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Loading... The Shooting in the Shop (2010)by Simon Brett
   None No current Talk conversations about this book. 1   smik | Jul 31, 2010 |  no reviews | add a review
Belongs to SeriesFethering (11)
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 neighbor 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. No library descriptions found. |
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 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)823.914Literature English English fiction Modern Period 1901-1999 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage: (3.48)
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Wikipedia in English
2
There's always someone watching.
Christmas is approaching in the seaside village of Fethering and Jude is horrified that her neighbour Carole Seddon, retired public servant, has chosen such dull presents for her immediate family. To make matters worse Carole's son Stepehen, his wife gaby and her baby grandaughter Lily will be coming down for Christmas Day.
So Jude takes Carole off to a newly opened trendy shop called Gallimaufray. A few days later, when the shop is burnt down fire investigators find the body of a young woman in the burnt out premises. By this time Carole has met the owners of the shop at Jude's pre-Christmas open house party, and so neither she nor Jude have any hesitation in becoming personally involved in finding out what really happened.
Jude and Carole are a formidable investigative team, and their pursuit of the truth is no longer the casual observation that it was a few books back. They meet often to compare notes and formulate new plans of attack on their suspects.
One character, quite a nasty one, has it right: "You are just two nosy old women who have no authority at all", but he underestimates their acumen for sleuthing.
THE SHOOTING IN THE SHOP is a quick and enjoyable read, unmistakeably a cozy, with plenty of red herrings, and just a bit more character development for our two sleuths. [I have been thinking about who I would cast in their roles: perhaps Patricia Routledge and Sylvia Sims??]
I have the same criticism of this novel that I have voiced before about others in the series. In the final chapter Simon Brett launches a few months or more forward, and then tells us how the main characters have fared since the crime was solved. I find it a most peculiar way to round off the novel, rather as if the action of the novel is a slice of pie, and here we have got to the final bit. That probably makes no sense to you at all, but if you do read THE SHOOTING IN THE SHOP think about how you feel about the final chapter. If you remember to, come back and tell me about your reaction. (