A Fethering Mystery Series

Welcome to Fethering! Sleuthing neighbours Jude and Carole uncover secrets and lies in the horsing community in this quirky, light-hearted British cozy mystery. When healer Jude pays a visit to Long Bamber Stables one evening - to meet her unusually horse-shaped new client and his owner Sonia Dalrymple - she does not expect to stumble across a man lying in the darkness. Walter Fleet, co-owner of the stables, has been viciously stabbed to death. Sleuthing neighbours Jude and Carole begin to make discreet enquiries, but it soon becomes clear that Long Bamber Stables is a hotbed of dangerous passions, murderous rivalries and hidden truths . . . and this horsing community will do anything to protect their reputations.

Welcome to Fethering! Carole has a bad hair day when a haircut leads to murder in this quirky, cozy, British village mystery. The last thing Carole expects when she goes to Connie's Clip Joint for a trim is to find the body of Kyra, Connie's assistant, in the back room. Kyra's boyfriend, Nathan, has vanished, but his family, an eccentric, controlling bunch, don't seem overly concerned. Instead, they are bizarrely obsessed with a family board game which seems to provide a host of clues as to Nathan's whereabouts. Carole and her neighbour Jude are determined to unravel the clues, but can they discover the truth before either someone is falsely accused or the killer makes a second move? And how many haircuts can a pair of middle-aged sleuths have before people start to become suspicious?

'Brett performs his magic on the traditional cozy,making the frame rock with laughter at human foibles and quake with well-placed surprises' - Booklist Starred Review The genteel game of Real Tennis takes a murderous twist in Simon Brett's witty and entertaining new Fethering mystery Jude's life has been turned upside-down thanks her new man, Piers Targett, who's keen to get her involved in his hobby - or obsession - of Real Tennis. But when one of Piers' friends dies on the court in suspicious circumstances, Jude finds herself caught up in the police investigation. Meanwhile, Jude's neighbour Carole is trying to identify the human remains known locally as the 'Lady in the Lake.' As the two investigations become intertwined, Carole and Jude's efforts to find the truth look set to lead to more murders.

Welcome to Fethering! The race is on to find a killer when Jude stumbles across a body at the bookies in this quirky, cozy, British village mystery. Jude has never been averse to a bit of a flutter; her friend Carole, on the other hand, thinks that the local betting shop is a den of iniquity. But when Jude stumbles upon the body of fellow customer Tadeusz Jankowski after placing a bet, the odds of finding his killer don't look good. No one seems to know much about Polish immigrant Tadek, and even his sister doesn't know why he moved to Fethering in the first place. As they question the local residents, Carole finds an unexpected friend in an inveterate gambler, and Jude finds herself in potentially more trouble than she can handle with a lecherous and charming drama professor. In this race there can only be one winner, but with no leads and several suspects in the running will the sleuthing friends be pipped at the post by a cold and calculating killer?

Welcome to Fethering! Carole and Jude spring into amateur detective action when their favourite pub is targeted by a killer in this quirky, cozy, British village mystery. Jude and Carole get more than they bargained for when a lunchtime meal in their local pub leaves everyone with food poisoning. The landlord is horrified, and when a series of disasters start to befall his business it looks like it could be the end of the road for the Crown and Anchor. Left with a bad taste in their mouths - and not just from the food - the two amateur detectives wonder if it might just be more than a run of bad luck that's forcing their favourite pub into bankruptcy. When a young man is found in the kitchen of the pub, though, with a knife through his heart, Carole and Jude swing into action. There's a killer on the loose in Fethering, and Carole and Jude need to uncover who it is before it's last orders for the pub - and themselves.

Invited to a Private View of the work of controversial artist Denzil Willoughby, the good citizens of Fethering are not quite sure what to expect. And it turns out to be a lively affair, culminating in several embarrassing confrontations. But what no one could have anticipated was that the evening would end in sudden, violent death. The police seem happy to accept that it was suicide, but Fethering residents Carole and Jude remain unconvinced . . .

Carole and Jude’s Turkish holiday takes a murderous turn in the new Fethering mystery Carole Seddon has never enjoyed holidays much. Nevertheless, she has allowed herself to be persuaded by her friend Jude to accept a fortnight’s free accommodation at a luxurious Turkish villa owned by Jude’s property developer friend Barney Willingdon. But from the outset the holiday is marred by a series of menacing incidents: threatening messages daubed on the villa walls; and their host being accosted by a knife-wielding man at a local restaurant. As Carole and Jude launch into what they do best - investigating - it becomes clear that Barney Willingdon has made plenty of enemies, with his ruthless business deals and complicated love life. Matters come to a head when Carole’s sightseeing trip to nearby Pinara is curtailed by the discovery of a body in one of the ancient Lycian tombs. And what really did happen to Barney’s first wife, Zoe?

