Riding the wave of broadcaster-turned-author comes Jeremy Vine’s entry into the cosy thriller genre. I had access to the arc of both the ebook and the audio version and would recommend reading rather than listening. Presenting and acting are very different skill sets and I am getting frustrated by the number of writers who are doing a terrible job of reading the audio version of their own books.

The novel’s central character, Edward Temmis, felt like self-indulgent wish-fulfilment, with the lionisation of a local radio host by his adoring fans. The plot’s twists seemed fairly obvious to me from quite early on, despite also feeling far-fetched. Overall it was okay-ish but I wouldn’t particularly recommend it or want to read another book about the same characters. Once was definitely enough.

With thanks to NetGalley, the piano the author for an arc of this book.

Really enjoyed this murder mystery set amongst the backdrop of a radio station. Edward used to present the evening slot but is taking time off after the tragic death of his son, Matty, in a road accident

He's approached by a young woman named Stevie, who has tourette, who believes the death of her granny was suspicious and feels strongly that she was murdered .

He makes friends with Kim a local estate agent who he also has a fling with and the three of them form a friendship.

They discover that there are a large number of the elderly community that have been scammed and they are determined to solve who did it!

Really enjoyed the plots that had plenty of twists and turns and humour too!

Maybe it's because I am of a certain age (not as old as the typical listener to his radio show, I hasten to add), but I really quite like Edward. There is something about him that just drew me in and, as one of the main protagonists in Jeremy Vine's new series, that's pretty important. This is a cosy crime story, and it's quite fun in an unfortunate victims of crime kind of way. For it appears that, far from the sunny shores of the coastline, and the cream teas of tourist trap coffee houses, someone is preying upon the vulnerability of the some of Edward's older audience members, and there is something nefarious afoot in the country lanes, villages and towns of Devon.

There is an air of tragedy about Edward that actually takes you by surprise right at the start of the book. It made Edward's personality a little confusing at first, but the more I learned about him, the more sympathy I felt towards him and the more endearing he became. He does have a good heart, even if fate has dealt him more than the odd rough hand. There is tragedy in his past, that leads to a lot of reflection and a strange attitude towards his own safety at times perhaps, but he was a really sweet character who I was drawn to. I think the Jeremy Vine has pitched him just right, sharing the sadness of his story, but allowing his spirit, the one that clearly made him a very popular presenter on the local radio show, to shine through when it needed to.

There are two other key characters in this book who really make this an unconventional, but compelling trio of unexpected crime fighters. Firstly we have Stevie, whose grandmother recently died and who believes there was far more to it than meets the eye. It is her appearance in Edward's life that acts as the catalyst for what comes to pass, and which also leads to some of the more comedic moments in the story. She has literally no filter, speaks without thinking, and says what is probably on the minds of most of the characters who are likely too polite to say it. I really liked her, her punchy character and determination in spite of being hit with a real setback surprisingly early in the book. Then there is Kim, Edward's estate agent and someone with whom has has a clear connection. She too has reason to need to help Edward and Stevie to get to the heart of the problem, a case of things coming a touch too close to home. Add in the various personalities of Edward's super fans, honest in the way only the older generation could be, and you have a wonderfully eclectic and genuinely lovely cast of characters who make this book great fun.

The book examines the sadly all too common romance scam, and the vicious behaviour of people who are too willing to prey on the vulnerable and lonely people who are perhaps just looking for a little friendship. There are still a few unexpected twists in this particular story, and the heart of the motive is one I've heard before. A sense of entitlement that is probably exacerbated by modern living. It felt strangely plausible and even though the ending was quite quick when the final reveal came, it was not without a few shocks in the final few chapters too.

I found the pacing of the book was perfect for this kind of story. There is a mixture of emotion and humour throughout, and the dialogue, particularly between the three main characters was fun and fresh. There are scenes between Edward and his ex-wife that stir up emotions, and by the end of the book I was kind of left hoping that Edward had reached a point in his life where, if nto closure, he at least had understanding for all that happened. If you are a fan of cosy or golden age style crime fiction, but with a decidedly modern theme, then this could well suit you. I'm definitely interested to see how the author develops this series. Edward Temmis may not quite be a Jack Kilian, Midnight Caller, type or radio show host, but he's got the wits and the personality to hold his own with the finest amateur detectives. Let's see where that leads us.

2 Stars
One Liner: This didn't work

Edward Temmis feels adrift when he is let go from his beloved late-night take show on the radio. He then meets Stevie, whose grandmother listened to his shows and died under mysterious circumstances. Edward finds his purpose and tries to investigate the case with help from Kim, a local real estate agent. Soon, he discovers that Stevie’s grandmother wasn’t the only one among his listeners who died. Can he find who has been targeting his listeners and why?
The story comes in the third-person POVs.

