one didn't appear to be a crime, initially. In fact, the police had closed their investigation. An elderly man, Leonard Mallett, had fallen down the stairs in his home and died. His wife discovered him when she returned home later. His wife, Heather, seemed to be coming out of her shell after his death. At the wake after the funeral, his daughter, Alice, drunkenly and loudly accused her stepmother of murder. All very odd. Of course, Carole and Jude couldn't leave it alone.

A good plot, with the murderer being unexpected, as was the motive. There were plenty of storylines blurring the investigation, was well as red herrings sprinkled into the mix. The characters filled out as the story progressed and it was easy for the reader to be sympathetic. The story contained some chilling events, but kindly told their outcomes at the end, even the more minor characters. Carole had, what had first appeared to be, a cold personality. Not friendly, not outgoing. That changed as we got to know her. She was simply shy and introverted. Jude had the opposite personality and was not tied to conventional wisdom about a great many things. It was an odd pairing which let to an enticing mystery. It is well worth the read, possibly even to return to earlier books in the series. I recommend it.

I was invited to read a free ARC of Killer in the Choir by Netgalley. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #killerinthechoir

I really enjoyed this cosy, odd couple mystery. The sense of the small village, where everyone knows all the gossip about everyone else, is so well conveyed. I particularly enjoyed the pub landlord character, who has made a success of the place despite himself. I'm afraid I did spot the who and why quite early on, but that by no means marred my enjoyment of the book. Please keep writing these books Mr Brett, so cheering in this covid world.

3 Stars

This is the nineteenth book in the Fethering Mystery series by Simon Brett.

This is the first book I have read in this series and I wonder why any of these people like each other enough to attend the same church much less be in the same choir together. As a former choir member in my old church and a current worship team member of my current one, I am totally familiar with the dynamics shown here. We usually have to team old familiar hymns with new contemporary Christian songs that the younger people hear on the radio. It is not usually an either/or question. You need to appeal to the entire congregation not just a select few. This enhances their worship experience. They learn new songs and get to sing old favorites at the same time. The majority of a congregation these days is usually over 60 years old. They put in new contemporary songs in order to appeal to younger people and draw them to church.

I was uncertain about the plot of this book. I have never heard of a choir singing at someone’s wedding, especially a new and untrained choir who couldn’t read much or sing much in harmony. In my church choir I was one of only a few harmony singers. Getting something like this book talks about off the ground is quite a large task.

The two sleuths in this seemed less like a tag team and more like they were competing with each other. I don’t know why there needs to be two sleuths plus the police. Lot of people investigating and not a lot of people being suspected of murder. I thought the plot was a bit convoluted. But choirs are more convoluted than anyone realizes. You spend more time with these people than anyone else in your life usually. Someone is usually always angry at someone else. And there is always that one person who gets so much joy from being in the choir yet can’t seem to hold a note on tune to save their life. There are always the standout singers and the ones who don’t have the confidence to project their voice more than a whisper. I think this book got the choir dynamics right but I felt the motivation of the murders fell flat.

I had a lot of hopes for this story but came away thinking it was just a decent book.


I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

Set in a very small, very British seaside town, KILLER IN THE CHOIR is a solid, enjoyable read. Nice mystery with a great blend of characters, setting, and intrigue. The wrap up at the end was a welcome bonus.

I enjoy reading this series. In this one Jude joins a community choir. When a member of the choir is murdered they set out to solve the crime. Unlike other books in the series in this one Carole and Jude work separately and they are keeping secretes from each other. I like the characters and the small English village setting. The mystery was good. There were enough suspects to keep it interesting. This book does deal with some serious issues like abuse and PTSD, but is still a cozy. This series does not need to read in order. Enjoy

Thank you to NetGalley, Canongate, and Black Thorn for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

5/5 Stars!

Fethering resident, Leonard Mallett, is dead. The official story is that he fell down the stairs and died instantly, but obviously, that's not where the story ends. Widow Heather Mallet hardly seems upset that her husband has passed, and her stepdaughter Alice's outburst at the wake certainly didn't help anything. Carole, retired, nosy, and quite prim, is sure that she can figure out whodunit along with her cheeky neighbor Jude. About halfway through the book you find out exactly whodunit and whydunit but that's far from the end. The body count rises again in Fethering and there's a whole new mystery to solve.

After I received this book I realized it was book 19 in the series, so I was really hoping that I could get into the story. Honestly, I had nothing to worry about because this book was AMAZING! It's completely a standalone story, so if, like me, you haven't read the other Fethering mysteries you can still pick this up and love it. I absolutely could not put it down but about halfway through the book, I had to stop reading search the rest of the series to see if I could find them at the local library or bookstore. I intend to start from the beginning now because I need more of Fethering!

This was a good, easy read and is one of those great amateur sleuth novels where you don't need to have read any previous books to catch what's going on.
It's typical small town crime drama, with mystery and intrigue and odd characters galare. I wasn't entirely sure I liked the two heroines, Carole & Jude, but I enjoyed the awkward friendship they have, and their sleuthing attempts in their small village of Fethering, and I'd certainly pick up another one in the series after reading this.

It's worth noting that there is domestic abuse and sexual abuse within the story, which some readers might find triggering.

thanks to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.
A shame to put this book on a downer but it was all a bit stilted and lacked something.

The Fethering River turns up another body, and amateur sleuths Jude and Carole are on the case to find out how and why Heather Mallett is dead. It hasn’t been so very long since her husband, Leonard, died of a suspicious fall down a staircase, and Heather and her stepdaughter Alice are suspects in that death.

Another delightful village mystery from Simon Brett!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book all the way through. It had a really good plot, great main characters and really keeps you hooked on the plot. I would highly recommend this book.

3.5 stars

Simon Brett is a pro, and having read several of his series, I enjoy the dry and understated British wit and his deadly characterizations.

The Fethering series features mismatched friends Jude, the free spirit, and Carol, the uptight former government worker. What they share is curiosity, particularly about the astounding number of murders that occur in their small English town.

This time out, Jude gets talked into being part of a choir performing at an acquaintance's daughter's wedding. The father of the bride is found dead at the bottom of the stairs -- so enters the classic question: Did he fall or was he pushed?

Old secrets drift to the surface during the course of the investigation. His widow is clearly relieved at having him gone so the gossips start talking. Jude and Carol do their usual ferreting out of information in an enjoyable read. Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A book set in a quaint British village devoid of any modern day problems except of course the odd genteel murder! Solved by the clever and clumsy efforts of two women working together but not telling each other anything! A gentle way to while away the hours hoping that it gets better maybe ?

Not having read this author before but a fan of cosy mysteries i gave it a try and was glad i did

Well written, entertaining and kept you guessing , a welcome break from gruesome and thrilling murders which gave my brain a bit of a break

Will seek out more of these by this author

My first Brett mystery, but it won't be my last. Our two olden lady sleuths are interesting as is their relationship. I think reading more I will better understand the background but this was still an interesting story with good characters, a fun town. Very enjoyable, quick read.

This is a cozy mystery, and this is the 19th book in the Fethering series. I could not get into this series. I just did not care about the main character or the storyline. I think I just did not like the writing style. So, I ended up DNFing this book after I try to get into this book several times. I am not saying this book is bad, but I am just saying it was not the book for me. It maybe a great book for you. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Black Thorn) or author (Simon Brett) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review about how I feel about this book, and I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.