Great plot to get yourself lost in. This book has everything. A real fast paced thriller. Will get your heart racing on more than one occasion. Very well written. Highly recommend this book

A real old fashioned who dunnit

On New Years Day 1962 a guest from a local New Years party is found dead in his car in a snowbank it seems very likely he skidded in the terrible driving condition was knocked unconscious and sadly froze to death
Due to staff shortages and the horrendous weather conditions WPC Trudy Loveday is called out to attend and deal with the accident to help with the investigation she calls on her old friend coroner Clement Ryder to help her
But all is not what it seems and it looks like this could actually a murder, Further investigations identify a number of people who may be responsible and its up to PC Loveday and the coroner to identify who is responsible

Despite this being Number 7 in the The Ryder and Loveday Series this is still good to go as a stand alone book

Set in a cold, wintery 1962, this police procedural perfectly evokes life in the 1960s and felt very realistic to me, even though I was just a small child at the time.

It is a charming, fairly cosy, crime novel which made a nice change from the modern crime thrillers I usually listen to, and it was interesting to see how much polcing has chanhed since the 60's. I also liked the pairing of a WPC and a Coroner which I haven't come across before. The descriptions of the weather perfectly depicted the conditions the police and the general population had to cope with in that extremely cold winter and was a perfect backdrop for the book.

Ryder and Loveday are interesting characters. This is the 7th book in a series, but the first I have read, and so I didn't feel that I got to know enough about them because that info is probably in previous books. It still worked well as a standalone but left me wanting to read the previous books.

Stephanie Racine's narration was perfect.

Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Collins Audio and Faith Martin for an Audio ARC in return for an honest review.

A Fatal Night - written by Faith Martin and Narrated by Stephanie Racine, a perfect duo.

This is the seventh in a series for Ryder and Loveday, I was unaware of this when starting this book and I don't think it made a huge difference. This book is set in the 1960s and is a murder mystery. It is easy to follow with them characters being easily identified by the narrators accent changes. I enjoyed this book and felt the characters were relatable and the plot was intriguing. Thoroughly enjoyed.

I really enjoyed the audio book. The narrator was very good allowing easy identification of the characters without sounding too extreme. I hadn't realised it was the 7th in the series but that didn't spoil the enjoyment. I did wonder, however, whether it will be the last. Set in the 60's meant that research wasn't a quick click of the computer so added more depth to the investigation. If the others in the series are the same standard, they would make a great TV series.
This is an honest review of a complementary ARC audio book.

This was my first time reading a Faith Martin book, and I must say that I loved it very much, and I am now looking forward to reading more of her books! I love a good mystery story, and this one was really good, especially since it is set in 1962, in England. I enjoyed reading about what it was like at that time, and I liked the characters of the book, especially Ryder and Loveday, who are just cute together! The story was very interesting and enjoyable, and it reminded me a bit of some Agatha Christie books. The narrator of the book was very good and she was very professional. Highly recommended!

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the audio version of this book it really gave me a feel for the cold winter of that year. Although I had recently read the book, the audio version felt fresh so it is true that different mediums can give different experiences.

I would recommend listening to this audio.

I was given a free copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

A lovely return of the quaint investigative duo W. P. C Loveday and The Old Vulture as the coroner is widely known. This time the indomitable pair are joined by the Coroner's handsome son, who is on a prolonged visit with his dad, due to unprecedented bad weather preventing him leaving. A combination of weather conditions and flu virus has depleted the manpower of the local police force, necessitating D. I. Jenkins entrusting the young policewoman to commence investigations into the death of a motorist who would appear to have crashed his car, following a new year's eve party and subsequently froze to death in his car. But as always where Trudy and her mentor are concerned, they refuse to take things at face value and together uncover several people with motive to want the deceased dead. A delightful return to more innocent times and a thoroughly engaging read as always. Highly recommend

A Fatal Night by Faith Martin.
Ryder and loveday mystery book 7.
Narrated by Stephanie Racine.
I enjoyed listening to this audiobook. I liked Stephanie's voice. This is the first book I've listened to in this series. I enjoyed it and got into it straight away. I will definitely be reading the earlier books in this series. 5*.

***ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley.co.uk in return for an honest review ***

If you're looking for an Agatha Christie-esque listen then this is the audiobook for you.

Set in Oxford, it's New Year's Eve 1963, the UK is in the grip of the big freeze. The weather means no one wants to travel far from home. An exclusive party is being thrown for select guests. It will be a party to remember, especially when a guest is found dead in his car the following day.

This felt like a good, old fashioned whodunit. You are transported back to the 60's, a time when life, policing and the roles of women in the police force are very different to what they are today.

A great read, would definitely recommend.

