Green and Pleasant Land: A Fran Harman mystery

It’s a case that has long bothered Chief Superintendent Fran Harman, mostly because it was never solved. Twenty yeas ago police found an abandoned car with a gravely ill infant in the back seat. The mother was never found and there were no clues as to what happened to her. Now, newly retired, Fran offers her help along with the help of partner Mark to reopen the old case. It’s not long before Fran realizes the people she is counting on for answers, her witnesses, are all lying to her. But why?

Severn House is well known for its excellent police procedurals and Cutler’s latest does not disappoint. Highly recommended

Fran Harman is now retired but she is starting to wish she had some sort of intellectual challenge to keep her brain active.  When she and husband Mark - a retired Chief Constable - are offered a temporary jib overseeing the investigation of a cold case they jump at the chance.

Natalie Foreman and her small son Hadrian disappeared twenty years ago and were never found either dead or alive.  The police have retained very little evidence and seem not to have taken too much trouble over recording witness statements accurately.  It seems that the investigation is not going to receive any help from the current police or from relatives of the missing woman.  In fact someone seems to be actively working against Fran and Mark - which naturally makes them even more determined to get to the bottom of the mystery.

I read this book in the space of a day and found I was reluctant to put it down even to eat.  I've read several other books by Judith Cutler but hadn't read any of this series before but I have now bought the rest of the series and will be reading them too.  I liked Fran herself as a character and I liked the banter between her and her husband.  I thought the atmosphere of suspicion and mistrust at police headquarters was very well done as was the way Fran and Mark built up their relationship with their small team.

This is a well written mystery with little on the page violence or bad language.  The plot is complex and I was two thirds of the way through the book before I managed to work out what was going on.  Even then I got some of the details wrong though the clues were there if I'd read them correctly.  I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review purposes.
This review will go live on my blog on 27 November, and on Amazon on publication date.  It is live on Goodreads.

Although Fran Harman is now retired from her position as a Chief Superintendent, she and her partner Mark find themselves assisting the West Mercia police as volunteers to investigate an unsolved cold case.  A mother and one of her children have been missing after their car was found abandoned.  The case is riveting, but what makes the book so interesting to me is seeing how Fran adjusts to being a civilian crime investigator, without the power of her badge.,  She is a strong character and a role model for anyone interested in police work.

Fran and Mark are likable characters who have to deal with difficult local police headquarters as they try to solve a 20 year old cold case of a missing woman and child.  Not helped by the weather - it won't stop raining.  Set around the borders of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire.  A very easy and good read.  See my review on Euro-crime website.

Very well written with no unnecessary violence or foul language to get in the way of an excellent story. Well devised and handled plot. Captures the reader from the start. This is a very difficult book to put down once started. Very well thought out story and characters. Enjoyable from start to finish.

Fran and her husband are both retired.  When one of her husband's associates asks them to come back to work temporarily to work on a cold case, they decide it will be like a vacation in the country with some work to do.  That's not so...

Severn House and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published April 1st, so keep an eye out for it then.  This is the sixth book in this series so you could grab a few others to read while you wait.

They are not welcomed into police quarters.  They don't even have a space set up for them to work in.  They're told there is no budget.  It's obvious the new man in charge doesn't want them.  (The one that hired them has been retired early.)  But they've been contracted to work so he gives them broken down furniture and tries to ignore them.  When they ask for staffing, they're told they can have some volunteers.  Part of those who volunteer get up and walk out at the first meeting.

If it wasn't obvious they weren't wanted at work, someone floods the cottage they're living in.  From there, the threats get more serious.

It all seems a bit odd.  There's a missing woman and her son, the other young son dead in the abandoned vehicle, and no sign of where they went.  There are no bodies, either.  This was twenty years ago, so much knowledge has already been lost.  What isn't lost is denied them.  And the further they search, the more certain they are that the police are involved with the disappearance.

I like this couple's investigative techniques and the way their shared knowledge leads them to new conclusions.  They make a great team for work and a great couple, too.  I enjoy reading this series.

