I’ve been reading this book for two weeks now and I’m not getting anywhere with it. It has obviously been written by an elderly gentleman, because of the way older aged euphemisms he uses. But I couldn’t get a grip on what the story was supposed to be about. I understand in the opening pages you introduce the characters and it takes awhile for the gist to be given. But I still had no idea who the characters were or what their stories are, even though I got quite a way through the book.

I would’ve loved to have gotten more out of this book as I was really excited to have had it recommended from NetGalley, but I am so disappointed in it. As you can gather, I didn’t finish it Which is a shame as it’s probably quite good when you get closer towards the end. I know Jeremy Vine has written books before, so I actually expected more from this book but it really didn’t give me anything, not even pleasure.

An OK read but wasn't for me. I felt that Vine was trying to write literary fiction rather than good crime fiction and managed neither. As a first novel I'm sure he has learnt a lot and I look forward to his next one.

Always good to write from insight so using a radio station as a backdrop to this book was a good move for radio and television broadcaster Jeremy Vine. Not the best of its kind I have read but absorbing none the less. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to ARC this book.

Murder on Line One is a superb debut from Jeremy Vine, including one of the most moving first chapters I have ever read. Edward is a radio presenter, dealing with some monumental life issues and the loss of his beloved job. Until he meets Stevie, who's grandmother was an avid listener of Edward's show and has recently passed away in tragic circumstances. Stevie is not convinced that they've been given the truth about what happened, and enlists Edward to help uncover it.

What follows is a whole host of unexpected twists and turns, which take Edward, Stevie and estate agent Kim through a whole host of situations and emotions. This is definitely not cosy crime, but is just as engaging and enjoyable. A fantastic novel that I sincerely hope will turn into a series.

Murder and Blackmail in Sidmouth!
When radio talk show host Edward reaches an all time low, he finds one thing which helps him to recover; investigating the death of Stevie’s grandmother.
This story took a while to grip me but it turned into a decent read for the first book 8n the new series.

Whilst the narrative was a little clunky at the start, the pacing in the second half was good and I enjoyed the overall plot line and dramatic reveal at the end

I have been shockingly lucky with my choice of "celebrity novels" over the past few years. Until this one, that is. But I persevered to the end - skipping a bit on occasion - ever hopeful it would deliver some kind of reward. It sadly didn't, for many reasons.
I found the characters to be either too bland or to over the top - both extremes - so they either passed me by or annoyed me along the way. Certain ones did develop along the way but not enough to hold the story.
I found the narrative to be a little (quite a lot) too wordy. It felt like it was padded out too much which was rather distracting.
The story was OK, the premise of the demise of listeners to a late night radio show was intriguing, but it didn't really deliver any wow moments. I did do a fair bit of eye-rolling though! And parts of it were a bit easy to guess. I also didn't really get on with the author's style of writing, bit too formal for the genre of book he was writing I thought...
And when I got to the end I didn't really feel any satisfaction other than the relief that it was finally over.
All that said, there were some rather funny moments to be found and I did chuckle a bit along the way. So it's not all bad
So... basically... not one for me I am afraid. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to give it a go though!

If you should write what you know then Jeremy Vine can claim extensive broadcasting knowledge. Set in the world of local radio the bereaved Edward has been sacked from his job but begins to investigate the deaths of his listeners who have been subjected to the very current crimes of cat fishing and financial scams. Well developed characters and dark humour. I enjoyed this book.

The story in this book is super original and I’ve not read any other like it. The characters were well written and the story interesting. I did however solve the mystery very early in the book, as it seemed very obvious to me.

This was a quirky, low-key mystery with an intriguing premise. The pace was a little slow for me at times but it was still interested in what was happening next. This story blends dark humour with light suspense, and though it moves slowly at times, the characters and unique setup made it a quick, fun read. If you’re in the mood for a cozy mystery with a bit of a bite and a touch of melancholy, this one might be for you. Thank you to the team at HARPER COLLINS for an advanced copy ahead of its release later this month.

