Lorraine T. (mysterylover) reviewed The Body on the Beach (Fethering, Bk 1) on + 318 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
This is an excellent cozy series. The protagonists are two middle-aged women who retired early - in their 50's and live in cottages next to each other. They are very different - one Carole is very disciplined, organized, even a bit rigid. Her neighbor, Jude, is a free spirit, into alternative healing, etc. Carole exercising her dog finds a body, but it disappears before the police arrive, so she and Jude solve the mystery. Half the fun is the friendship between these two diverse women. I've enjoyed the whole series and am awaiting the next one.
Helpful Score: 3
The first book in the Fethering Mystery series. Enjoyed Carole and her friend Jude, as they solve the mystery, in thsi seaside hamlet
Helpful Score: 3
Fun read. 2 amateur sleuths who get fed up when the police don't take them seriously, and solve a murder. First book in a series.
Helpful Score: 2
This was a terrific British cozy mystery full of subtle humor (such as the first sentence: "Fethering is on the South Coast, not far from Tarring."). There were many juicy red herrings and more than one body, one's identity which wasn't revealed until near the end. I especially enjoyed the contrast of the two main characters, Carole and Jude. Carole is staid and very organized in her manner whilst Jude is laid-back and more fluid and untidy. I can't wait to read the second in this series, Death on the Downs. Very highly recommended!
Helpful Score: 1
In the seaside hamlet of Fethering(located next to the town of Tarring), Carole Seddon maintains a quiet and sensible life. She doesn't have the time or the tolerance to deal with her new bohemian neighbor, Jude, whose outgoing personality contrasts with that of the prim and proper Carole. But her neighbor doesn't seem too bad when Carole discovers another addition to the neighborhood -- a dead body on the beach bearing two wounds in its neck.
Helpful Score: 1
An entertaining work by a master of the genre.
A good traditional whodunit.
I'm not much of a cozy reader but now and again I'll read a review that makes me want to try the book. When I read the first sentence of this one, "Fethering is on the South Coast, not far from Tarring", I thought oh no, this is going to be one of those aren't-I-cute cozies. But then I found the sly humor turned entertaining instead of annoying, and I enjoyed the rest of it very much. Obviously Brett intended it as the start of a series (successfully) so there's a lot of set-up in location and character development. The murder plot was nicely convoluted if more than a little far-fetched, and I did wonder why the two detectives weren't more curious about the identity of the corpse. I really liked both Carole and Jude and I'm curious to see what other characters will pop up in the next.
I enjoyed the first book in the series. Two main characters are opposites and building a friendship during the course of the book. While the book's setting is in England, the author does not overdo the English perspective and gently explains differences so Americans can still enjoy the book. The first chapter introduces you to one of the main characters (Carol) with a simple event; while walking her dog she finds a body on the beach and upon returning home calls the police. Now here is where the story begins; police to go beach...but no dead body to be found. And then begins the REAL STORY, WHERE is the body??? Was there a body or is Carol imagining things?? Enjoyable....in the classical cozy mystery genre.
Very good mystery. Good character development and interesting place.