The countryside may be green and beautiful but there's evil living in the village.  And they have to prove it.

This is the first book I have read by Judith Cutler, so I didn’t know what to expect. I like British procedurals and I loved this novel by Cutler. I was easily able to catch up on necessary background information of both Fran and Mark, the two main characters, and greatly enjoyed the story.

The book is extremely well-written. The descriptions of the setting and characters are wonderfully vivid. I could feel the chill and dampness in my bones as I read about Fran and Mark’s misadventures in their rented cottage. I love that a husband and wife detective team are the main characters and really liked seeing how loving and respectful they are of each other, personally and when on the job. I love the perseverance they both show, determined to solve the case even when every obstacle is thrown in their way. The pair is investigating a cold case, but the investigation seems immediate and urgent and kept my interest from beginning to end. The side characters, some nice and some not-so-nice, are all realistic and add to the depth and excitement of the story. I liked how the case wrapped up, but was left wanting to read more about Fran and Mark.

“Green and Pleasant Land” is the perfect book for readers who enjoy the intelligence and wit of a well-written British procedural, such as those by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles. I will definitely be seeking out more books by Judith Cutler.

I received this book from NetGalley, through the courtesy of Severn House Publishing. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

Green and Pleasant Land is a fantastic novel full of intriguing people and puzzling situations. This is the first novel I’d read by Judith Cutler so I started it completely unaware of what to expect!

The novel is really well written and never seems rushed; it moves along at a great pace without being confusing and the author teases the reader with little clues here and there, most of which I completely missed until I looked back after reading the ending! The detail about police procedures is really interesting and I really love novels about cold cases- there’s something about characters delving into an old, unsolved mystery that really intrigues me.

The plot is intricate and absorbing- as are the characters; Fran is entertaining and her relationship with Mark is great!

There are interesting references to fairly recent real-life cases such as Madeleine McCann and this added an extra element of realism to the story which can often be absent from fiction. It’s an intelligent, thought- provoking book that left me wanting to read more by Judith Cutler, and wondering why I’ve never read any of her previous novels (there are 5 of her previous novels in the Fran Harman series alone!)

Twenty years ago a woman and her young son disappeared one cold and wet night in the midlands, on the back seat her youngest son, just a baby was dead. What happened to Natalie and Hadrian simply disappeared and the police investigation at the time soon ground to a halt. Retired Fran Harman and her partner Mark are asked to act on a consultancy basis to re-open the cold case. Eager to give their problem solving skills a work-out they agree and set off to work in the most unusual police building that rivals Downton Abbey.

It doesn’t take long for Fran and Mark to realise that they haven’t been given the full story, the man who commissioned them has been made redundant and the incumbent seems to be less than delighted to work with them. With a tiny team to work with there is more about the logistics of managing the investigation as they travel far and wide to visit those who worked on the case originally along with Natalie’s parents and others who provided witness statements. No sooner than they’ve started it appears that someone wants them gone, the question is who and why?

I soon realised that this is actually the sixth in the Fran Harman series so I’ve missed quite a lot of the back story, not that it seemed to matter. Fran and Mark are a likeable, friendly and competent pair of (former) officers even if some of the police force they have been sent to work with seem less than willing to be helpful. There is a lot of dialogue in Green and Pleasant land which took a while to get used to but came to the conclusion it is part of what makes the book feel as though it is a half-way house between a cosy mystery and a regular police procedural. There are no gory details in this book, anything too scary happens ‘off-screen’ and yet don’t be deceived, there is still plenty of complexity to the plot to hold the readers interest. It isn’t a pedestrian read either, there is plenty of action which especially towards the end had me willing everything to work out for the best. In some ways this book has a slightly ‘old-fashioned’ feel but it still manages to stay contemporary with details of Police Commissioner’s roles, recent ‘real-life’ investigations and use of modern technology.