Edward Temmis has just been sacked from his beloved radio station. Still reeling from the death of his son he takes a job at the local garden centre. He is asked to look into the murder of one of his listeners who has sent him a letter. A letter which is now missing!
He is aided by Kim, an ex and an estate agent.
It soon becomes apparent this murder is just the tip of the iceberg and Edward is soon on the lookout for all of his listeners.

I enjoyed this book
I felt it was a slow burn
Character development was good
Lots of detailing but I didn’t feel this took away from the story
Loved the humour throughout was a great touch
As it had all the elements of a murder mystery keep the suspense and tense moments
Overall was very pleasantly surprised

This was not my cup of tea sadly. I felt the chapters overlong and waffly. I didn't like the characters or the storyline. Maybe the author will improve with time but I just felt like I could hear his posh voice as I was reading it and it put me off.

Thank you for allowing me to review this book. I had not previously read any previous books by Jeremy Vine so I was unsure what to expect from him. I found the story to be slow to get into. I was unsure of the characters, particularly Edward, the ex radio presenter. However, as I continued to read the book the storyline interested me. A modern day crime, of befriending vulnerable people online. The exploitation of grief and loneliness. Stevie, was an interesting character, who many would find uninteresting in real life. Probably, even ignoring her because of her appearance. Edward grew on me. However, at times the story was still slow to gain momentum. The conclusion was a little disappointing as I hoped for more.
I can still recommend this book to those who enjoy mysteries.

This is a first time author for me. Unfortunately, the writing style and characters were not for me. I struggled from page one. I could not connect with this storyline. Sadly, this book was not for me.

THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF READING AN ADVANCED COPY OF THIS BOOK IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW

DNF at 22% sorry just couldn't get into the story. And the writing felt too formal. The ending of the first chapter was good but didn't connect with it after that and felt I couldn't continue.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆ (4/5)
Smart, snappy, and full of media-world intrigue. Jeremy Vine’s background brings authenticity to this newsroom-set mystery, which blends murder, satire, and a fast-paced plot. A witty whodunit for readers who love their crime stories with a sharp, modern twist.

If I hadn’t received this book as an advanced copy from NetGalley I don’t think I’d have got past the first two chapters, which I found depressing, overly long and very oddly written. Although I did finish the book, it continued in much the same way although I felt the pace and story did pick up slightly.

My disappointment was mainly because I thought the clever concept and three interesting main characters were let down by the poorly executed storytelling. There were many red herrings along the way but they all felt weak and the reveals predictable. There seemed to be a lot more words than there needed to be in this book and they definitely detracted from any enjoyment I might have found in it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for an eARC of this book.

Edward, the radio host meets Stevie who knows about a murder. Her grandmother, a listener of the show and then others connected to listening to the show become further possible victims. Sidmouth isn’t a big town so what’s happening, someone must know and when Edward’s ex, Kim, joins their sleuthing team, you never know what will happen next. This is a story that stands a good chance of going somewhere, but it took a long time to get going. I expected a really good read but it was quite average.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free advance copy in return for an impartial review. It seems everyone is trying their hand at a cosy mystery these days, spurred on by the meteoric rise of Richard Osman into assuming anyone can do it. Unfortunately, it is certainly not the case that they can!

There’s the potential for an interesting story here, and Vine sticks to an area he’s familiar with - that of radio. However, for a large part of the book, seemingly unrelated storylines meander around, struggling to develop and some of the actual writing verges on the ridiculous, particularly when it comes to the relationships in the book.

It starts well, but quickly falls away, only really picking up in the last 15-20% of the book. I won’t give away the twist but suffice to say that even I managed to work it out.

Perhaps another editor could turn this around as there is the nucleus of a good plot here, but as it stands it just doesn’t deliver. I really had to force myself to read at times, which definitely isn’t usually the case with this genre of book. The book is about substantially longer than it needs to be and it would have been better at half the length.

It’s also not sure what it really wants to be - is it a cosy mystery, a thriller or a romance? These different styles don’t work well together and in particular the romance parts are dire.

Not a book I could recommend I’m afraid.