The Liar in the Library

Jude attends a library reading by the ex-husband of an old friend of hers; although she has lost touch with both of them, she thinks it will be interesting to see how he is faring these days. Alas, he is as pompous and entitled as ever; indeed, he tries it on with every woman at the reading. Including Jude, when she gets into his car after he offers to drive her home in the rain; offended, she leaves the car and walks the mile or so home despite the downpour. Unfortunately, the next morning the man is found dead in his car, evidently murdered, and Jude is very much the prime suspect…. I really like the Fethering series, of which this is the 18th, but I found myself biting my nails through this one, so stressful did I find Jude’s show more dilemma. Which attests to Mr. Brett’s skill, that I should be so worried about a fictional character being grilled by the cops! Carole plays less of a role in this outing, although she is instrumental in obtaining certain vital bits of information, and the author has a lot of fun with the pretentiousness and glad-handing of the mid-list literary world; also he makes a lot of pointed remarks about the ongoing plight of public libraries, of which every reader should be aware. Recommended. show less

Really enjoyed this 18th installment in the Fethering mystery series. Unfortunately, for me, this is the first one I read and so I spent some time learning about/figuring out the relationships between Jude and her neighbor, Carole.

This was an interesting mystery about a murder after an author talk at a library.

I liked it well enough to track down the first one and I'll likely start reading this series, from the start, very soon.

(I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via Net Galley, in exchange for a fair and honest review.)

I usually adore Simon Brett’s Feathering mysteries, happy to be reunited with odd couple Jude Nichols and Carole Sedding; however, The Liar in the Library, the 18th entry in the series, wasn’t up to Brett’s usual high standard.

A murder in the library leads police to suspect Jude of having killed an arrogant author who flirts — and worse — with every woman he encounters. That’s despite their being a number of more likely suspects. The ending at first threatens to be implausible, although readers will find that not to be the case. A so-so Brett novel is still pretty decent, but caveat emptor.

The mystery part of the story was good but the characters were bland and flat. Most of them went out of their way to be annoying. I found that I had to really work to finish it. To be fair to the book I have to admit that I'm not a cozy mystery fan.

I really enjoyed this modern telling of a classic “Golden Age” mystery in modern times with sly nods to golden age mysteries throughout. No murder occurs for the first few chapters, so I wasn’t sure about this book, but I liked it better with every chapter. I was actually surprised by the murderer,

This was the first book that I have read in the Fethering series. Even though this is Book #18, I was easily able to read this as a stand alone mystery. The characters of Jude and Carole are well established, and the particulars of the new mystery swirl around their lives in a logical and plausible manner. There is a murder that takes places outside the Fetherling Library, involving the author who was featured in the evening event. This author, Burton St. Clair, is murdered. One of the main characters, Jude, becomes the main suspect as she was last seen with Burton.

I enjoyed the investigation into the murder, and the interviews conducted by either Carole or Jude are entertaining. This is a delightful quick read, and it was perfect for a show more light hearted weekend afternoon. This is definitely a book, and a series, that I will now be able to wholeheartedly recommend to friends and family.

Thank you to netgalley for providing an eARC of The Liar in the Library in exchange for an honest review. show less

Another lovely outing in the Fethering series with Jude and Carole. In this one Jude becomes a victim of lies told by some one she knew 20 years earlier, and then the prime suspect in the murder of her former friend's husband. After some initial sleuthing she is warned off doing any more by the police and has to hand everything over to Carole.

This is a series I have really enjoyed. Simon Brett has been publishing them now for 18 years. If you have not read any of them, I suggest you start with #1