Murder in the Meadow

Two boys find the body of a local artist beside a stream. There is nothing really wrong with the plot, although I didn't warm to the victim, so it was hard to care which of the people he had treated badly actually killed him.

The "personal lives of the police officers" element was less successful: Keith's relationship seemed emotionally off to me and then there was Gemma, the new sergeant, with her alternative agenda. It amuses me how everyone who searches the narrow boat homes in on the Dick Francis novel. (Anyway, didn't Jerome remove that a couple of books ago?)

This was a very good book. I had never read any books in this series or by this author prior to reading Murder In The Meadow, but I am going to make a point of continuing on with the series and catching p with the books I missed. This was well written and kept my interest. I wanted to know who the murderer was and was quite satisfied with how the crime was solved. I classify this as a cozy crime novel, as there is no violence or swearing. It was also easy to pick up in the middle of the series and not be totally lost and feel like I was missing out on some of the story line. I just want to go back and read the rest of the other books because I liked the characters, and the writing.

crime-thriller, procedural, secrets, lies, friendship, family-dynamics, England, murder, murder-investigation, law-enforcement, suspense*****

Hilary has a new DS who is both efficient and has secrets as well as a new body to investigate.
The vic is an artist and a gigolo and the investigation takes some truly inventive twists. Good read!
Gemma Dawson is the voice actor who really brings even more credibility to the story.

Wayne Sutton has many female 'friends' so when he is found dead DI Greene has a prolific number of suspects
Another good mystery in this well-written series with a selection of well-drawn characters. Although it can be read as a standalone story I think it reads better starting with book one as there is a background story.
Received an Advanced Reader Copy