Friday, November 18, 2016

Review of "The Corpse on the Court: A Fethering Mystery" by Simon Brett




In this 14th book in the 'Fethering Mystery' series, amateur sleuths Carole and Jude investigate two separate murders. The book can be read as a standalone.

*****



Carole and Jude are next door neighbors and amateur sleuths who live in Fethering, a town in England. In this addition to the series Jude has fallen for Piers, a suave, handsome businessman obsessed with "real tennis", a game played on an indoor court. Piers takes Jude to watch a real tennis match at Lockleigh House Tennis Club where she meets his friends and fellow enthusiasts.



Afterwards Piers convinces Jude to take lessons in the sport as well.



Jude's preoccupation with Piers leaves Carole feeling neglected so Carole decides to look into an old unsolved mystery, 'the girl in the lake', by herself. Meanwhile, the body of an elderly tennis club member, Reggie Playfair, is found dead on the Lockleigh House tennis court. Though Reggie's death is apparently from natural causes Jude is suspicious. Thus Carole and Jude undertake simultaneous - but largely independent - investigations.



During their sleuthing Carole meets a woman looking for her long lost daughter and Jude discovers that the Lockleigh House Tennis Club is a late-night trysting place for lovers.



The book has some fun, interesting characters and the dual investigations dovetail nicely at the end.

I do have a quibble with Reggie's cause of death but - since the book is a cozy - I'll give it a pass. I'd recommend the book as an entertaining light mystery.


Rating: 3 stars

2 comments:

  1. I really enjoy his characters & settings, but ultimately all of the holes in his plots disappoint me. I always want to enjoy his mysteries more than i do.

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    1. Ice, I think plot holes (or unlikely things happening) is often a problem with cozies. I also like the characters and settings.

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