This is my first book by Jeremy Vine and I definitely want to read more of his work after this. Loved the concept of the book. The radio theme was interesting and lover the premise of listeners of a show being killed off. The book starts out extremely strong and is a hook that made me keep guessing what was going on. There are also other elements such as loss, love, grief and race well integrated into the story.

Thank you HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange of my unbiased review.

I started this book wondering how many more celebrities can write a detective story? There are so many now and I thought Jeremy Vine was just jumping on the bandwagon.
It was a slow start because I wasn't expecting to be gripped. However Edward, Kim and Stevie won me over.
Edward was a radio presenter with a loyal following among the local people of Sidmouth, mainly those of a certain age.
Kim is an estate agent who sold Edward his house precariously close to the crumbling cliff edge.
Stevie contacts Edward following the death of her beloved grandmother.
All of them have had tragic experiences but they come together when a vile crime is uncovered and eventually they solve the crime.
Very much in the vein of the Thursday Murder Club, thoroughly enjoyable and I'm looking forward to the next one.

I don't normally agree with novels written by celebrities, I hate that they automatically get a deal because of their name/followers without having to prove any writing talent!
But, I do quite like Jeremy Vine as a broadcaster and believe he has a way with words so was interested in reading this.
The book, however is quite different from how it has been marketed. This is quite a gentle domestic tale about love and loss driven by an intriguing central character, rather than a gripping murder plot, in fact I believe the human study in the pages labours a bit too much under the need to include the investigative/crime narrative. The sleuthing efforts of the main trio is a little unrealistic and detracts from the more interesting details of their real lives.
I won't give too much away but I really liked Edward Temmis, I liked the authentic aspects of their lives and actions, the realistic descriptions of grief and the small town background - BUT am not too sure the fraud/murder aspect worked well enough to tie everything together, it was just a little bit too 'cosy mystery' to really hold any weight - oh and it was obvious who the real villian was from the start!

Unfortunately this book wasn't for me. It should have been - being set so close to where I'm from. It was nice recognising a lot of the places he was talking about and describing, but that's probably the extent of my enjoyment of this book. The story was boring and lacked any excitement. The plot was weak and the writing was a bit all over the place. I was bored a lot of the time and it felt so slow to get going. I didn't like the main characters and it felt a bit preachy at times too.

Overall, a no from me, but it may appeal to those looking for a quick, tame read that doesn't need much thinking about.

A slightly bizarre story but entertainingly worth while. It is quite funny in places while having a serious undertone.

This book started a little slowly but then was un-put- downable!!!! Edward a radio dj is reeling from the death of his young son. Traumatised he decides that he has to start living properly, a year after the event. After a meeting with the kooky Stevie he helps her to solve the puzzle of her grandmothers death and unwittingly uncovers a huge conspiracy. The ending was a little predictable but the book hugely fun to read.

I have not read a Jeremy Vine book before and I really enjoyed this one so will have to read more. The book is set in Sidmouth, a small place with it’s own local radio station. Edward Temmis is a broadcaster and his public are generally people, mainly ladies, of a certain age. His show has a phone in and Edward loves this part. Edward is grieving on the loss of his young son, Matty. He is struggling at work to the point of having to leave the radio station but not through choice. He had a melt down at a football match which was seen by many people. He starts working in a garden centre and this is where the story really starts. Stevie seeks him out. She is a young woman with tourettes. Her grandma died in a fire and before she passed she had written to the show and asked Edward to help her. He did not receive the letter but said he would look into this. Once he starts on this journey with the help of Stevie and Kim, a local Estate Agent, it becomes clear that there is someone scamming old people and their names seem to come from Edward’s show on the radio. As they investigate the story becomes more complex and I found it a great read. The person behind the scam - well that was not what I expected. A good sign for a good book.

The starting scenes did not particularly set the tone for the book, which I found thankful. Our radio star protagonist went through heartbreak, but is now trying to help someone else discover why their loved one perished. An interesting story, with some expected plot twists.

Edward is finding life hard after the hit and run driver killed his son. Used to having a radio show he is now on 'leave' and working part time at the local garden center. His house is gradually falling down the cliff and has many faults but he loves it and won't move as this was home to him and his son. A loyal fan of his is found dead in her home that was started by a fire but the daughter isn't satisfied with the answer. Gradually fans come to him with problems but some more serious than others including a lady how thinks she has found love and given away thousands of pounds. This turns out to be sixty two people affected. Can Edward and his friends find out who is doing this and deal with their own problems too? Obviously linked to the radio station it's just a question of time. Trauma, red herrings and surprises along the way this is slightly long winded at times but it highlights the way scammers work especially the elderly and vulnerable.