Welcome to Fethering! Christmas turns killer for amateur sleuths Carole and Jude in this quirky, cozy, British village mystery. Carole Seddon hates Christmas - it all seems rather a waste of time. So when her neighbour and best friend, Jude, drags her along to go shopping at a local store called Gallimaufry, she can feel her inner-Scrooge knocking. But the sales are on, and even Carole can't resist a bargain. A few days later, though, Gallimaufry is burnt down, and a body is discovered in the ashes. It seems like a tragic accident . . . but no-one can die of natural causes when a gun is involved. The victim was young, pretty and successful; who could possibly want her dead? With a host of suspects, the amateur detectives know they have their work cut out for them. And as they dig deeper they discover a host of half-truths and lies. It seems that someone in Fethering has a deep, dark, deadly secret - and is prepared to kill to keep it.

The wickedly entertaining new Fethering mystery featuring chalk-and-cheese detective duo Carole and Jude Polly’s Cake Shop has been a feature of the shopping parade for many years, but when its owner announces her retirement, the Fethering residents start to worry about the loss of this popular amenity. Alarmed by rumours that the café might become a Starbucks, a group clubs together to form the Save Polly’s Cake Shop Action Committee. The plan is that Polly’s should become a community venture, managed and run by volunteers from the village. Roped in to help, Jude finds the committee meetings fraught with petty power struggles, clashing personalities and monstrous egos. Matters take a turn for the worse when she and Carole come across a badly-decomposed body on Fethering beach – and uncover a link to Polly’s. Not only do the two neighbours have to find out whodunit, they are also faced with the thorny question: is it possible to run a business on that most volatile of commodities - goodwill?

"As usual with the Fethering mysteries, the characterization of part-time sleuths Jude and Carole Seddon is rich with subtlety. And, as with the Charles Paris mysteries, readers are treated to a cunningly crafted mystery set in a world where stagecraft can serve sinister uses." Booklist Starred Review The local dramatic society provides fertile ground for murder in the brand-new Fethering mystery When Jude agrees to lend her vintage chaise longue for the local Amateur Dramatics Society's production of George Bernard Shaw's The Devil's Disciple, little does she realize she'll end up in a starring role. It's an ambitious play, culminating in a dramatic execution scene: a scene that's played for real when one of the leading actors is found hanging from the especially-constructed stage gallows during rehearsals. A tragic accident - or something more sinister? Carole and Jude make it their business to find out.

Neighbours Carole and Jude uncover more than they bargained for when Jude decides to redecorate her cottage in this lighthearted cosy mystery. "An edgy cozy, filled with dry wit and deft plot twists"- Booklist Starred Review Having decided to redecorate Woodside Cottage, Jude has engaged the services of local man Pete, who has painted and decorated the homes of Fethering residents for many years. Pete is currently working on Footscrow House, a large Victorian building which is being converted into holiday flats by a local developer. Having arranged to meet at 'Fiasco House', as it is known locally due to the many failed business enterprises over the years, Jude and Pete make a surprising discovery behind a wall panel: a woman's handbag! The casual discovery becomes serious when the police identify the handbag's owner as Anita Garner, a young woman who vanished in suspicious circumstances twenty years earlier. Determined to find out what really happened to Anita all those years ago, Jude and her neighbour Carole's investigations plunge them into a maze of deception and murder, as they uncover a number of uncomfortable secrets beneath the serene surface of Fethering life . . .

When Carole Seddon's car is vandalised, it heralds the start of a disturbing series of events in the witty and entertaining new Fethering mystery. Carole Seddon's trusty Renault is one of her most treasured possessions. So when it is vandalised, there's only one person she will entrust with its repair: Bill Shefford has been servicing the vehicles of the good citizens of Fethering for many years. But how could something like this happen in Fethering of all places? Then the note is shoved under Carole's kitchen door: Watch out. The car window was just the start. It would appear that she has been deliberately targeted. But by whom . and why? Matters take an even more disturbing turn when a body is discovered at Shefford's Garage, crushed to death by a falling gearbox. It would appear to be a tragic accident. Carole and her neighbour Jude are not so sure. And the more they start to ask questions, the more evidence they uncover of decidedly foul play .

Welcome to Fethering! Amateur detectives Carole and Jude investigate a slaying by the seaside in this quirky, cozy, British village mystery. Carole is delighted to take ownership of a beach hut in the affluent nearby seaside resort of Smaltings - until, that is, human remains are found under the floorboards. Who do the bones belong to - and who put them there? Carole and her best friend Jude are determined to find out. Their suspicion quickly falls on attractive Philly Rose, a young Londoner newly arrived in the area, whose boyfriend has recently vanished in mysterious circumstances. But Kelvin Southwest, self-appointed 'ladies' man' and caretaker of Smalting's beach huts, seems to be hiding a dark secret beneath his smooth exterior . while Reginald Flowers, pompous President of the Smalting Beach Hut Association, is also strangely defensive about his own history. As Carole and Jude dig for the truth, one thing becomes clear: there are secrets buried deep in Smaltings, which someone is determined will never reach the surface.