My Thoughts:
Well, seems my inability to resist mysteries has put me in a tough spot this year. This is the third new mystery book that backfired.
The premise is pretty cool. Imagine a radio show host trying to solve the murder of his listeners, all of whom are seniors and mostly women. Amateur sleuths are fun, but not always.
I guess the writing style is the big question mark here. If you like it, you might enjoy the book more. I found it interesting in the first two chapters but then my head started to spin, and oh boy, it did spin like a spun candy machine!
While I appreciated the themes of grief (loss of a child, grandparent, etc.), abuse, etc., I couldn’t empathize with the characters. It was hard to feel for the main character as well, and that didn’t help (at all). Some of the dialogue was odd too. Was it British humor? IDK!
I decided to do what was needed and switched over to speed-reading. It helped some. At least, the plot started to progress. Still, this book should have been 70 pages shorter. You don’t need 400 pages for a mystery. There’s too much repetition.
The mystery is actually decent but I couldn’t enjoy it much. I appreciate the topic even if the execution wasn’t good. The criminal was obvious, so I had to wait for them to catch up. There isn’t much sleuthing either. Still, when we get to the ‘why’ part, I’m disappointed. It can be better than that. I’m sure of it! While there’s a subplot, I could guess that one too.
One thing I did like about the book was the setting. The sea is an integral part of the place, so it does play a good role. The house on the cliff is also good and can be a metaphor for the MC’s life.

To summarize, Murder on Line One was a slow and repetitive mystery. I can see its potential but it’s not for me. Those who like the author (he’s a popular journalist I guess) might enjoy it more.
Thank you, NetGalley, and HarperCollins UK, (HarperFiction), for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

I had a good time with this book. But there was just something that kept taking me out of the story. I think it could have been shorter.

However, I’m planning to reread this as I just don’t think I was in the mood for it at this time.

This was a long drawn out tedious book to read. I ended up skim reading it at the end just to finish. It was so obvious (to me at least) who was the person that had driven into Edward and his son and again so obvious who the person doing the catfish scam was.
Didn't really enjoy this and wouldn't recommend. 3 stars is being a bit generous if I'm honest

This is an enjoyable read and as one may expect from radio presenter and now author Jeremy Vine, the book has as its main protagonist a radio personality, who has been recently released from his post.

Edward is out of a job, his marriage is over and his son has been killed by a hit and run driver. Now living in a property literally falling into the sea he becomes involved in uncovering a fraud that has been committed. Meeting up and investigating the case with Kim and Stevie, who have involvement with potential victims is a welcome distraction.

The plot is good and a slow burn to start. The characters are likeable and keep the interest of the reader. I enjoyed the storyline and the potential of the case being built was a good concept, one that is becoming more prevalent in recent times.

Definitely one for those who enjoy a good mystery with flawed but interesting characters and a good twist at the end.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Murder on Line 1 Jeremy Vine

3 stars

I must admit I originally selected this book because of Jeremy Vine, whom I have met once and also because it was set around a radio station as I was a presenter on Hospital Radio some years ago.

Edward a forty something radio presenter has been hit with a terrible tragedy, a hit and run driver killed his son Matty, who was just 11 and seriously injured Edward. His grief is so overwhelming that he has been unable to return to his radio programme and is working in a garden centre.

Although he now feels ready to return to his radio programme which was very popular especially with the older generation of Sidmouth, which is where this book is set, the programme chief refuses to reinstate him. When Edward subsequently discovers that over 60 of his regular listeners have been involved in on-line scams , losing over a million pounds in total, he realises that the only way they could have been contacted is through the radio station's computer which holds their contact details.

Together with Stevie the granddaughter of one of the victims and Kim, living in an abusive marriage, whom Edward had had a minor fling with before Matty's death and for whom he still has feelings , the three of them try to discover what has happened.

I enjoyed reading this book but found it quite repetitive in places and thought that the whole story did not really seem very realistic, I did not really engage with the characters and found the ending implausible. It was worth reading but will not remain long in my memory.


Karen Deborah
Reviewer for Net Galley

Radio talk show host is let go after having a year off after the death of his son and now works in a garden centre, then he discovers elderly ladies are being scanned out of their life savings and Stevie approaches him saying her gran had died in a house fire and things don't seem right to her and wants him to investigate.
Some great characters especially Stevie.
It's a slow start and could have been a lot shorter as it does go on in places, but a great story-line.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC and I give my honest review.