Honestly I had high hopes for this book and it was overall very disappointing. The whole premise was great and the writing style was interesting, focusing on radio host Edward and him trying to solve the mystery of a death amongst other mysteries. It was overall just a very long book where not a lot really happened. There was a lot of background to each character, which was ok, but the actual story development was very slow as a result. It was very repetitive, often telling you a part of the story and then repeating that in a conversation between two characters in the next chapter. It felt a little bit like Vine left the book to the last minute and only had the overarching idea and no idea how to get there. Would not recommend to others unfortunately, unless people like character descriptions and backgrounds. The reveal at the end was it's only redeeming factor, but it was too little too late for me. This was an ARC copy free from the publisher on NetGallery in exchange for an honest review.

A crime mystery set in Devon with an intricate plot which uncovers a murder.

It has good character development with plenty of twists, turns and cliff hangers.
The authors personal knowledge of a radio station helps the reader with visualisation & understanding.

Although the pace is a bit slow at times its not enough to hamper the reader wanting to continue with the story.

Overall a good read & I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys a typical English crime mystery.
Thankyou to Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A cozy mystery that has a gripping star however I found myself losing interest at various points and skimmed through until I found another bit that drew my attention. Lots of interweaving stores that all joined up at the end although I found the conclusion rather drawn out and so obvious I was quite disappointed I’d guessed it early in on the book. There’s a sweet love story weaving through the book, the usual will they/won’t they, however it was a lovely touch for the characters who you wanted a happy ending for.

Thank you to the author, publishers and Netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review

Fascinating book. Very slow to start with but worth persevering with as the plot becomes very intriguing

This is my first Jeremy vine book and I’m a sucker for a mystery so it sounded like something I’d enjoy. I enjoyed the late night radio backdrop and grew to know and like the main characters. The mystery is just creepy and quite dark but it kept me turning the page! I usually guess the mystery but I kept changing my mind with all the red herrings! Enjoyable book that I recommend.

This was a DNF for me, mainly due to the writing style. The author starts each chapter part in the middle of something with a completely different character than the previous chapter has been about. This makes it harder for the reader to follow as you end up half way through the chapter before you realise who this person is, but you’ve then not clicked the relevance of the first part of the chapter as you didn’t know who it was about then. There isn’t really a lot happening in the book, rather it’s quite slow and disjointed. As a mystery lover I was hoping to find a new author to follow, but sadly this book has put me off all further books by the author, if any are to follow

This is original and nuanced storytelling, and its strength lies in the details and insights given into each of the characters' personalities. This applies to not only the three main characters, but also the supporting cast of a dozen or so.

The portrayal of the protagonist's grief over the loss of his young son is particularly harrowing, and deeply moving.

The plot is at times a little farfetched, to be honest, and some of it feels unnecessarily drawn out. But the writer ties all the threads together well at the end. Worth checking out if the synopsis provided by the publisher intrigues you, and the gentle humour of the storytelling is particularly appealing. It gets 3. 5 stars.

It was just so good a read. There were many twists and turns and the plot was really solid. The friendships felt real and true. I guessed the perpetrator and then dismissed them. The storyline was decent too. Really a great book. Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars rounded up, and thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I really wanted to like this book. I like Jeremy Vine, and I liked the concept, but for the first hundred or so pages, I was really not into it at all. I didn't really like the way it was written, or the characters, and it felt so painfully slow.

After that start, there was a moment - in a place called Tanner - where this book nearly became a DNF because it was so ludicrous. I felt that a lot of the reveals were way too obvious, and I was disappointed that it took the characters so long to make some connections, because the hints had been so explicit.

I thought the romance scam plot was well-used, and it was a good basis for a story - and the radio setting was fun, though it could have been more of a part of the story.

Overall, this book wasn't for me, but it wasn't really bad - like raisins in a salad, I'm sure someone likes it, and it's technically palatable.

Quirky, fresh and intelligently written, this book draws on Jeremy 's experience on the radio and interaction with loyal listeners but with the added intrigue of uncovering fraud and murder. It touches on a subject that sadly blights so many lives where vulnerable people are targeted, by clever con artists and defrauded of their savings. Edward is the much loved radio presenter being pushed out of his job as the station makes way for younger presenters in it's quest to appeal to a younger demographic ( art reflecting life ...) However, when he is contacted by a young woman, convinced her beloved grandmother's death is no accident, Edward is drawn to investigate. Lost in a world of grief following the hit and run killing of his precious young son, he is gradually absorbed into his new role, accompanied by Stevie , the feisty young woman determined to avenge her grandmother and Kim, the estate agent who seduced him while selling him his home which is perilously close to the cliff edge . This home which delighted his beloved boy, stands as a metaphor for Edward's life since his son's death; constantly threatening to fall off the edge and crash into the sea below. The listener can't help but be drawn into caring for the father's grief and wanting him to find his way back to the job he loves and the listeners who love him. Lots to love in this book

This book is a very good debut start to a new cosy crime series. I loved the characters and the interactions. I look forward to the next one in the series. Well done Jeremy Vine you’re on to a good start!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.