I was impressed with Judith Cutler’s writing and wouldn’t hesitate to pick up more from this series to find out what happened to these characters before their retirement. If Green and Pleasant Land is anything to go by I’m sure there was an intriguing back story that you need the earlier volumes to discern.

I’d like to thank the publishers Severn House for allowing me a to read a copy of this book for review purposes ahead of the publication date of 1 April 2015.

First Line: I was driving from Cleobury Mortimer to Bewdley.

Like many others before her, ex-Chief Superintendent Fran Harman decided to retire-- not because she no longer loved her work but because she no longer wanted to deal with all the governmental and political hoops the police are forced to jump through. Yes, Fran has joined husband Mark in retirement, but they've both been asked to look into a 20-year-old cold case.

Twenty years ago an abandoned car was found on an isolated road running through the Wyre Forest. The car's hazard lights were flashing, and its passenger door open. In the back: two child seats, one empty and one containing a desperately ill baby. Neither the baby's mother nor the elder child were ever seen again. 

Fran and Mark begin their investigation and quickly discover discrepancies and mistaken assumptions beneath the surface of the original police work. What they didn't anticipate was the hostility and resentment they meet from some of the people they question. The couple haven't had time to get used to being civilians in a police world. What is very clear to them both is that several key witnesses aren't telling them what they know... and that someone doesn't like the past being dug up.

Having been aboard for this entire series, I completely understood the reasons for both Fran and Mark retiring from their high-stress positions in the police force. One of Cutler's strengths is giving readers so much insight into both the characters' personal lives and what is happening in the modern world of policing that we feel we have our fingers on the pulse of what's really going on. The changes Fran and Mark experience are organic. They are a natural part of the series narrative and don't come across as some unknown supreme being throwing down stray lightning bolts. Yes, occasionally there are multiple plot threads running at the same time, but life gets messy. Seeing how Fran and Mark deal with personal life issues and complicated investigations make them all the more real to me.

This cold case is perfect for the pair's talents. They're expert in police procedure, and they excel at dealing with the personality quirks of all sorts of people. If something becomes difficult, they just work harder, and they often find the strength they need in their relationship. 

The setting and the case itself are mysterious and-- with the incessant rain-- water-logged. When the pace becomes sluggish from time to time, a lot of it is due to the fact that the rain indeed has an effect on what they have to do. As Fran and Mark uncover more and more people hiding secrets and motives, the animosity becomes almost Christie-esque. Does everyone have a hand in the woman and child's disappearance? Are there too many suspects? It certainly can feel that way.

Green and Pleasant Land is another strong entry in one of my very favorite British police procedural series. It is a series I highly recommend, and I would suggest starting at the beginning because the events in Fran Harman's life are key to the books. These aren't books that merely feature a murder of the week, tie everything up in a big bow, and then fade away until the new case in the next book. No, this series immerses us in the life of an exceptional woman, her life and her work. It reminds me most strongly of Deborah Crombie's excellent Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James series. I can't get enough of Crombie's characters, and I certainly can't get enough of Judith Cutler's Fran Harman.

Green and Pleasant Land by Judith Cutler eISBN: 9781780106168  Severn House © 2015 eBook, 224 pages

Police Procedural, #6 Fran Harman mystery Rating: A-
Source: Net Galley

Fran and her partner Mark have agreed to work on a consultancy for West Mercia Police on a cold case. Twenty year ago a mother and a young son went missing and her car was found with her youngest son gravely ill in the baby seat in the back. They were never seen again. Fran and Mark are trying to solve this case.

When they begin their investigation – not everyone seems keen to help and resent the questioning. Just what are they hiding?

My first book by Judith Cutler and I really enjoyed her writing style. I hadn’t read the previous books in the series which apparently explain what led them to retire from the police force- but I’m keen to look them up and catch up on the back story.

With many thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for a copy of this book.

Two retired detectives are asked to consult on a cold case in rural England where the body of a young child was found, but there was no sign of the mother and older brother. The father was a well known footballer and the dead child suffered from a genetic disorder that ensured a short life. The two do their best to unravel the mystery with a satisfying conclusion.