A brilliant new voice in cosy crime centring around a radio host, who has suffered a personal tragedy and is on long term leave from work. When Stevie contacts him about the death of her beloved gran, one of his avid listeners, it soon becomes apparent that her death wasn't accidental. With the help of local estate agent and friend, Kim, the trio soon uncover a web of deceit, and a deathly money making scheme, all linked somehow to the radio show. Someone is targeting the vulnerable listeners, and it is time they were stopped. An intelligent and twisty crime with loveable amateur detectives at its core. A superb cosy thriller. Fingers crossed there will be more from this trio in future. #murderonlineone #jeremyvine #netgalley #cosycrime

Edward hosted a late night radio phone-in programme, until his son, Matty, died, and PTSD cost him the job. His fans – mainly female and 60+ – protested. But he still lost his job. Brooding and lonely (he’s divorced) he contemplates an empty future. But then Stevie, the grand-daughter of one of his fans, tells him that her grand-mother has died in suspicious circumstances, and that she thinks the death is linked to the contents of a letter that the gran had sent to Edward. A letter he had never received. With the assistance of Kim, a local estate agent and briefly his lover in the past, they start to investigate, thereby discovering a large criminal enterprise. Who is behind it? Was Stevie’s gran actually murdered or only driven to suicide? What is the connection to Edward’s radio show?
An interesting premise then, and a promising puzzle or two. The characters are varied, clearly described, and their actions are logical. The writing is good, although it is heavy on ‘whimsical’ metaphor. Personally, I solved the main puzzles quite early on, but I read a lot of books in this genre and there is sufficient obfuscation that many readers will be surprised with the solutions.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

I'll admit I struggled to get into this for a bit. There was a lot of character back story building but, the further into things I got, the more it all clicked into place!

The story follows a late night radio talk show host who has lost his son in a tragic road accident. After losing his job, a young woman tracks him down after her grandmother (an avid listener and caller of his show) dies in suspicious circumstances. They team up with a local estate agent, who our main character had a fling with, and discover that the grandmother wasn't the only one of the show's listeners who were targeted.

Murder On Line One is a very character-driven story, focused on an unlikely team of sleuths from very different demographics.

The characters have depth and it really drove the plot forward. I absolutely did not see the ending coming, but the author did a great job at throwing suspicion on several people to have you guessing right to the end!

Edward Temmis is a radio talk show host, who has recently experienced a family tragedy and subsequently lost his job. He meets Stevie, who lost her grandmother to a house fire - she is convinced it is not straight forward and asks him to help her discover the truth. Helped by local estate agent Kim, they find themselves embroiled in a mystery. Can they solve the case and stay safe?

I enjoyed the basis of the story, but lost interest early on a few times due to the very wordy style. It was a faster paced second half, I knew the culprit early on, but fun to see the characters begin to realise and reveal. I did feel like the whole book needed editing down, it was definitely too long.

I am not going to try and describe this book in the traditional way because of it's delightful complexity.
 I would rather - explain it as I would a plate of delicious spaghetti. Tangled threads with seemingly wild loose ends appearing. Blanketed  in a delicious sauce all the way through, rich with hints of crunchy, crumbly morsels here and there. sometimes a little spicy other times a little cool and frosty, at all times delectable.
The unruly ends all amalgamate in time, culminating in an exciting denouement .
This is my first time reading and reviewing a Jeremy Vine book and it will definitely not be my last.  Five stars. Obviously would definitely recommend.

Radio presenter Edward Temmis is much loved by the older residents of Sidmouth but after the death of his son, he is unable to return to his show and takes a job in the local garden centre instead. When a young girl comes to him with a mystery surrounding the death of her grandmother, an avid listener to Edwards show, he is drawn into finding out the truth.

A few twists and turns and steady paced enough to keep you engrossed to find out just what goes on in this little seaside town.

A good debut novel from a well known radio presenter who has obviously drawn on his own experience in radio.Edward a middle aged presenter with a local station in coastal Devon loses his job after a partial breakdown following the death of his son in a road traffic incident. Following an approach from the granddaughter of a former now deceased listener he starts to investigate her death and uncovers a bigger problem of elderly ladies in the area being scammed. Helped by Kim , a local estate agent, they investigate the cause and try to identify the perpetrator.
The story has many twists and turns but too much detail and description tend to slow down the action at times. I did however enjoy reading this book and would look out for any future offerings from this author.

Murder on Line One

Forty-something Edward Temmis is (particularly with the older generation) a much-loved local radio DJ in his home town of Sidmouth, Devon. Following a devastating personal tragedy, he has taken a year out and is hoping to return to work when his boss, Agnes, drops the bombshell that she thinks he is no longer mentally fit for the role and it’s time for him to move on. Though there has been an incident which points to Edward's emotional fragility, her stance is clearly part of a clean sweep at the station, replacing the old guard with younger staff, which isn’t going down well with the local residents.