After starting this I realised this was part of a series but that didn’t affect the experience as it can definitely be read as a stand-alone. There are references to other storylines but not in a way you feel your missing something more so referring to a characters history. The storyline was ok but for me it lacked something and didn’t really stand out from other books of a similar storyline. I did really like the characters Trudy Loveday and Clement Ryder and how they worked together as a duo. It’s a bit on the unusual side but it really works and it does add something to the listen. It’s a quick easy listen but it just didn’t grip me in the way I had hoped.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK Audio for the opportunity to listen to and review this ARC that was published on the 11th of Nov.

A Fatal Night - Faith Martin
Narrated by Stephanie Racine

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

New Year’s Eve, 1962

As a snowstorm rages outside, Oxford high society gathers to ring in the new year at the city’s most exclusive party. This is a soiree no one will forget… not least because a guest is found dead in his car the next morning.

It seems the young man tragically froze to death overnight after crashing into a snowdrift – but when WPC Trudy Loveday and coroner Clement Ryder are called in to investigate, they discover a tangled web of secrets that plainly points to murder.

This is the seventh book in the series, but the first one I have read - I didn't find it difficult to read this as a stand-alone and I was easily able to follow the story. In a stark contrast to the usual crime books I read, this one had a gentle investigation which along with the blanket of snow on the ground made this a very cosy mystery to read.

This is a great read that kept me guessing until the very end. I even enjoyed the way that Faith has allowed Trudy to shine in a very male dominated era.

Rating: 4/5

It is New Year's Eve 1962 and the country is in the grip of heavy snow which there is no sign of easing, a car has left a high society party and the driver is found dead the following morning after the car collided with a tree.. WPC Trudy Loveday and the Coroner Clement Ryder are left to find out whether this is accidental or was the driver murdered.
This audiobook is definitely worth listening to it is well read, the story well written and it keeps your interest right through to the end. Very enjoyable

Fabulous audiobook
As a snowstorm rages outside, Oxford high society gathers to ring in the new year at the city’s most exclusive party. This is a soiree no one will forget… not least because a guest is found dead in his car the next morning.

It seems the young man tragically froze to death overnight after crashing into a snowdrift – but when WPC Trudy Loveday and coroner Clement Ryder are called in to investigate, they discover a tangled web of secrets that plainly points to murder.

With everyone telling different stories about that fateful night, only one thing is clear: several people had reason to want the victim dead.

And if Trudy and Clement don’t find the cracks in each lie, the killer will get away with the perfect ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Narrator 5 stars

Story 3 stars
Interesting story. First time I've heard of this author or series. I am keen to start book one from audible

This is my first foray into Faith Martin’s Loveday and Ryder series. Despite being the seventh book in the series, I was able to pick up the narrative.

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the audiobook, Stephanie Racine was a fantastic narrator.

The body of Terrence Parker is found in a car in Oxford on New Year’s Day. The story is set in the deep freeze of 1962 when the country was plunged into freezing Arctic conditions and heavy snow, with many people unable to get around due to the extreme weather conditions. WPC Trudy Loveday and Clement Ryder begin to investigate the death, which due to the adverse weather is initially assumed to be an accident - or could it be a murder?!

I thought the book was well paced and there were lots of twists and turns. I really enjoyed the 1960s historical setting and really warmed to WPC Trudy Loveday and the coroner Clement Ryder, so much so that I will look out for the earlier books in this series.

Huge thanks to HarperCollins UK Audio, HQ Digital, and Netgalley for my advanced listening copy.

I think if you are a fan of gentle crime fiction you might like this. For me it was old-fashioned in content and style. I continued listening to give it a chance but it really was not my sort of book. Additionally I found the narrative style suited the genre and as such didn’t like that either.

A wonderful nostalgic visit to the 1960s where women police officers make the tea but murder is still murder! I remember the harsh winter in the book and the difficulties getting around in the snow. The team of Loveday and Ryder has become one of my favourite duos and now there is the possibility of a third member. Excellent!

I found this audio to be a pleasure to listen to. The narrator had an easy flow and I listened to it more or less in one go.

The story was based in 1962 during a snow storm and the author described the setting really well with occasional references to how difficult it was to get around.
I thought the difference between now and then for the WPC was described well.

This was my first crime with this duo, but it certainly won't be my last.
Highly recommended 👌

A great plot and a great story. I loved the murder mystery set during the historic big freeze in the 1960’s, with the seemingly innocent accidental death of a man who to all intents and purposes, looks like he had succumb to the weather and met his death on the ice.

As the story proceeds, you start to build up a picture that something is perhaps, a bit more untowards than it seems. It took me a while to get a grasp of the characters and the potential suspects but I was intrigued to see how it would all play out.

I loved the duo between Trudy and the coroner and they have a great rapport. I haven’t read any other books in this series, with this one being my first venture into the Ryder & Loveday books but I didn’t feel at a disadvantage. The author does a great job at filling the reader in.

I found this somewhat of a slow burner, and it just ticks steadily along the plot as more clues and information are trickled in to form the bigger picture of murder and the whodunnit. Overall it was a nice, entertaining story. The narrator was fab too and made it really enjoyable to listen to.