Brutal Terminations

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Pub Date 28 Mar 2018 | Archive Date 26 Mar 2018

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Description

When a female skeleton is unearthed by workmen digging the foundations for a library extension at St Clement's College, Gawaine St Clair, a reluctant amateur detective and former undergraduate of the college, is called in to investigate. Arriving in Oxford, Gawaine is informed that the body had been buried for 30 years, and the woman had been pregnant at the time of her death. Gawaine also discovers that a don, Richard Templeman, is missing, to be later found dead.

Gawaine's suspicions fall on men who were in college 30 years before, and are still there: Stephen Verner, who was then about to marry a socially advantageous woman; Father Gerard, the celibate college chaplain; Heatherington the creepy head porter; Colonel Morrison, the Bursar, who appears to have no motive; Dr Porteus, whose Fellowship depended on his unmarried status.

A letter gives Gawaine clues to the identity of the woman and her lover, and he finally finds the killer. But is he right? And will he survive long enough to prove it?

When a female skeleton is unearthed by workmen digging the foundations for a library extension at St Clement's College, Gawaine St Clair, a reluctant amateur detective and former undergraduate of the...


A Note From the Publisher

Cherith Baldry was born in Lancaster and studied at the University of Manchester and St Anne's College, Oxford. She worked as a teacher before becoming a full-time writer of science-fiction and fantasy. She now lives in Surrey.

Cherith Baldry was born in Lancaster and studied at the University of Manchester and St Anne's College, Oxford. She worked as a teacher before becoming a full-time writer of science-fiction and...


Available Editions

EDITION Ebook
ISBN 9781788034241
PRICE US$4.99 (USD)
PAGES 200

Average rating from 5 members


Featured Reviews

I am beginning to set my eyes on books published by Matador, but let me say thank you and also NetGalley for the eARC.
Gawaine and David reminded me a whole lot of Sherlock and Watson and I for one cannot say whether that's good or bad.
I loved how Gawaine could be both attached and detached during the investigation on campus. It was almost like watching a two year old trying to give you a piece of candy and then deciding not to. The plot was involving and at some point halfway through the book I felt like we were going round in circles and everyone was a suspect. I loved that.
I'd recommend this book to anyone who loves to solve a mystery.

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Review: BRUTAL TERMINATIONS by Cherith Baldry

Term it Oxford Cosy Noir: this is an utterly delightful story full of subtlety and wry humour with genuine emotions, and an amateur sleuth protagonist who is the scion of an ancestry ripe with English gentlemen, Etonians all. Gawaine St. Clair is a gentle soul, an intellectual plagued by neuroses. His Watson is David, advertising executive and occasional chauffeur, frequent sounding board, always best friend.

This was a one-day reading for me, maintaining my interest from first page to last, and leaving me eager for more outings of Gawaine St. Clair.

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3 stars

I read the Kindle edition.

Gawaine St. Clair receives a telephone call from a don at his old college St. Clement’s, which is associated with Oxford. A skeleton has been found in the garden while some construction work was going on. At first he declines the invitation then changes his mind. Accompanied by his good friend David they travel to the college to learn that it is not a skeleton, but a body. It was buried about thirty years ago and the woman was six months pregnant. Gawaine jokingly calls his friend David “Watson.”

It appears that another don, Richard Templeton is missing. Gawaine meets the officer in charge of the case, one Inspector Carter . They agree to work together to solve the case.

There are several potential suspects in the case. What a collection of personalities. From friendly to outright hostile to sly and manipulative, they all have reason to murder a pregnant woman. When a woman named Marcia Scott is waiting in Gawaine’s room, she offers him an envelope that Templeton told her to save for him. She doesn’t know what is in it. She thinks it might be important to the case. The letter offers potential clues as to the identity of the woman.

This book is well written and plotted. The tension in the story begins with the discovery of the body in the garden. It reaches a peak at the denouement with the classic “gather all the suspects together” scene. I couldn’t get a grasp on Gawaine. He seemed fragile and was a member of the aristocracy, but beyond that the reader is given no clues. This is not my favorite situation in a book. I had a greater understanding of David. He was impetuous and had a tendency to speak before thinking, but at least he had a personality. The reporter I did not care for. This is my first Cherith Baldry novel, but I don’t think I’ll be looking into her other books. There are too many fine books out there to read to spend time on one that is just okay.

I want to thank NetGalley and Matador for forwarding to me a copy of this book for me to read.

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