A job in a garden centre isn’t exactly what Edward has in mind as a substitute career, but he hopes that this is just a stop-gap until he can persuade Agnes to let him have his radio slot back. But then one day, into the garden centre walks young Stevie, Glaswegian, sweary and earnest, turning his world on its head when she asks for his help in finding out what led her grandmother, Rebecca, to her death.

As Edward and Stevie, along with Edward’s would-be girlfriend, estate agent Kim (whose own mother also has a secret), join forces as amateur sleuths and begin to dig deeper, they uncover evidence of a ruthless scammer who targets older people and who is somehow linked to Edward’s radio station.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from this novel initially. But I was quickly drawn in by the characters and intrigued to know what was behind the quirky Stevie’s insistence that Edward, as her late grandmother’s favourite DJ, holds the key to the mystery surrounding how Rebecca died. Having Edward living in a cliff house which is in danger of sliding into the sea at some point all adds to the sense of place and the descriptions of the area are vivid.

While much of the subject matter is dark, and indeed Edward’s own grief is at times heart-rending, this is primarily a cosy crime novel with some real belly-laugh moments (one example being certain references to the ‘granny riot’, an attempt to have Edward reinstated in his DJ role, which had me in stitches - no doubt owing to my own warped sense of humour…).

Edward is a likeable, sympathetic character and it is easy to care about what becomes of him. I felt annoyed with Stevie and Kim at one point, and thought, considering how badly they behaved towards him when clearly he was doing his utmost to help Stevie and the people affected by the scammer, that Edward was remarkably forgiving, whether Stevie had Tourette’s syndrome or not! And what was Kim's excuse?!

There were elements of the story that I guessed as things progressed, but that didn’t prevent me from wanting to finish the book and enjoying the journey. The denouement was satisfying and left the reader hopeful for a brighter future for poor Edward after all he had been through. All in all, I found this an entertaining, absorbing read and would highly recommend.

My thanks to HarperCollins and Netgalley for the ARC.

Really not for me. I found it to be too slow and drawn out, with the author trying to be funny when it really wasn’t. I was expecting something very different when I requested this. I tried both the ebook and the audiobook and neither grabbed me at all.

Can’t love them all I am afraid, and there are some rave reviews. Each to their own.

Thanks to the publisher for the chance e to read this book.

Before I launch into my review, I would like to offer a huge thank you to Jeremy Vine, Harper Collins UK, Harper Collins Fiction, and Netgalley for the Advanced Digital Reader Copy of this title. For anyone with their eye on this title, here is my personal review of the book to help you decide whether you are interested or not. All opinions offered are my own.

My initial reasoning for picking this novel was simply owing to the author. I watch Jeremy Vine most mornings and enjoy the show that he heads up. I like the way he puts forth his argument, even when I do not agree with his points. I also just generally like the way he carries himself. Consequently, I assumed that this was what he would bring to a new novel. I was also intrigued as to why he would select this genre.

When I first started reading the novel, I was really excited. I immediately wanted to know more about the protagonist, Edward, his accident, the tragedy he had recently endured and how he would overcome it. In fact, I was more interested in Edward’s development than the suspected crimes being committed, which became more and more apparent as the story dragged on. Yes, I said it!

I have been struggling to read this book for weeks now. This last week had seen me struggle to digest more than a couple of pages at a time because I am growing increasingly weary of the writing style. The pondering and speculation over the facts of the crime scenes is terribly repetitive and I just want it to be over. I don’t think it helps that the victims are elderly and are not involved in exciting lives that make me want to know more about them.

The novel suits someone that enjoys a regular recap of key details and wants to feel like they are working in real time. Whilst it is not for me and my current taste in present day, it reminded me a little of when I would dread and enjoy Inspector Morse novels. Ultimately, this book joins my DNF shelf but so as not to impact the scores drastically, I awarded the book an average of 3 out of 5 stars.

Jeremy Vine’s Murder on Line One is a decent read and full of mystery, murder and perhaps not surprisingly media intrigue. The story is set in Sidmouth and follows Edward Temmis the once popular late-night radio host who is now struggling following the loss of his job as well as a feeling of direction. Edward finds himself drawn into a deadly investigation when he hears that a devoted listener died in a suspicious fire.

Aided by the listeners grieving granddaughter Stevie and Kim, an ex lover who now works as an estate agent, Edward begins an investigation. He discovers a pattern where his elderly audience members are being targeted and killed. But who would want them dead and why?

I found this an interesting and entertaining read but didn’t quite hit the high standards I enjoy reading. A bit of a slow burner that I found dragged a little.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.